Jon McMillion: Horus House
Zoombézoom

Many music producers strive to become artists; in the rare case, artistry secretes from the individual's pores as naturally as sweat on a summer's day. Horus House certainly suggests that Jon McMillion belongs to that rarified and select second group, as it adds to an equally artful discography that includes Inner Floor (Orac, 2006), Back On That Road (Orac, 2007), and Jon McMillion LP (Nuearth Kitchen, 2010). Spreading two cuts across two twelve-inch vinyl sides, McMillion's debut outing on the upstart Zoombézoom label pairs a seven-minute jam on the A-side with a thirteen-minute epic on the flip.

The title cut eases the listener into the release gently via a midtempo strut and twilight textures. A delicate theme softly calls out from a misty blend of vinyl crackle, warm electric piano, and percussion before bright acoustic piano trills and a subtly grooving bass pulse enliven the material and haul it into the daylight. The overall mood is serene as McMillion invites the listener to lie back and bask in the music's quiet, serpentine splendour. Details aside, what impresses most is his talent for weaving sounds into an engrossing, sequential flow, something rendered even more evident during the longer “D-Drop Jam” when it twists and turns through a series of forceful Latin-, jazz-, and space-funk episodes. In a masterful display, claps, bass, electric piano, drums, and chicken-scratch guitar kick out a funky, long-form jam that captivates from start to finish despite its loose, freewheeling vibe. McMillion makes it all sound so easy.

November 2013