Stephan
Maass
Born in 1967, Stephan Maass has spent 35 years shaping rhythm across jazz, pop, electronic, world music, and film — with a hand in more than 700 recordings.
A life for
rhythm & sound.
Born in 1967 in Bad Homburg and raised in Bavaria, Stephan Maass spent two defining decades in Vienna before returning to Bavaria in 2012. Over a career spanning more than 35 years, he has contributed to over 700 recordings across jazz, pop, electronic music, world music and film, building a reputation as a highly versatile percussionist.
His discography reflects a remarkable range of musical worlds: from Colin Towns’ Mask Orchestra in the UK and the NDR Bigband to Austrian pop landmark Rainhard Fendrich, from Kruder & Dorfmeister to Michael Shrieve’s world music album Drums of Compassion, featuring Zakir Hussain, Airto Moreira and Jack DeJohnette. Alongside his extensive recording work, Maass has toured widely with numerous artists, making live performance an equally significant part of his musical life.
As a musician, Maass has received multiple gold and platinum awards. As a producer, he has worked with major labels including Universal and Sony BMG. His production of Georg Danzer’s Persönlich earned the 2005 Amadeus Award for Best National Pop Production. Since 2007, he has taught jazz percussion at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz. From 2021 to 2025, he served as president of Percussion Creativ e.V.
A regular presence at international drum festivals and clinics, including Superdrumming and the Meinl Drum Festival, Maass continues to work across musical borders. Most recently, he contributed to Carla Morrison’s Toda Una Vida, featured in the HBO Max series Como agua para chocolate. In 2024, he placed in the Top 5 of the World Percussion category in the Readers Poll of Modern Drummer, the leading US drum magazine.
The discographic
pulse.
One Drink to Remember, Another One to Forget
Illuminations
Toda Una Vida
La vita va così
Rise and Dub
Rise and Step
Apartment N°8
Virtuoso
Perla
Bloodline
Florecer
Drums of Compassion
Goaßnmaß
In Between
… Or What?
Better Man
No Escape
Minus One Season 2
Andara 1980
Seengwa
The collaborative
echo.
Over 700 recordings across jazz, pop, electronic, world music, and film. A selection below — a more complete list is available as a downloadable file.
“Stephan Maass has a mind of his own — thank god — a master musician.”
Colin Towns“The groove-galloping, gong-booming duet between percussionists Joji Hirota and Stephan Maass made The Royal Hunt of the Sun the show’s tour de force.”
John Fordham, The Guardian — 20 October 2015- NDR Bigband
- Colin Towns' Mask Orchestra
- Blue Touch Paper
- Randy Brecker
- Nils Landgren
- Vladislav Sendecki
- Harold Faltermeyer
- Dominik Scherrer
- Peter Wolf
- Filmorchester Babelsberg
- Terry Hands
- Rusanda Panfili
- Carla Morrison
- Midge Ure
- Róisín Murphy
- Udo Jürgens
- Rainhard Fendrich
- Georg Danzer
- Michael Shrieve
- Kruder & Dorfmeister
- LaBrassBanda
- Mamadou Diabaté
- Tajdar Junaid
- Dzihan & Kamien
Percussion,
delivered worldwide.
Distinctive percussion overdubs — professionally recorded, carefully edited, and delivered as mix-ready stems, wherever your music is being made.
Every track suggests its own possibilities. I contribute percussion ideas shaped by its sound, space and direction — in close exchange with you, or with room to explore.
Start a sessionPassing on the
craft.
Since 2007, Stephan Maass has taught jazz percussion at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz, building one of the few dedicated percussion programs in the European jazz university landscape. Beyond jazz percussion, his teaching spans rhythm training for classical musicians and the development of a dedicated music production focus at the university. He gives workshops and masterclasses internationally.
Let's make
something
resonate.
Rhythm, sound and texture
in progress.
On Instagram, I share short explorations from my studio: instruments, grooves, textures and the small decisions that shape a recording. What began as a visual notebook has grown into an ongoing exchange with musicians and listeners around the world.
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