Hearts of Space - slow music for fast times

PGM 1433 “THE ATMOSPHERIC FLUTE” : nov. 6-13

Combining traditional acoustic instruments and spatial electronic sound

The timeless sound of the Native American flute… With a history that goes back to the Paleolithic era over fifty thousand years ago, primeval flutes—along with primitive drums and string instruments—played a formative role in the evolution of music in ancient world cultures.

Simplicity, portability, and playability were key to flute longevity. In the ancient world, flutes were made from natural materials—soft cedar wood; reeds and grasses like bamboo; bird, animal, and human bones; and ivory from the tusks of mammoths and other large animals. They were easy to make—just an open tube with handmade holes to change the pitch.

Interest in Native American culture led to the founding of Canyon Records for authentic Native American music in 1951. In the 1970’s and 80’s, the native flute was adopted by New Age and other non-native musicians, who focused on relaxation and healing. Today, Ambient musicians are exploring the creative combination of traditional acoustic instruments like the native flute and spatial electronic sound.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a program called “THE ATMOSPHERIC FLUTE.” Music is by ANTHONY WAKEMAN and MR.SOON, BYRON METCALF, VIANNEY LOPEZ. BROTHER TRIBE, JOANNE LAZZARO, PETER PHIPPEN, ANN LICATER, and SCOTT AUGUST.

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PGM 927R “RUSSET and AMBER” : oct.30-nov.5

The darkening colors of autumn…the dark harmonies and plaintive tones of the cello

IN THE HISTORY OF BRILLIANT UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, the cello ranks high. A descendant of the bass violin, it was invented by Italian luthiers in the 17th century, and based on a technical innovation: to make the instrument smaller, they wrapped gut strings with wire to augment the bass.

The cello’s musical roles expanded rapidly in the 18th century due to its more convenient size and versatility. Today, no western instrument has the emotional range and depth; from its foundational role in the orchestra and the string quartet, to its uncanny vocal emulations and profound solo flights…the cello seems to have no boundaries.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we feature the dark harmonies and plaintive tones of the cello, on an autumnal soundscape called “RUSSET and AMBER.” Music is by the late DAVID DARLING, MARTIN TILLMAN, HANS CHRISTIAN, MAYA BEISER, and ANGÉLE DUBEAU and LA PIETÀ.

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PGM 1432 “THE DARK ZONE” : oct. 23-30

A Dark Ambient tribute to the fading light of autumn

THE FADING LIGHT of autumn…seems to activate a season-specific gene in the psyche of ambient musicians. Reluctantly, they put aside the energetic music of summer and return to the subtler qualities of the fall soundscape: slower tempos, darker tone colors, dissonant drones, somber chorales, ghostly voices, and melancholy songs.

Week by week the expansive energy of summer recedes, culminating in the harvest, followed by the withering of this year’s plants, preparation of the ground, kand scattering of seeds for next year’s crop. Though most of us no longer work on farms, we still celebrate descendants of the old harvest festivals on Halloween and Thanksgiving, the Jewish festival of Sukkot, the Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, and others.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a Dark Ambient tribute to the fading light and somber tone colors of the season, on a program called “THE DARK ZONE.” Music is by CAUL, ATRIUM CARCERI, INSECTARIUM, JAKE MUIR, SHANE MORRIS, SUN’S MUSE, and HILYARD.

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PGM 1407R “DESCENDING DUSK” : oct.16-23

Ambient-Classical atmospheres and introspections for autumn

AUTUMN ARRIVES QUIETLY, with less drama than other seasons: a gradual slowing of the solar-powered activity of summer, accompanied by a subtle cooling of the air and dimming of the light, as the sun moves south for the winter.

In contrast, the animal world is all activity-a flurry of preparation for the challenges of the season to come-while the changing colors of the leaves signals a silent chemistry of decay and transformation that fuels the next generation of plants, and feeds the animals with fruits and seeds.

For ambient composers, it’s time to explore slower tempos, darker harmonies, descending progressions, the bittersweet timbres of the woodwind family, and the metallic overtones of bells and horns.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, Ambient-Classical atmospheres and introspections for autumn, on a program called “DESCENDING DUSK.” Music is by THE AMNIS INITIATIVE, DEEPSPACE, DEBORAH MARTIN and JILL HALEY, CHRISTIAN WITTMAN, GEORGE WALLACE, and ISHQ.

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PGM 1431 “INTANGIBLE HERITAGE” : oct. 9-16

A Journey on the Great Eurasian Steppe

The softly rolling hills and endless grasslands of “The Great Eurasian Steppe” are home to the mournful, archaic tones of the Armenian duduk—a more soulful member of the double reed family of woodwind instruments, like the western oboe and English horn.

A “steppe” is an eco-region of grassland plains with no trees except next to rivers and lakes. “The Great Eurasian Steppe” is the world’s largest, extending some 5,000 miles from today’s Eastern Europe, across Russia and the “stan” countries of Central Asia, through Manchuria and Mongolia to the western edge of China.

Since the Middle Paleolithic era over 100,000 years ago, the Eurasian Steppe has been the main overland route between Europe and Asia—the much older economic, political, and cultural predecessor of the more famous Silk Road, which matured during the Middle Ages.

In 2005, UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) proclaimed the Armenian duduk and its music a “Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity,” along with other traditional creations of cultural communities.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space from our friendly Canadian guest producer D.J. EGAN, a program inspired by the ethno-ambient music of the Great Eurasian Steppe, with influences and instruments from ARMENIA, GREECE, TURKEY, LITHUANIA, FINLAND, and RUSSIA, and music by ARA DINKJIAN, SAVINA YANNATOU & PRIMAVERA EN SALONICO, DMITRY SOUL, DELAYMAN, SANS, SAULIUS PETREIKIS + RASA SERRA + THE UNIT 7 ALLSTARS, C.DIAB, and TWILIGHT TAPES.

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PGM 1231R “FALLING” : oct. 2-9

THE SUN begins its long withdrawal from the northern hemisphere after the summer solstice in June. After the autumn equinox in September, the transition seems to accelerate. The days grow shorter, the nights grow longer, and the temperature cools, while the natural world changes color and prepares for the winter to come.

Since medieval times we’ve called this season “fall.” The word comes from Middle English, with Old English and Old German roots. Falling implies movement downward, and in autumn, declining solar energy brings a feeling of descending or falling into the season. In music it’s marked by slowing tempos, descending chord progressions, darkening timbres, and wistful, even melancholy emotions.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space…we descend into the autumn soundscape, a program called “FALLING.” Music is by DAVID DARLING, JOEP BEVING, CHRISTOPHER TIGNOR, HAMMOCK, LUDOVICO EINAUDI, and TOM EATON.

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PGM 1430 “PROTOCOLS FOR AMBIENT PIANO” sept. 25-oct. 2

CONSIDER THE PIANO, SPACEFANS. For an instrument that was invented in Italy over 300 years ago, and can point to ancestors like the third century BC Greek “hydraulis.”—a shoreline pipe organ powered by Mediterranean waves — and early keyboard instruments like the Clavichord and the Harpsichord — the evolution of the piano might seem to be a settled matter. And while the forms and technologies of the modern piano were largely established by the early 20th century, there were still hundreds of improvements in design, materials and construction that continue today.

The most revolutionary development — the 20th century invention of playable keyboard-controlled electronic synthesizers — was driven by a furious pace of innovation at American, Japanese, and German companies, and vastly expanded the sonic capability of keyboard instruments.

All this work has given ambient musicians a wealth of creative resources to draw on. Early masterworks like the Romantic Classical orchestrations of VANGELIS, the chilled electronic flights of KLAUS SCHULZE, the hypnotic sequencer rhythms of TANGERINE DREAM, the abstract electro-acoustic environments of BRIAN ENO, and the extended electronic meditations of STEVE ROACH — created stylistic protocols for generations of ambient artists who followed.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, new music for piano and electronic keyboards inspired by the early pioneers, on a program called “PROTOCOLS FOR AMBIENT PIANO.” Music is by TOM EATON, BRUNO SANFILIPPO, ÓLAFUR ARNALDS, NILS FRAHM, HANIA RANI,TIM STORY & ACHIM ROEDELIUS, KEVIN KELLER, and BEN LUCAS BOYSEN, and PAUL HASLINGER & CHRISTIAN WITTMAN.

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PGM 1067R “FLOATATION” : sept 18-25

JANUARY 2015 would be the 100th birthday of DR. JOHN C. LILLY, one of the true visionaries of 20th-century science. Lilly’s life and work at the frontiers of human knowledge embraces the major themes of 20th-century bioscience. In his 86 years, Lilly made significant contributions to psychology, brain research, computer theory, medicine, ethics, dolphinology, and interspecies communication. Of special relevance for this program, Lilly’s interest in the nature of human consciousness led him to invent the isolation or floatation tank in the 1950s. Today there are thousands of Floatation Centers around the world.

The floatation tank is a large plastic container filled with 10 inches of warm water and 800 pounds of dissolved Epsom salt. This high-density liquid allows the body to float effortlessly, free for once from the burden of gravity. The water and air are both heated to skin temperature, so one soon loses the sense of the boundaries of the body. With no light and virtually no sound, it encourages a “sensory-reduced” state that promotes deep physical and mental relaxation, and ultimately allows the floater to explore “inner space.”

Hmmm. Does that sound familiar? Floating is one of the most common terms used to describe the effect of Ambient music.

Lilly began by investigating what would happen in an environment free of all sensory stimulation, but instead of the brain going to sleep as had been theorized, a whole new world of inner experience opened up. In the early 1960s, Lilly began experiments with LSD, and decided to take the drug in the isolation tank. Through this work, he arrived at a perspective that transcended the conflict between rationality and mysticism, religion and science.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space…a weightless journey in inner space, on a program called “FLOATATION.” Music is by MARCONI UNION, MARIO SCHONWALDER, STEVE ROACH. DIRK SERRIES, ALEX THEORY, GULAN, and LIQUID MIND.

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PGM 1021R “DUBSHIP EUPHORIA” : sept.11-18

Out of the ganja-fueled creative ferment of Jamaica came Reggae, and later, a studio remix style called “Dub.” Spacey, psychedelic, fat with drum n’ bass and heavily seasoned with reverb, echo and effects, it inspired English artists to gene-splice Dub with Ambient electronics, and call it “Ambient Dub.”

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we follow the trail of Ambient Dub on a program called “DUBSHIP EUPHORIA.” Music is by JAH WOBBLE & MARCONI UNION, MOTIONFIELD, S7VEN, SOUNDS FROM THE GROUND, ISHQ, CYBER ZEN SOUND ENGINE & MATT BORGHI, and MIKTEK.

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PGM 1429 “MASTERY” : sept.4-11

OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS, the music of both MICHAEL STEARNS and ROBERT RICH has earned the highest respect from long-time listeners to this program, as well as serious ambient fans around the world. 

Beginning in the 1970’s, STEARNS in Los Angeles and in the 1980’s RICH at Stanford, were among the first to create important original work in those formative days of popular electronic music. Even when the early instruments were frustrating and difficult to work with, they persisted — because electronics opened up vast new realms of creative expression.

Later, they both integrated acoustic instruments and wordless voices into their music, enriching and deepening their sound. In time, Stearns moved into scoring and music supervision for immersive IMAX films and multi-channel theme park rides, and traveled the world recording natural environmental sounds, while ROBERT RICH became a prolific recording artist, collaborator, and mastering engineer for other independent musicians, created high quality sample libraries, and consulted on the design and development of electronic instruments.

In 2026, with Stearns 77 and Rich 63, they´re at the peak of their powers individually, and the only thing left undone was their first full collaboration as mature ambient masters, the mysteriously titled “REUNION OF BREATH AND WAVES.”

Today, the career of an ambient musician is impossible to predict. The old gatekeepers are gone, replaced by powerful personal studios and a digital distribution system that connects composers and performers with a worldwide audience. Success is not guaranteed; you must be motivated, persistent, innovative, and impressively talented. But for those who can live with the uncertainty, time and practice can bring “maturity, ” and with it, the possibility of “mastery”— levels of excellence sought by many, achieved by few. 

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, we celebrate the expansion of creative space and artistic freedom, with electro-acoustic music by MICHAEL STEARNS and ROBERT RICH from “REUNION OF BREATH AND WAVES;” by DREAMSCAPIST from “EREMITISM;” by KELLY DAVID from “ILLUSIVE;” and by JEFF PEARCE from “SKYWARD.”

The art of creating value with skill, and doing it perfectly.  A program called “MASTERY”…on this transmission… of Hearts of Space.

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