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PGM 1198 'LITTLE ETERNITIES' : nov.16-23

You may be surprised to learn that in philosophy, there are two kinds of eternity: one exists outside of time; the other exists within time but is of indefinite duration. That kind of eternal is called sempiternity or everlastingness. 

Whichever kind of eternity you prefer, the idea of something that goes on forever, endless and infinite, has a powerful psychological appeal in an age of rapid, constant, disorienting change. It's a radical absolute—one of the few concepts religion, science and philosophy share; and more therapeutically, a place where our overburdened minds can go to rest. 

Inspired by these heady speculations, contemporary composers have sought to create a kind of timeless music. Whether acoustic or electronic or both, it creates a sense of unlimited time in musical space. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we seek the timeless...on a program called LITTLE ETERNITIES.

Music is by JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON, CHAD LAWSON, TALE OF US, TOM CAUFIELD, KEVIN KELLER, ÓLAFUR ARNALDS, A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN, and JEFF GREINKE.

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PGM 1197 'TWILIGHT EARTH 4' : nov. 9-16

The dulcet tones of the Native American cedar flute have inspired a soothing sub-genre of contemplative music. Pioneered by native musicians from the American Southwest, over the last 30 years the genre has attracted non-native musicians, who expanded into electronics and exotic percussion. It's a sound we enjoy in the fall, when it complements the mellow light and withering colors of the landscape, and evokes the vast, echoing canyons of the high desert. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an Indian Summer journey for Native American cedar flute, on a program called TWILIGHT EARTH 4.

Music is by ANN LICATER, COYOTE JUMP, COYOTE OLDMAN, BYRON METCALF, JOHNNY WHITEHORSE, PAMELA WHITMAN & RICH KURTZ, TONY GERBER, MYSTERIES OF THE NIGHT, and SCOTT AUGUST.

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PGM 1160R "ARCHAIC CONCERTS' : nov. 2-9

Hearts of Space was born and raised during the formative years of electronic music in the 1970s and 80s. Because we've been covering the ambient side of its evolution for over forty years, the program has often been associated primarily with electronic music. 

But since the very beginning, we've always given almost equal time to traditional, purely acoustic forms of contemplative, space-creating music, as well as "electro-acoustic" hybrids. The reason was simple: long before electronics, there were centuries of music from dozens of world cultures that not only offered profound listening experiences — they defined and set the standard for what music can be. 

To be sure, electronics opened up vast new tonal and expressive dimensions for contemporary music — but we still return to traditional acoustic music, sit in virtual palace halls on ancient nights, and drink from the source of musical language. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, contemplative sounds on venerable acoustic instruments, on a program called ARCHAIC CONCERTS. The title is taken from the 1976 debut album of the unique German musician STEPHAN MICUS, who inspired, and is featured, in this program. 

Music is by STEPHAN MICUS, MYSTIC JOURNEY, MICHEL BANABILA & MEHMET POLAT, HANS CHRISTIAN, DJIVAN GASPARYAN, and SHUNSUKE MIZUNO.

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PGM 1196 'GHOSTLY SHADOWS' : oct. 26-nov. 3

Halloween comes at the end of October, a very different celebration of the dark side of the human psyche. It's the time we willingly immerse ourselves in stories of death, fear, the supernatural...and the myths and rituals we create around them. 

Credit for the tradition generally goes to our Celtic ancestors, who combined the old pagan harvest celebration of Samhain—with its exciting nighttime bonfires—and the three-part Christian festival of Allhallowtide: a mournful commemoration of recently departed souls, saints and martyrs, whose spirits were said to wander the earth at this time of year in search of...hospitality. 

These traditions are a rich creative field for musicians of the "Dark Ambient" genre. They weave together deep drones, disembodied voices, melancholy wailing, frigid bells, and gloomy strings—with a dark galaxy of powerful electronic and environmental effects to create truly epic electro-acoustic worlds—soundtracks to films you'd rather hear...than see. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a gloomy-stormy-floaty Dark Ambient journey, on a program by Canadian guest producer DAVID J. EGAN called: GHOSTLY SHADOWS.

Music is by DARK SANCTUARY, THE GHOST BETWEEN THE STRINGS, ARKTAU EOS, TAPHEPHOBIA, NEVOD, LUSRUTA, BASS COMMUNION, SKAVEN, DEAN DE BENEDICTUS, and NEST.

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PGM 1195 'DESCENDING DARK 2' : oct.19-26

This could be the sound of the Sugar Plum Fairies in the netherworld — we're coming up on Nutcracker time, after all — but no: it's the on-ramp to a journey into the cooling, darkening, deepening autumn soundscape. It's time to join the animals and prepare for the long winter ahead; time to focus, plan and complete those lingering projects, and get together with friends you missed over the summer. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a seasonal electronic journey in the autumn soundscape, on a program called DESCENDING DARK 2. 

Music is by SLEEPY TOWN MANUFACTURE, SOLARIS, PAULINA CASSIDY, DEBORAH MARTIN, KIT WATKINS, KLAUS SCHULZE, ERRANT SPACE, and BOB HOLROYD.

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PGM 1194 'EAST MEETS NORTH' : oct. 12-19

In 35 years of Hearts of Space, there've only been a handful of occasions when we devoted an entire program to a single album or composition. This week we do it with a superb collaboration between Iranian singer MAHSA VAHDAT and Norway's 50 voice SKRUK CHOIR, under the direction of PER ODDVAR HILDRE, with music and arrangements by the great Norwegian pianist TORD GUSTAVSEN from the album I VINENS SPEIL—In the Mirror of Wine. 

It's a journey across time, space, and culture, a moving encounter between traditional Persian songs, Norwegian church music, and jazz. A program called EAST MEETS NORTH, on this transmission of Hearts of Space.

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PGM 1022R 'TIMELESS STRINGS' : oct. 5-12

From the prehistoric days of musical instruments, we have the flute, the rattle, and the drum; later, primitive trumpets and reeds; and from ancient Mesopotamia more than 4,000 years ago, early members of the chordophone family of plucked strings — lyres, zithers, harps, and lutes.

Stringed instruments have come a long way since then. In Europe, bowed strings were refined into the violin family we know today, while lutes evolved into the guitar. Music for strings developed along with the instruments, and Western classical music is rich with variations.

Among stringed instruments, perhaps the most versatile is the cello: a virtual solo string orchestra. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, contemplative music for strings with a focus on the cello, on a program called TIMELESS STRINGS. Featured cellists are JAMIE SIEBER, DAVID DARLING, JONATHAN HUGH, and MARTIN TILLMAN.

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PGM 1023R 'FALLING DARK 4' : sept. 28 - oct. 5

Descending into the autumn soundscape, we return to the slower, darker, burnished electro-acoustic sounds of the season: cello, piano, electronic keyboards. It's a time for descending progressions, dark drones and minor key harmonies, as the music echoes the shorter days and declining light after the fall equinox.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an ambient journey for early autumn, on a program called FALLING DARK 4.

Music is by TIM STORY & HANS-JOACHIM ROEDELIUS, JEFF GREINKE, HAROLD BUDD, HERION, JEFF PEARCE, RICHARD BONE,  and from Finland, JANNE HANHISUANTO.

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PGM 1193 'FLOATING WORLDS 2' : sept.21-28

One of the core experiences of ambient and electronic spacemusic is the feeling of weightless floating. These subtle sounds seem to dematerialize us, expand our personal space, and slow our sense of time. It's kind of magical — and for many of us, highly pleasurable, even addictive. 

Since the introduction of mass-produced electronic instruments in the 1970s, anyone can create floating textures, but even if you're just a listener, the experience is widely enjoyed and often described in therapeutic terms as relaxing, healing, and transformative. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another anti-gravity journey on electronic waves, on a program called FLOATING WORLDS 2.

Music is by PAUL AVGERINOS, ERIK WØLLO, HOWARD GIVENS & CRAIG PADILLA, PHILLIP WILKERSON, and MAX CORBACHO.

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PGM 1192 'MINIMAL GROOVE' : sept.14-21

What's in a groove? In music the term usually describes a repeating rhythm pattern that creates a cycle of movement and a sense of propulsion. The word has been used in jazz since the 1930's, but grooves have been key to dance music around the world for centuries, and are an element of many popular genres. 

Swiss musician DON LI has taken the concept farther, working with what he calls "curved rhythms" and subtle changes in phrasing that create changing perceptions of time and space. His work is often described as "reductive" or "minimal." 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we explore minimal rhythms and ambient patterns, on a program called MINIMAL GROOVE. Music by DON LI, TWILIGHT ARCHIVE, ALEX HAAS & BILL LASWELL, NELSON FOLTZ & TOM LYNN, SATORI, and MIDORI TAKADA.

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