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PGM 1420 ‘STELLARIS’ : apr.24-may 1

The idea of traveling through interstellar or cosmic space must go back to prehistoric times, when early homo sapiens cast their eyes on the night sky… and wondered.

Imagination got an upgrade with the invention of the optical telescope in 1608, which brought the moon and our neighboring planets into focus, and revealed the number of stars in our home galaxy and beyond appeared to be…infinite.

The audacious idea of exploring the starfields also attracted musicians. Austrian composer FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN’s monumental 1798 oratorio “THE CREATION” is a powerful early example, leading to classical favorites like GUSTAV HOLST’s 1920 orchestral suite “THE PLANETS.”

But the big move to cosmic imagery in music came in the mid-20th century, when German composer KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN used the term “space music” to describe his early synthetic works, and went on to create music with outer space themes. His influence on European composers of electronic music (lubricated, to be sure, by psychedelic drugs) led to the German Kosmische Musik genre in the 1970s, which became one of the foundations of the Progressive Electronic, New Music, New Age, and Ambient genres.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, it’s another journey in the cosmic starfields, on a program called “STELLARIS.” The word originated in the 1650s from the Late Latin, meaning “pertaining to a star.”

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PGM 1396R “WARMING TREND”: apr.17-24

Ahhhh, spring at last…or is it? Our most anticipated season has a habit of arriving in fits and starts: a few days of temperate glory…and then a chilled rerun of late winter; a sweet day of sunshine and birdsong…and then, a nasty day of cold rain and hail. It breeds a kind of disorientation you feel in your body…and makes you question where you are.

When ambient musicians focus on spring, they’re thinking of brighter timbres, more energetic rhythms, and warmer harmonies. Will the weather take the hint? It’s a toss-up, but the psychological effect, at least, can be comforting.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space…ambient electronics to summon and celebrate spring, on a program called “WARMING TREND.” Music is by ERIK WØLLO, RUDY ADRIAN, STEVE ROACH, ANDREW LAHIFF, AMONGST MYSELVES, TOM EATON, and PATRICK O’HEARN.

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PGM 1419 “HANDPAN EVOLUTION” : apr. 10-17

We’re floating gently into spring on the resonant steel percussion tones of the “Hang.”

It’s an instrument with a story that goes back to the beginning of the 21st century, when Swiss instrument makers SABINA SCHäRER and FELIX ROHNER of PANArt Manufacturing were restless. They’d been making steel drums—the popular steel band instruments of the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago. They wanted to go in a new direction, and in a burst of technical and artistic creativity, they invented the Hang.

The story of the Hang is part of a longer, older story of the evolution of tuned percussion. It begins in the 18th century with the African “talking drum.” By mid-20th century it leads to the “steel drum” or “steel pan” — made from 55 gallon industrial oil drums, played with rubber tipped mallets on a concave surface, and tuned to a conventional 12-note chromatic scale.

The Hang was released in 2000 to worldwide acclaim. Demand soon overwhelmed the artisanal production methods of PANArt Manufacturing, which led to similar instruments being offered by other makers. The copyright of the brand name “Hang” was successfully established by PANArt, so other makers switched to the more accurate generic term “handpan” to describe the new instruments. There are now hundreds of makers and thousands of players in the worldwide handpan community, and PANArt has filed a lawsuit to establish its patent on the design of the Hang, as well as the name.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a tuned percussion journey for resonant steel, on a program called “HANDPAN EVOLUTION.”

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PGM 1368 ‘SACRED SONGS of DEVOTION’ : apr.3-10

This week on Hearts of Space “SACRED SONGS OF DEVOTION” — a special program of choral and instrumental music for Easter, from our longtime guest producer for classical and sacred music ELLEN HOLMES. 

The show includes choral selections from Ellen’s compilation “SACRED SONGS of MARY: Devotion”—the third in her series of albums showcasing music honoring the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. “In Western culture,” writes Ellen, “Mary is the personification of tenderness, compassion, forgiveness, protection, and unconditional love—emotions reflected in music praising her or beseeching her comfort and help.”

This wide-ranging program includes sacred choral music from the Russian Orthodox mass, a 12th Century song by HILDEGARD VON BINGEN, 17th century sacred music from Spain by ALONSO LOBO, sacred works by19th and 20th century composers JOHN TAVENER, SERGEI RACHMANINOFF, PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY, and MAURICE DURUFLÉ, and contemporary works by SIGUR RÓS, LISA GERRARD, DAVID DARLING, MAX RICHTER, and ARVO PÄRT. 

Choral and instrumental music for Easter: “SACRED SONGS OF DEVOTION”…on this transmission of Hearts of Space.

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PGM 1418 “LONG TONES, SLOW TIME” : mar. 27-apr. 3

Whether you mark the beginning of the ambient-electronic music genre as the 1978 release of BRIAN ENO’s historic “AMBIENT 1: MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS”… OR…you consider late 19th/early 20th century “Impressionist” composers like CLAUDE DEBUSSY as influences from pre-ambient atmospheric music. OR…you point to musical iconoclasts like ERIK SATIE, who cleverly advocated for an unobtrusive background music that was more like…furniture! OR…you find formal and spiritual resonances in the classical, religious, folk and native music of many cultures.

Taken all together, it’s clear that a sensibility for the slow-moving, space-creating, atmospheric sound at the heart of ambient music is alive and thriving in the 21st century. On this transmission of Hearts of Space…a program called “LONG TONES, SLOW TIME.”

We have a virtual coalition of artists who work with acoustic and electronic instruments, analog and digital synthesis, fractal rhythms, hypnotic drones, and consonant harmony—to create personal psychoacoustic music that expands our sense of space and alters our sense of time.

Music is by CHRONOTOPE PROJECT, STEVE ROACH, MARTIN STÜRTZER, LONEWARD, and PAUL AVGERINOS.

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PGM 1044R : “ETHNOTRONIC”— mar. 20-27

THE TRIBAL MUSIC TRADITIONS of Asia, Africa and the Americas stretch back to the mists of pre-history. For perhaps a hundred centuries, music was made with simple, even primitive instruments: flutes, rattles, drums and percussion; lyres, harps and strings; and wind instruments of various sizes and tones. It was an all-acoustic world, where music and instruments evolved slowly.

Then in the late 19th and 20th centuries, electricity and electronics began to transform the world and transform music. First came the telegraph and the telephone, then radio, then recordings, and then the instruments themselves. Guitars and pianos became electric…and then electronic. And finally, purely electronic instruments of dazzling variety and unlimited potential to create new sounds.

After the electronic music revolution of the 1960s and 70s, the entire studio became a musical instrument, and the sound of recordings has never been quite the same. Today, ethnic instruments and genres can be set in new Ambient soundscapes, a fusion of the old world and the new.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, ethnic instruments join electronic ambient, on a program called “ETHNOTRONIC.” Music is by TUU, GREEN ISAC, SACRED EARTH, CHINMAYA DUNSTER, MANEESH DE MOOR, ARCHETRIBE, LOREN NERELL & MARK SEELIG, STILLPOINT, and MICHEL BANABILA.

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PGM 870 ‘TRANSPARENT SPRING’ : march 13-20

The transition between winter and spring is never predictable. After a time of darkness and confinement, we long for light, air and freedom. We seek change: space and openness, movement and flow.

Filled with new purpose, we clean out old structures. In uncertain times, we shine the light into dark places, and prepare for the challenges ahead. Transparency is the new watchword, the key to trust.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a collection of freshly grown and gracefully aged electronica for the season, on a program called TRANSPARENT SPRING. Music is by GENERAL FUZZ, TRISTAN FELDBAUER and friends, HILLTON FM, JOHAN AGEBJORN, ISHQ, MYCHAEL DANNA and TIM CLEMENT, GLEN DARCEY, and MINOR.

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PGM 1417 ‘THE CELESTIAL HARP’ : march 6-13

THE HARP:  For over three thousand years, it’s brought comfort and connection to the human family, with healing sounds and ethereal music. We’ve featured it many times on these programs, and it never fails to charm. May I quote myself?

“From its beginnings in Mesopotamia, the harp spread across the ancient world to Asia, Egypt, Greece, and Africa. In Medieval times, it was used for both sacred and secular music, and to comfort the dying. As the instrument of the bards and troubadours, it played a key role in the evolution of folk music. In the 19th century, the pedal harp matured into a concert instrument and took its place in the orchestra. And in the 20th century, it went electric—even laser! Whether wire-strung, cross-strung, single, double, or triple-strung, pedal or electric, folk or classical — there are harps for every occasion and purpose.”

On this transmission of Hearts of Space we continue our love affair with the instrument, on a program called THE CELESTIAL HARP.  Featuring harpist KIRSTEN AGRESTA COPLEY, and music by ANDREAS VOLLENWEIDER, LAURENCE FURR, TRINA OPSAHL, CECILIA CHAILLY, CATRIN FINCH, and HAROLD BUDD.

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PGM 1137R ‘FLYING and FLOATING 3’ : feb.27-mar.5

Slogging through the recurring storms, natural disasters and political turmoil of this seemingly endless winter, even the sudden appearance of the first blossoms of spring on the trees here in California brings only a moment of joy and relief. No, what we need is some extended sonic therapy, the kind that Ambient Electronic music magically provides.

So let’s get back to basics: on this transmission of Hearts of Space, music for deep space traveling and weightless levitation, on a program called “FLYING AND FLOATING 3.”

Music is by TRANSPONDER, ASCENDANT, STEVE ROACH, JEFFREY KOEPPER, JIM OTTAWAY, PALANCAR, KLAUS SCHULZE (with TOBIAS BECKER), and HOLLAN HOLMES.

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PGM 1416 ‘WINTERTRONIC 5’ : feb 20-27

As winter weeks turn into winter months, and recurring storms disrupt travel and disorder the familiar patterns of everyday life—even hardy cold-weather enthusiasts begin to long for the relative ease, efficiency, and comfort…of spring.

Yet…hidden in the diminished activity of the natural world and enforced limitations on the human one, is an opportunity for quiet reflection and contemplative solitude. Fueled by sullen skies and monochromatic landscapes, it’s an opportunity that’s also embraced by ambient musicians. On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE…the chilled tones and solitary electronic soundscapes of winter ambient, on a program called “WINTERTRONIC 5.”

Music by ROBERT RICH & MARCUS REUTER, JEFF GREINKE, BARRY CLEVELAND, BRUNO SANFILIPPO, MAX CORBACHO, BARRY SCHRADER, R.L. HUBER, KENT SPARLING, and ISOSTATIC.

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