Pynchon Music: Maas

“Maas” is a pseudonym of Ewan Pearson, who produces music mainly in the genres of techno, house and breakbeat. Born in Kidderminster in the UK, Pearson has a BA (Hons) in English from Girton College, Cambridge (1993) and an MA in Postmodernism and Critical Theory from Royal Holloway, University of London (1995). As a teenager he played in several bands but his first record—Motorcade—was released in 1994 under the pseudonym Villa America. This was followed in 1995 by another single—The Reason—with DJ friend John Tyrrell under the name Dirtbox. His Maas pseudonym, taken from Thomas Pynchon’s novel The Crying of Lot 49, was first adopted for his 1995 Soma debut 12” San Narciso.

Since then Maas has released a number of recordings on the Soma label as well as remixing a host of other artists. Pearson cites musical influences as diverse as Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, John Lee Hooker, Steve Reich, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Carl Craig, Kenny Larkin, and Francois Kevorkian. “Although I love dance music I have a lot of other reference points too. Thanks to my parents I grew up listening to a lot of different sorts of music from Richard Thomson and Joni Mitchell, to Ry Cooder and John Lee Hooker, to Sonny Rollins and Carla Bley. I’ve discovered a massive amount of incredible American southern soul and country singers—like James Carr, Joe Simon and Tony Joe White. I get inspired by all this stuff even if lots of the music I end up making doesn’t end up resembling it.”

Maas – EP01 – SOMA 022 (12”)
Maas – Suture Self EP – SOMA 038 : (12”)
Maas – Fallen Arches – on SOMA 050 – Soma Quality Recordings 2 x 12” and CDLP
Maas – Latitude sampler – Soma Quality Recordings limited 12”: SOMALP 7P
Maas – Latitude – (Soma Quality Recordings: SOMA LP7
Maas – Look at Me Now, Falling – Soma Quality Recordings 12”: SOMA 54, SOMA 54CDS
Maas – Another Saturday Night (Soma Quality Recordings 12”: SOMA 61)
Maas – Powers of Ten (Soma Quality Recordings 12” SOMA 090)