- It’s pretty hard to write a review about The Juan Maclean without mentioning Happy House: that shining pinnacle of their latter-day, italo-prog-disco excellence, capturing with a restrained ebullience, everything that makes you want to dance until your tastefully groomed exterior is marred by the thinnest sheen of sweat.

Such was its power that John Maclean has struggled to reach the same height since, even with further help from LCD Soundsystem’s Nancy Whang and her instantly recognisable, unique approach to disco diva vocals. Saving themselves for five years between full-length studio releases, Maclean also roped in Holy Ghost!’s Nick Millhiser to give In A Dream all the talent it could take.

Given DFA’s pedigree for indie-influenced dance and the trio’s combined history in (Maclean’s) post-hardcore, (Whang’s) dance-punk and Millhiser’s indie-dance, it might seem slightly odd that In A Dream sounds as Moroder-esque as it does, but, really no, it’s classic Juan Maclean and classic DFA as well. If it has any debts to guitar music, they’re actually owed to prog and kraut rock: coldly efficient beats clothed in a warmly hypnotic atmosphere. They complement and come together with italo-disco in a very tasteful whole, neatly uniting a few contradictions -like the dancefloor burn with the clinical, electronic chill- along the way. Another pleasant paradox is having that brain-dissolving housey oeuvre firmed up with just the right amount of intellectual rigour. There are probably others, too: like Nancy Whang, bringing a straight-up and -when you think about it- quite steely vocal resolve to the typically syrupy, house-diva style.

This collection of balancing acts is maintained with a studied but largely -seemingly- effortless grace across the record. It’s an undeniable achievement. There might not be another Happy House in here, but, in a way, gathering so much consistently effective dancefloor fodder together is just as great an achievement. Neither DFA nor disco were having a bad time this year, but The Juan Maclean has just raised the bar for both. So, to quote one of the greats: I thank you for just being so damn excellent.

- Chris Cobcroft.