DJ Perception y The Juan Maclean

Before establishing himself as an individual artist, Maclean played guitar as part of the Sub Pop band Six Finger Satellite, whose synthesiser-addled post-hardcore was influenced by bands such as Big Black, Devo and Suicide, moving to a more post-punk, kraut-inspired noise that utilised electronics more heavily. Along with LCD Soundsytem's James Murphy, the pair became involved with the production duties for the band, which further changed their sound.

The band eventually broke up in the late 90s, with Maclean taking a break from the music business until James Murphy, who had just started his dance-punk label DFA Records, urged his friend to again start making music.

John Maclean began making music under the moniker, The Juan Maclean, beginning to experiment with modern electronic equipment, fusing his post-punk influences with early Detroit Techno and Chicago House. He released a number of singles on DFA and appeared on several compilations for the label, with "You Can't Have it Both Ways" and "Give Me Every Little Thing" becoming minor hits in 2002 and 2003 respectively.

His debut album, "Less Than Human" came out in 2005, a very experimental effort, that established his sound that borrowed from his love of Kraftwerk to Funkadelic, to Talking Heads to Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The album also featured the vocal talents of Nancy Whang, who had previously sung with LCD Soundystem. "The Future Will Come" followed in 2009, which saw Maclean and Whang's work together continue, displayed in the singles "Happy House" and "The SImple Life."

Maclean took his hand to remixing, becoming fairly prolific in creating reinterpretations of contemporary and classic tracks, such as Chromeo's "Me and My Man," Stevie Nicks' "Secret Love" and Roy Davis Jr's "I Have a Vision." His 2013 record, "In a Deam" brought in some 80s synth-pop influences, adding to the band's eclectic mix of inspiration from which they draw their sound, with Nancy Whang's vocals becoming a more prominent feature in Maclean's music.