The Juan Maclean

The Juan Maclean

The Juan Maclean is the electronic dance project of John Maclean, who first comes to notice as a member of the Sub Pop band Six Finger Satellite. Six Finger Satellite begins in a style that fits the Sub Pop roster, then shifts after one EP into angular post-punk influenced by Devo, Big Black and Suicide rather than the hard rock acts it originally resembles. By the time the band records its final album, Law of Ruins (1998), Krautrock becomes a major influence, and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem produces, engineers and mixes the sessions, while also running the band’s live sound.

After Six Finger Satellite breaks up, Maclean moves from New York to New Hampshire and stops making music for a period while dealing with personal and drug-related problems. Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy, who are starting the DFA label, encourage him to return to music. He begins recording as The Juan Maclean, taking elements of his former band’s sound into a dance music context and combining post-punk and 1970s experimental electronics with early Euro-disco, electro, Detroit techno and Chicago house.

Recordings and releases

Early singles include You Can’t Have It Both Ways and Give Me Every Little Thing, both described as DFA releases. These lead to Less Than Human, credited as the first Juan Maclean album. Another single, Tito’s Way, is issued with remixes by Booka Shade and Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas. A collection called Visitations gathers remixes of the first two singles and Love Is in the Air and appears as a double promo release.

After two years of touring and developing the live act, The Juan Maclean returns with Happy House and The Simple Life, both included on the second studio album The Future Will Come. Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem features prominently across that album.