Whether he’s funking you up onstage with his band The Juan MacLean or wreaking havoc on the dance floor behind turntables, John MacLean is a musical force to be reckoned with. Newcity caught up with MacLean in advance of his DJ gig Friday at Smart Bar.
What did you do before you became a full-time musician?
When I quit Six Finger Satellite, I went to college and became certified to teach English. The only places that would hire me were facilities in which someone with a prior history of drug abuse and criminal activity might in fact be an asset. I began teaching at a juvenile-detention facility and loved it. At one point the music teacher quit—she was stabbed with a pencil. Though I had no formal music training I took her place, bought a bunch of computers and started an electronic music program, doing projects with kids in which they made original music. It was truly one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. Unfortunately, music career two exploded while I wasn’t looking and I could no longer teach and make music.
You've been involved with bands for a while; how long have you been DJing?
I started playing out for the first time maybe two years ago. I became obsessed, soliciting as much guidance as possible from people like Marcus Lambkin, [Shit Robot of DFA], who is my favorite person in the world to play with, along with Tim Sweeney [of DFA and Beats In Space]. DJing is not much different than playing live with a band—it’s based on technical ability, an intuition for the crowd, pacing and taste and having an identifiable style for yourself. I get the same rush out of tearing a club apart as when I am playing with the band.
Do you ever consider returning to straight-up rock music?
No, The Juan MacLean is as close as I’ll ever get. I always figured it was best to do your thing as hard as you could, terrorize the world with your sound and get out when the going is still good. To go back would taint whatever I accomplished with Six Finger Satellite.
What's on your iPod these days?
Matthew Dear’s new album, "Asa Breed," is playing non-stop. It’s like
"Heroes"-era David Bowie singing over minimal techno. I’ve been revisiting
Grace Jones, "Walking in the Rain." I bought a hundred early eighties disco twelve-inches, all Prelude, West End, Sam, Beckett stuff.
What’s your favorite remix someone else has done of TJM?
It’s far and away Cajmere’s remix of "Give Me Every Little Thing." Shortly after it came out I was at Panorama Bar in Berlin and Luke Slater dropped it to a roomful of amped-up Berliners and people were screaming. That’s when I realized that it was brilliant.
It seems dance music has become more dominant in indie music. What was TJM’s role in this movement among the other leaders of the pack?
The band sort of paved the way for electronic dance music to be played live in the manner of a rock band. It’s hard not to think Soulwax didn’t take a lot of cues from us for their "Nite Versions" stuff! They’re friends and certainly have had an incalculable impact in dance music over the years, particularly in bringing indie rockers to the table.
Do you think dance music will ever gain the prominence in American popular culture that it has in Europe?
It has undeniably gotten a lot better. The United States is probably the toughest place to make it as a DJ. In the late nineties we saw the start of people bringing melodicism and songcraft to dance music, in much the same vein as the best of the disco era. I think the best music in the world is being made right now in the dance or electronic realm.
What can we expect from TJM in 2007 and beyond?
I’m finishing my next album right now and it’s taking longer than expected. It’s always terrifying making a follow-up album with the sophomore slump hanging in the air. Essentially the album is a series of duets with me and Nancy Whang. It’s very Human League, after the girls joined. Next year after the album is released we’ll start up the band again and set off to bring the world a slice of transcendence.
John MacLean of The Juan MacLean DJs with Bald Eagle & Popstatic at Smart Bar, 3730 North Clark, (773)549-0203, on June 29, 10pm-4am. No cover before 11pm, $10 after.
