Mr. Fingers: "Qwazars"
It has been many, many years since Larry Heard last put out new music as Mr. Fingers, the identity responsible for foundational Chicago house anthems like “Mystery of Love,” “Washing Machine,” and “Can You Feel It.” So the fact that he has dusted off the alias for a new four-tracker on his own Alleviated Records is enough to make anyone prick up their ears.
Listen to “Qwazars,” and there’s no doubt that this is a momentous release, despite the fact that the track keeps such a low profile. Heard’s work has always been more sensitive than most house music; he is, after all, one of the originators of deep house. But this is understated in a different way: The muffled kick drum and flickering hi-hat rhythm lend the impression that this is primarily head, as opposed to body, music. The slowly cycling chord change adds to the tune’s mesmerizing effect, as do the way the synth’s harmonics seem to float through the air, drawn against the blackness like streaks of lens flare, or aurora borealis. There’s an unmistakable sense of melancholy here, but an even stronger sense of mystery.
“What’s going on?” asks a low voice at various points throughout the track. Each time, there’s a pause, and he’s met with an answering whisper: “Quasars.” I don’t know where the sample comes from, or why Heard chose it for the song. But every time I hear it, I imagine the two men staring up at the night sky, transfixed by otherworldly phenomena they can barely comprehend. Electronic music’s sci-fi fixations are old hat; it’s been a long time since a techno track addressed the cosmos with such a spine-tingling sense of wonder.
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