Larry Heard
Sceneries Not Songs, Volume One
Larry Heard will be a name close to heart for any serious House Music fans; he is to House, what a record is to a turntable; it is impossible to talk about one’s history without mention of the others.
Heard has released tracks under a number of different names, most famously ‘Fingers Inc’ & ‘Mr Fingers’, both of which he used predominantly in the 1980’s. His most famous tracks from this time are ‘Can You Feel It’, ‘Mystery of Love’ & ‘Washing Machine’ & they are perfect examples of that early Chicago sound. Indeed, what makes Larry Heard so unique is that in a career that has lasted over 30 odd years he has always evolved his music yet retained that unique Larry Heard sound. This unique sound progresses too as House music does.
For Heard, the 1980’s represented a period of experimentation. His work from this period was raw, revolutionary & forward thinking; it was like very little else out there at the time. The 1990’s & beyond seem to represent a much more refined & soulful sound coming from him, with much of his work influenced more heavily by Jazz.
‘Midnight Movement’ is a jazzy, hypnotic & beautiful jam coming off an album released in 1994 called Sceneries Not Songs, Volume One. It will cost you a small fortune to purchase on vinyl as it is a rare and sought after release. There are a number of reasons why this is a key album for Heard too. Not only was it was his first full album under the Larry Heard name (rather than Finger Inc) but, along with demonstrating his versatility as a producer, it set in stone some distinctive sounds with the keyboard he had been developing which are present in many of his early 90’s works and which dominate his music even to this day. The album is not so much a dance album but rather one filled with dreamy & ambient tracks which must have come as a little surprising to his fans back in 1994. It makes sense too as to become a truly great artist, one has to push the boundaries every once in a while. Larry Heard certainly did this and continues to do so today.
Heard has released tracks under a number of different names, most famously ‘Fingers Inc’ & ‘Mr Fingers’, both of which he used predominantly in the 1980’s. His most famous tracks from this time are ‘Can You Feel It’, ‘Mystery of Love’ & ‘Washing Machine’ & they are perfect examples of that early Chicago sound. Indeed, what makes Larry Heard so unique is that in a career that has lasted over 30 odd years he has always evolved his music yet retained that unique Larry Heard sound. This unique sound progresses too as House music does.
For Heard, the 1980’s represented a period of experimentation. His work from this period was raw, revolutionary & forward thinking; it was like very little else out there at the time. The 1990’s & beyond seem to represent a much more refined & soulful sound coming from him, with much of his work influenced more heavily by Jazz.
‘Midnight Movement’ is a jazzy, hypnotic & beautiful jam coming off an album released in 1994 called Sceneries Not Songs, Volume One. It will cost you a small fortune to purchase on vinyl as it is a rare and sought after release. There are a number of reasons why this is a key album for Heard too. Not only was it was his first full album under the Larry Heard name (rather than Finger Inc) but, along with demonstrating his versatility as a producer, it set in stone some distinctive sounds with the keyboard he had been developing which are present in many of his early 90’s works and which dominate his music even to this day. The album is not so much a dance album but rather one filled with dreamy & ambient tracks which must have come as a little surprising to his fans back in 1994. It makes sense too as to become a truly great artist, one has to push the boundaries every once in a while. Larry Heard certainly did this and continues to do so today.
