Juan MacLean Master the Theremin at Electronic Festival

Posted on Aug 10th 2009 4:10PM by Scott Tomford
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Given the name of the event, it's no surprise the crowd at the second annual Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival were pumped to get their groove on. And thanks to the lineup of 40-plus DJs and bands, this year's attendees had plenty of options. With every shade of electro -- from pop to hip-hop and everywhere in between -- there was definitely something for everyone. One of the festival's most promising acts included the house-soaked hip-hop of New York's own Leif, while Milwaukee new wave duo Codebreaker made their Brooklyn debut to a wildly receptive audience.

While the festival on the whole celebrated dance music, it became more and more clear that the crowd had come to see headliners the Juan MacLean. After releasing one of the best dance singles of 2008 with 'Happy House' (the video of which we premiered last week), the band has risen beyond "band to watch" status and into a must-see live act. The band opened with 'The Simple Life,' which also opens its new album, 'The Future Will Come.' When second singer (and LCD Soundsystem member) Nancy Whang took the stage, the jam-packed outdoor crowd let loose and danced without abandon. MacLean also unveiled a secret weapon early in the set: a theremin."This is the most difficult instrument in the world to play!" MacLean exclaimed to the crowd. It'd be hard to tell, though, given the way MacLean seamlessly worked its high-pitched squawks into songs already tinged with unconventional futuristic sounds. The crowd reached a fever pitch by the time the opening chords of 'Happy House' began. The audience danced, shouted and -- in a few cases -- rushed the stage for the group's set, and then continued to party long after the band left the stage and Brooklyn's DJ Ayers took over the decks. Needless to say, we'll be back for more next year.

Want to know more about the Juan MacLean? Be sure to check out this video of the electro enthusiast record shopping at LA's Amoeba Music.