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There’s a lot of pressure on house innovator John MacLean, ringleader of the Juan Maclean. He’s been beaten to the robotic-dance punch by Daft Punk and spent a few years with the music world passing him by: when his first band, Six Finger Satellite, broke up, when he went into academic hiding at Providence College, and when he sought further refuge as an English teacher. But sometimes the breakup of a band is the best thing to ever happen to an artist, and MacLean’s obviously a quick study: Based on only a handful of singles, he’s been lauded by music critics as one of the leading lights in the DFA stable. As his latest single, the highly danceable “Happy House,” proves, there’s still something from the rave era’s past that’s worth blowing whistles to.
THE JUAN MACLEAN PERFORMS WITH EDIE SEDGWICK & THE BRUNETTES AT 8 P.M. AT THE BLACK CAT, 1811 14th ST. NW. $13. (202) 667-4490.