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PGM 0873R ‘MORE AMBIENT COOL’ : may 29-june 5

Program 873 banner - Miles Davis

We begin with the mysterious “Fourth World” music of ambient trumpeter/composer JON HASSELL: an apparition arising out of the hazy cross-cultural soundscape between classical Indian vocal music, electronics, and cool jazz. It’s a sound that’s been widely influential in contemporary music for over 25 years — a popular atmospheric hybrid that defies category…by design.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we invoke the spirits of departed masters like JON HASSELL, cool jazz trumpeter MILES DAVIS, Indian vocalist master PANDIT PRAN NATH and electronics pioneer KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN…on a journey called MORE AMBIENT COOL. Additional music by PAUL HASLINGER, TWILIGHT ARCHIVE, PAUL SCHUTZE, NELSON FOLTZ & TOM LYNN, TOM HEASLY, and HAROLD BUDD.

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PGM 1422 “ELYSIUM” : may 22-29

Perhaps the most impressive ability of ambient music is its power to create virtual environments with sound. And when those environments are rare, legendary, and metaphysical—then we’re operating on a different plane of existence.

Over a thousand years before digital electronics, ancient Greek mythology conceived of a luxurious “afterlife” at the western edge of the world, in a heavenly realm called “ELYSIUM” or the “ELYSIAN FIELDS.”  It was described as an “Isle of the Blessed”— an earthly paradise where the righteous, the heroic, and the chosen were sent by the Greek gods to enjoy a perfect afterlife— pursuing their favorite athletic and artistic activities in a realm of beauty, tranquility, and abundance.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, a journey to a virtual Isle of the Blessed, and an intimate contemporary sanctuary of sound, on a program called “ELYSIUM.” Music is by DAVID HELPLING, with SCOTT REICH & JON JENKINS, STEVE ROACH & SERENA GABRIEL, DRIFTING IN SILENCE & E J R M, and ASHERA.

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PGM 1113R “SWEET SERENITY” : may 15-22

In the 1970s a grassroots music movement emerged in the United States, Europe and Japan. Inspired by psychoactive chemistry and exotic forms of Eastern spirituality, enabled by inexpensive recording equipment and cheap publishing on cassettes, and supported by a burgeoning marketplace of specialized bookstores and boutiques, in the 1980s it received the dubious moniker “New Age Music.” It was all about relaxation and a sonic pathway to inner experience.

New opportunities for success in independent music are rare. What began as a promising new culture was soon overrun by less inspired artists and a glut of mediocre albums that left the genre with a reputation for extravagant marketing claims but insipid, boring music. Yet like most genres, there were always exceptional artists releasing sensitive, beautiful and worthwhile music — you just had to find them.

Today there’s been a revival of critical interest in the genre, with re-releases of lost classics and popular compilations. All the while, many of the best and most authentic New Age artists and record labels have quietly kept going. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an hour of new age music worth listening to, on a program called “SWEET SERENITY.” Music is by PAUL AVGERINOS, ANIMA, DEUTER, SHERRY FINZER & MARK HOLLAND, UMA, IASOS, GANDALF, and LIQUID MIND.

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PGM 1421 “FLAMENCO FUSION 2” : may 8-15

The traditional acoustic sound of Flamenco…or rather, Flamenco Fusion: a mixture of cultural influences from the medieval world to the 20th century, looking forward to the Ambient spaces of today.

From its medieval roots in the 8th century Spanish province of Al-Andalus, after the Muslim conquest of the Iberian peninsula, the music of the Spanish region of Andalusia has been a cultural melting pot, absorbing Moorish influences from North Africa, Sephardic Jewish songs and melodies, and European folk music. With the addition of Romani gypsy influences in the 18th and 19th centuries, the music we now call Flamenco, with its fiery rhythms, dark harmonies, and passionate soul was born. It’s a genre with a signature ambience and feeling that’s attracted devoted fans all over the world.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we catch up with the evolving sound of Flamenco as it encounters Ambient space and sensibility, on a program called “FLAMENCO FUSION 2.” Music is by ADAM DEL MONTE, BILLY WHITE, TONY SILVA, ZSÓFIA BOROS, ESTÁS TONNÉ, and OTTMAR LIEBERT.

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PGM 1209R “THE INFINITE PIANO” : may 1-8

For an instrument that’s been around for over three hundred years, the piano continues to surprise. Ever since the arrival of popular electronic instruments, ambient musicians have been busy reinventing the sound and the setting of the piano.

Musically, the 19th century Romantic Classical composers who perfected the piano concerto inspired VANGELIS (and thousands of new age pianists) to create personal, “high affect,” emotionally-centered music—while the gentle, ironic French proto-ambient composer ERIK SATIE inspired others to create quiet, unpretentious miniatures. Still others have taken the instrument into cosmic space, where it chimes and sings across the starfields.

In the 21st century, the piano is (almost) everywhere.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space…(with appreciation to MICHAEL BROOK, creator of the Infinite Guitar) the evolving sound of “THE INFINITE PIANO.” Music is by VANGELIS, CHAD LAWSON, TOM EATON, BILL DOUGLAS, BEN LUKAS BOYSEN, and NILS FRAHM.

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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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