Many of house music’s Chicago originators shined brightest in a relatively brief span of time between the mid-’80s and early ’90s, but not Larry Heard: His long career connects the genre’s origins with its continued evolution in the 21st century. Born in 1960, on the South Side of Chicago, Heard started out playing drums in local bands, but once he got his hands on a synth and drum machine in 1984, a new era dawned. (He wrote “Mystery of Love” and “Washing Machine,” two of house music’s most iconic hits, on the first day with his new gear.) Jazzy and soulful yet skeletal and mechanical, Heard’s early style established the blueprint for deep house, and in coming years, under aliases like Mr. Fingers, he would experiment with ambient, R&B, acid, techno, and more. Latter-day classics like 2006’s “The Sun Can't Compare” and 2016’s “Qwazars” are proof of his enduring talents.