The DJ Kicks series has continually served up some of the best compilations around. With past highlights from Tiga, Hot Chip and Chromeo, the Juan Maclean are well placed to take centre stage for this instalment in the series.

John Maclean, the Juan Maclean’s central force, has been credited with making disco cool again. After listening to his set, it’s easy to understand why. This next chapter in the Kicks series is an example of house music at its most refined. The Juan Maclean deliver a sultry mix of disco-infused New York house, which borders on steamy when it peaks. Despite the retro-sounding selections, surprisingly many of the tracks are recent releases, including the Juan Maclean newbie Feels So Good.

Maclean doesn’t waste time getting straight into disco, with Still Going’s Spaghetti Circus. While perfectly gay in all the right places, it is far from camp. With its fast pace, you would expect to it later in the tracklisting, however Maclean manages to make it sound right at home as an entrée. Unfortunately it leaves us wanting more, and disappointed when things slow down.

While the pace does drop off after the opening tracks, things pick up again about midway. Jee Day’s Like a Child illustrates Maclean’s skills in set construction, with the euphoric track sounding reminiscent of an underground New York warehouse party. It’s the mix highlight by a long shot. Despite the scattered tracklisting, which moves from fast to slow throughout, what saves this mix from being just a camp disco-house frivolity is its darkness. Maclean weaves a set of edgier tunes, with enough New York attitude to maintain a tough feel.

Overall this is a mighty effort. While it’s not in the same league of the classic Kicks entries by the likes of Tiga, John Maclean’s sophisticated selections and deft mixing skills bring a certain panache to the mix.

DJ Kicks: Juan Maclean is out now on !K7 through Inertia.