New Album Honors Late Austin House Hero J.A.M.O.N.

Today marks two years since drummer, DJ, vocalist and producer Jamon Jaleki Horne – known in the dance music world as J.A.M.O.N. – passed away after a two and a half year battle with cancer.

Producer Thomas Sahs recently reached out to tell us about a new album project recorded and produced with J.A.M.O.N. and featuring his vocals on every track.

Ex Rated Lover is a ten track, double 12″ record that began production a decade ago. Sahs is currently working with Jamon’s family to generate pre-sales to pay for a proper vinyl release; any leftover profit will be split between Sahs and to put toward Jamon’s son Kimon’s college fund.

“J.A.M.O.N. was an icon in the Texas house community and beyond,” Sahs told us. “He was also a personal friend and one of my main music homeboys. He left us with releases on various iconic labels, however there is a large body of work that we started over 10 years ago and due to his untimely passing, it never got finished.”

In 2017, Austin Mayor Steve Adler declared October 20th “J.A.M.O.N., Godfather of Austin House Day.”

“For the most part, Jamon was healthy during all of the vocal recordings,” Sahs told us. “As for the production, much of it was finished up after his passing. I just had it all together and I wanted to make sure that it gets out into the world.”

Sahs met Jamon in the late 1990s and they DJ’d together at the Austin, Texas venue Texture. “I released his first record on my label called Public Access in 2003,” Sahs says. “We really started collaborating in the late 2000s.”

The title, Ex Rated Lover, is “almost like a nod to artists like Jamie Principle, Terrence FM and Azari and III,” Sahs says. “It’s a dark soulful borderline androgynous style that seems to be embodied by the name.”

Sahs believes that getting the tracks finished and circulating in the world is extremely important to honor Jamon’s legacy. “Not only are the tracks slammin’ and I think his friends and other DJs would appreciate them and use them for their sets, but more importantly, knowing Jamon very well I believe this is the ultimate way to honor him.”

You can listen to snippets below. To pre-order on vinyl or learn more about the project at blakkjakk.bigcartel.com.