- "Larry Heard is the reason why I bought my first studio equipment back in 1988," Gerd gushed on SoundCloud when he posted a preview of Heard's remix of "Palm Leaves" recently. Give a listen to any of Gerd's releases from the last few years, many of which had gone unreleased for far too long, and you won't have too tough a time hearing Heard's influence on his distinctly breezy house sound. "Palm Leaves," originally released a bit earlier this fall backed with a remix from Serge & Tyrell, is one of Gerd's more hypnotic, heads-down compositions, so Heard was actually a rather brilliant choice of remixer for the tune: more than most Gerd releases, "Palm Leaves" was ripe to have that ineffable Heard-ness squeezed out of it.
The Chicago house godfather gives the original a good back rub, loosening out the tension and exposing the song within. Where the original felt like it might tear you apart eventually, Heard's version sounds like it could go on forever. The 12-inch comes with both a vocal and a more abstract dub version, the former certainly winning the day for most. Deetron, meanwhile, doesn't forsake the original's intensity on either of his flipside versions, which blend Gerd's forward motion with the remixer's big synths. It's not a bad look, but it'll be tough to take this out of your bag and not place Heard's take face-up on the platter.
Tracklist A1 Palm Leaves (Mr. Fingers Afropsychojungledub Mix)
A2 Palm Leaves (Mr. Fingers Afropsychojungledub Instrumental Mix)
B1 Palm Leaves (Deetron Remix)
B2 Palm Leaves (Deetron Dub Mix)