Product Description

Less Than Human is the debut album from long standing DFA act, The Juan MacLean. Juan started out as a member of Sub Pop group Six Finger Satellite which is where he met LCD Soundsystem / DFA mainman James Murphy, when he became their live sound engineer. He was the second act to release a record on DFA with "By The Time I Get To Venus" coming after The Rapture’s seminal "House Of Jealous Lovers". That release was followed by "Losing My Edge" which Juan followed up with the double a-sided "You Can’t Have It Both Ways" and "My Time Is Running Out". The latter appears on Less Than Human along with "Give Me Every Little Thing" which was one side of a highly sought after 12" shared with The Rapture’s "Killing". After those singles and remixes for the likes of Air, Chromeo, and Ralph Myerz, Juan took time out with the DFA guys to write and record his debut album.

Track Listing

1. AD 2003
2. Shining Skinned Friend
3. Give Me Every Little Thing
4. Tito�s Way
5. Love Is In The Air
6. In The Afternoon
7. My Time Is Running Out
8. Crush The Liberation
9. Dance With Me

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #85913 in Music
• Released on: 2005-07-04
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

A new find
I was in a record shop buying Royksopp's new album while they were playing this very CD and I thought it sounded rather different so I purchased it and was glad I did. My favourite tracks are No. 7 Less than Human and the absolutely hauntingly brilliant last track Dance With Me. There has been a lot of thought put in to this music and it's definitely something orignal but it will certainly not be everyone's cup of tea.

I nice find this one. Worth listening to if you like Mylo, Lemon Jelly, Air etc.

Alternative love songs
You could be forgiven for thinking that the debut album by the Juan Maclean is to be a mere addition to the generic style that is the DFA. Of course it sounds familiar, the production is recognisable, the electro-punk attitude is prevalent throughout. But where the Juan differs is in his sensuality. Buy this album if you're a fan of the early Orbital releases but expect your heart to race more frequently, particularly during the stomping "Give me every little thing" or the alternative love song "Dance with me" featuring the versatile and beautiful Nancy Whang.

Deconstructed disco
One of the main men (alongside James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy) behind DFA and former member of Six-Finger Satellite, John Maclean's debut is damaged electro with a dark heart. For all its inferences to robotic disco, this is not a Daft Punk album (despite the similarity in name to that band's latest: Human After All) - although it uses dance as is its language, Less than Human has all the subtle nuance and idiosyncasy of electronica. Part Kraftwerk, part Add (N) to X, part Underworld, part (obvoiusly) LCD Soundsystem, there is only one track that seems meant to tear up the dancefloor, the brilliant Give Me Every Little Thing (also heard on DFA compilation vol.2). 'AD 2003' is a taster, at a couple of minutes length, of the ice cool electro that dominates the LP, while 'Shining Skinned Friend' is a demented menage a trois of robotic voices complimented by shimmering synths, and rollicking DFA rythmns. This track in particular - despite the Doctor Who vocal effects - undermines its dancefloor textures with subtle subversions. Whereas 'Tito's Way' leans more towards the punk-funk blueprint, 'Love Is In The Air' and the downbeat vocoder of 'In The Afternoon' come off as a melancholy, less insincere Air. 'My Time is Running Out' is an awesome cut of IDM electro that throws a bone to Warp afficiandos, while 'Crush the Liberation' reminds of Out Hud, with its no wave chanting and syn drums, but disintergrates into periods of Eno-ish Ambience. 'Dance with Me' the 14 minute closer, is a masterpiece - evoking end-of-the night dancefloor fatigue, with 303 patterns shifting in and out of focus before reaching a kind of redemptive dawn in the form of gentle piano chords. A real talent then, although some of the tracks could have been developed further to up the overall length of the album.