TheJuanMacLean139_byTonjeThilesen

The Juan MacLean, not unlike many other electronic artists, saw a relatively positive year in 2014. With the highly-anticipated September release of the DFA outfit’s third album, In a Dream, came a revival of the duo’s moniker and label: producer John Maclean, vocalist Nancy Whang, and label head James Murphy were back in the news.

And rightfully so: In a Dream was lauded as a triumphant combination of techno, deep house, dance-punk… the recipe to this album has enough ingredients that any other individual would be tempted to skimp out on a few (such as the Latin percussion on “You Were a Runaway” or the Woodkid-esque opening minutes of finale “The Sun Will Never Set On Our Love”), but not Maclean. He’s had five years since The Future Will Come (2009) to accrue elements and experiment with the formula, during which we received Everybody Get Close (2011), a digital compilation of unreleased cuts and doodles.

It’s safe to assume the producer’s more than prepared to spin the night away at Mezzanine on New Year’s Eve.

He’ll be DJ’ing solo in support of the new record, but from the sounds of In a Dream, he’ll be running a fast-paced dance party / frenetic disco / percussive synth ship Thursday night opening for Cut Copy. He’s a man of many talents, Maclean, so if you have tickets (the show is sold out) or are able to get your hands on them, make sure you arrive a little early: he’s not to be missed.

Article by Joanna Jiang

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.