BACK IN! That Juan MacLean is just a bundle of contradictions. Here he’s created one of the year’s best mix CDs—and not just a proper party mix, which it certainly is, but even what you might call an “important” mix, a timely lesson in the enduring spirit of house music—and how does he choose to describe the process of putting it together? As an “existential tailspin.” “In the six months I knew I was going to do this mix, I spent most of the time agonizing over the relevance of doing a DJ mix in 2010,” says MacLean. “So much about DJ-ing has changed in the last 10 years. It seems that anyone at home can make their own mix, whether they’re a proper DJ or not. Which begs the question, why bother putting them out at this point?” “So at the end of the day I just came back to where I had started, which was basically wanting to do something that was representative of where I’m coming from in producing my own music, and also focusing on the current house music scene.” A love-letter to house music penned by one of the music’s most sincere (and well-schooled) admirers, it’s a sweet, sweaty, wide-ranging set that wraps you up in chugging grooves. At a time of proliferating podcasts and fly-by-night mixtapes, it’s a welcome change of pace: a mix that makes its case the oldfashioned way, one perfect blend at a time. Tracklisting. 1. Juan MacLean - Feliz Casa (Ian Breno Dub) 2. Still Going - Spaghetti Circus 3. Andre Crom & Luca Doobie - Ebony 4. 6th Burough Project - Planets (The Revenge Lost Groove) 5. A+O - Take Me 6. Rick Wilhite - Get On Up!! (Theo Parrish’ Late Dub) 7. Florian Meindl - Here Today Gone Tomorrow 8. Armando - Don’t Take It (Thomos Edit) 9. Jee Day - Like a Child 10. Giom - I Know You Were Right 11. Alex Niggemann & Superlounge - Chip Chip 12. Manuel Sahagun - Pieces Of Me 13. Sonny Foderra - Everybody Get On The Decks 14. Danny Howells - Laid Out (Fully Horizontal Mix) 15. Shit Robot - Simple Things (Todd Terje Version) 16. The Juan MacLe