Larry Heard Albums (9)
What The Critics Say
Anyone who doubts the musicality of house producers would do well to listen to Larry Heard. Throughout his 15-year career, Heard has cultivated his own signature style of deep and slow beats that don't rely on the usual Afrobeat samples or live instrumentation to prove their depth. Instead, Heard is one of the blessed few who can truly draw soul and spirituality from strictly electronic forms. And very minimal electronic forms at that. This album, recorded for Detroit label Trackmode, features yet another eight selections to add to Heard's oeuvre. All of the familiar elements are here. The slow and steady kick, the simple and repetitive bassline, and the ever so slight of melodic garnishment -- usually in the form of a lightly tapped cymbal or softly bleeping keyboard. "Change Your Mind" and "Free" might feature vocals by the man himself, but they are buried so deep in the mix that they barely effect the sturdy groove. On paper, it sounds oh-so-terribly boring. But experiencing tracks like "Daze of Phaze" or "The Secret Place" is like listening to the deep baritone of an age-wizened storyteller. You might know the tale, but it's the pure soul in the voice that keeps you listening. ~ Joshua Glazer, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Larry Heard, one of the few electronic musicians whose place in the firmament has been assured ever since the late '80s, has had the freedom to make any kind of record he wants. Love's Arrival benefits from his supreme confidence in an ability to get the maximum amount of emotion from a collection of simple, unadorned productions. Except for one background vocal, Heard is responsible for every note of Love's Arrival, from the drum programs to the slowly shifting Rhodes keyboards, breezy vibes, and earthier piano solos to the sweet, airy vocals on many tracks. Often, he looks farther back than his house heritage, to the days of quiet storm and smooth '80s R&B he no doubt grew up with. The opener, "Praise," is a tender ode that makes direct Heard's religious feelings and reliance on God; each track after it, even the love ballads, can only benefit from the immense, honest feeling he puts into his vocals and production. The beats are deceptively simple, and Heard often layers only two or three instruments at a time over these tracks. The effect, though, is simply sublime, conveying a breath of fresh air into the increasingly stale world of electronic music, where less is never more and producers often spend more time destroying atmospheres than creating them. By no means a complex record -- at least according to the rules of contemporary electronica production -- Love's Arrival instead finds Larry Heard making an assured, emotional record of great electronic listening music. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
As one of the forefathers of Chicago house, Larry Heard has constantly recorded under the pressure of equaling his seminal early releases. In fact, many of his peers seemed to slow down or halt their music making as the mythical "old school" deteriorated. Ironically, only Heard ever went so far as to proclaim an official retirement from music. Yet he has continued to release albums on an almost yearly basis, each one continuing with the deep electronic groove he founded in the mid-'80s. This release from 1999 finds Heard experimenting with a slightly different tone than his usual work, which is almost inevitably locked in a tight 4/4 beat. Rather, Heard allows his kick drum to explore various break patterns on almost every track. His warm analog sounds are also replaced by a more glacial tone on tracks like "Love Theme 2001" and "Kaleidoscopic Events." "Ominous Sky" breaks things apart even further with a fractured beat and baleful piano notes taken from the low end of the register, while "Interlaced Expressions" would sound more at home on an Artificial Intelligence compilation than a deep house set. Only "Missing You" easily recalls Heard's typical modus operandi of a steady warm thud and faintly obscured vocals. Yet despite these superficial changes in sound, this is still clearly a Larry Heard album, proving again that any significant artist should be able to alter his flow but still leave the same impression behind. And while Genesis might strike Heard fans as a temporary departure, there is still plenty of the familiar soul to be found. ~ Joshua Glazer, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Even though it wasn't the last album of new Larry Heard material, Dance 2000 would have been a quality departure for the most respected Chicago house producer. The LP is stocked with deep grooves and Heard's seminal synthesizer textures on tracks like "Dancefloor Seduction" and "Hydrogenation." Stylistically, it's very similar to his earliest recordings, no mean feat at that. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Larry Heard's productions always hinted at deepest outer space, but Alien was his first actual science-fiction record. It's almost as polished as the most mainstream dance production, but just as sublime as any Detroit producer. Heard's house roots often show themselves, while the chords and shimmering production make this an album almost on par with Heard's mid-'80s peak. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
'Sceneries Not Songs, Vol. 2'
Release Date 1/1/1995
Tracks 12
Label MIA
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
First gaining fame in the early '80s as Mr. Fingers, Chicago-based house music pioneer/MIDI programmer Larry Heard helped pave the way for what now some call ambient house, while others label it acid jazz. His major label debut on MCA, Introduction, enjoyed success on both the dancefloor and smooth jazz radio in the States and overseas. On Sceneries Not Songs, Volume Tu, Heard continued the winning formula. The opener, "Crystal Fantasy," inspires good feelings with an airy mix, soaring strings, and solid handclaps. The misty "Romantic Sway" is in the mode of Paul Hardcastle's Jazzmasters with light rhythm box, soft, slow synth swells, and vibraphonic lead lines. There are a number of melodic dance workouts here. "Carla Dance" has tasty percussion and jazzy acoustic and electric piano solos. Despite its name, "Techno-Centric" isn't hyper-kinetic but rather sparse and mid-tempo with jazzy, upper-register piano and unassuming synth textures. "Night Images" is good mood music for a lovely conversation. "Ice Castles" has stomp funky bass and xylophone solos. "Nature's Bliss" has an openess that's built around gentle conga, shaker, and tambourine that leaves plenty of space for comping piano and clear synth flute lines. The oh-too short mid-tempo "Precious Tears" has an otherworldy synth lead, slapped congas, and harmonica riffs. Though his vocals are missed, Larry Heard paints deft, aural "sceneries" on Sceneries Not Songs, Volume Tu. ~ Ed Hogan, All Music Guide
'Sceneries Not Songs, Vol. 1'
Release Date 1/1/1994
Tracks 9
Label Black Market
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The jazzier tracks from Larry Heard's only album for MCA coalesced in 1995 on the first of his Sceneries Not Songs full-lengths. Heard extends the fusion as well, covering the prevailing ambient-house boom (of which he was a prime influence). ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
