hearts of space | news

PGM 1154R 'EQUILIBRIUM 2' : july 11-18

The nation-states of the greater Middle East are a contentious group, with a long, complicated history and even longer memories. Spanning some 17 countries from Iran in the east to Turkey in the west, including North Africa, the eastern Mediterranean states, and the Arabian peninsula — the region is riven by political, religious, & ethnic conflicts. 

Yet the music of the Middle East shows a broad similarity of instruments, scales, rhythms and formats that cut across national boundaries and create a kind of super-cultural unity. Today, progressive middle eastern musicians are promoting a non-political form of communication through their music, bringing together traditional and electronic instruments to create a shared experience of beauty and soulfulness.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another journey in the contemporary Middle Eastern soundscape, on a program called EQUILIBRIUM 2. Music is by MERÇAN DEDE, SYRIANA, DHAFER YOUSSEF, LIAN ENSEMBLE w/DJIVAN GASPARYAN, ALBERTO IGLESIAS, ANOUAR BRAHEM, DAVID PARSONS & JON MARK.

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PGM 1400 'SENTIENT SYNTHESIS' : july 4-11

It’s mid-2025, and on this transmission of Hearts of Space, we’ve arrived at one of our centennial benchmarks: Program Number 1400.

It’s a tradition that goes back to our third year of national broadcasting in 1986, when we reached Program 100. On these centennial specials we look back, forward, or beyond our normal programming, searching for a wider perspective and deeper understanding of the music and cultural experiences we bring you.

In considering possible themes for program 1400, the rapid rise of “AI” or “Artificial Intelligence,” jumped out—for its power, scope, and ability to bring fundamental advances in how we learn, work, create, and communicate—as well as the possibly disastrous prospect of loss of control that accompanies the benefits. “For the first time in human history,” says science and biotechnology historian YUVAL NOAH HARARI, “we will be sharing the planet with a new super-intelligent agent capable of making and executing its own decisions.”

As media producers we depend on technology, so Hearts of Space had been experimenting with AI tools and services since the release of ChatGPT by OpenAI, and the AI assistant CLAUDE from ANTHROPIC. In this process, our guide, “AI Whisperer,” and “prompt engineer” has been longtime Hearts of Space listener TOM PARISH of Austin, Texas, producer and host of the essential podcast “AI for LIFELONG LEARNERS.”  So, it’s appropriate that the combination of the AI—CLAUDE—and the human—TOM PARISH— are our “guest producers” for this fourteen-hundredth transmission of Hearts of Space.

Working on program 1400, Tom asked Claude to write an introduction to the program in the style of Hearts of Space and explain what they were trying to achieve. Here’s what CLAUDE said:

“We stand at a pivotal moment in human creativity as artificial intelligence begins to collaborate with us in the making of art and music. Like electronic instruments before them, these new systems don't replace human imagination — they extend it into unexplored territories.”

“The results aren't cold or mechanical as some feared, but often surprising, nuanced, and deeply emotive. In the ambient realm especially, the human-machine partnership is creating music of remarkable subtlety and complexity — compositions that could never have existed without this new symbiotic relationship.”

We also asked Claude to recommend artists who were already working with AI, especially those who’ve never been heard on Hearts of Space. Of the 13 artists on this show, only three have appeared on previous programs. We’ll be hearing music by RETLAND, HOLLY HERNDON, THREE-SIX, ACTRESS, KELLY MORAN, HOLLIE KENNIFF & GOLDMUND, FLOATING POINTS, BRIAN ENO & BEATIE WOLFE, RYOJI IKEDA, RYUICHI SAKAMOTO, and ALVA NOTO.

On this 1400th edition of Hearts of Space, we explore the emerging frontier of human--AI musical collaboration. A program called “SENTIENT SYNTHESIS”… on this transmission… of Hearts of Space.

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PGM 1375R 'AMERICAN HORIZON' : jun 27-july 4

The yearly anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, has become a festive national holiday with food, music, and fireworks, celebrated by millions of Americans of all ages and backgrounds, in every part of the United States.

It’s a good time to revisit the roots of Ambient Americana—influences from American folk songs, blues, jazz, and country, classics from the American songbook, and the pan-diatonic harmonies of AARON COPLAND. On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE we celebrate the spirit of American Independence, on a program called AMERICAN HORIZON.

Music is by BRIAN KEANE, MARK ISHAM, JEFF OSTER & VIN DOWNES & TOM EATON, SPENCER BREWER & PAUL McCANDLESS, GEORGE WINSTON, CHAD LAWSON, BARRY STRAMP, JOHN WILLIAMS, ("Ambient country" band) SUSS, CHUCK JOHNSON, and MARK PRESTON.

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PGM 1105R 'ATMOSPHERIC' : june 20 - 27

IF THERE'S ONE THING that Ambient electronic music excels at creating, it's the experience of floating in space. And when that space is high, light, and airy, we call it "atmospheric."

Atmospheres have qualities — elevation, temperature, brightness, color, density : low to high, cold to warm, dark to light; and a wide range of tones. When we immerse ourselves in sonic atmospheres, our normal sense of time seems to disappear.  Suspended in space, we lose track of time. Einstein probably had a special theory about that.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, an airy, immersive electronic journey, on a program called 'ATMOSPHERIC.'  Music is by KIT WATKINS, JACK HERTZ, CRAIG PADILLA, ROBERT SCOTT THOMPSON, ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT, and DARSHAN AMBIENT.

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PGM 1399 'SIX STRING SUMMER' : jun 13-20

SUMMER...officially arrives in the Northern Hemisphere the third week in June. Also known as the Summer Solstice, it's the longest day and shortest night of the year. For fans of the ambient guitar, it's an event worth celebrating. The cold and dark of winter is forgotten; the bright promise of spring has come and gone; now, fair skies, gentle breezes, sweet melodies, and the warm harmonies of early summer invite us to melt...into the season of the sun.

Instrumental music for the guitar continues to evolve, and whether the genre is traditional acoustic, 20th century electric, or 21st century electronic, the slow pace and spatial sound images of the ambient guitar bring us new dimensions in atmospheric music. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another seasonal journey for ambient guitar, on a program called "SIX STRING SUMMER."

Music is by SOULFOOD & BILLY McLAUGHLIN, TOM CAUFIELD, MIKHAIL MEDVEDEV, ASCHE & SPENCER, STEVE SMITH, CHUCK JOHNSON, ERRANT SPACE, MATT BORGHI, CLIVE WRIGHT, ROBERT FRIPP & BRIAN ENO. 

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PGM 912R 'WARM FRONT' : jun 6-13

As spring slowly morphs into summer, the music becomes more energetic and expansive. In the long days and mild nights,the sounds and rhythms of the warm weather cultures call to us.

For ambient musicians, a brighter palette and hotter beats are in order, along with the changing sounds of an environment moving into overdrive.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space...an ambient excursion for the spring/summer transition called "WARM FRONT." Music is by TWILIGHT ARCHIVE, YAGYA, LEO ABRAHAMS & JON HOPKINS, ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT, CYBERCHUMP, STEVE ROACH, and ERIK WØLLO.

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PGM 1398 'RESTORATION' : may 30-jun 6

It’s been almost 50 years since 1978, when the influential English recording artist and producer BRIAN ENO—in a historic bit of cultural appropriation—took the name “ambient” for an emerging genre of atmospheric contemporary music, and started an independent record label to publish it.

The approach had been evolving since the early 20th century in artistic and experimental music circles, including impressionism, avant garde, electronic, psycho-acoustic soundscapes, new age, and minimalism.

If there was a common element in these diverse genres, it was an emphasis on tone, texture, atmosphere, and spatial sound images, over traditional musical theory and structure. The genre was unusually open to influences from slow, quiet music from other cultures and historical eras, where it found hypnotic repetitions, psychoactive fractal patterns, modal drones, and consonant harmony.

In time, modern listeners also came to appreciate the therapeutic power of ambient music to manage stress, enhance concentration, and support meditative and spiritual experience. Today, a new generation of dedicated ambient composers are creating new music of great subtlety and power.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, therapeutic ambient for unpredictable times, on a program called "RESTORATION." Music is by DAVID HELPLING & ERIC "THE" TAYLOR, MICHAEL STEARNS & CHRISTIAN HALTEN, ISHQ, MATTHEW STEWART, ANDREW HEATH, and STEVE ROACH.

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PGM 1016R 'CHORDOPHONICS' : may 23-30

Consider, gentle listener, the chordophone family of musical instruments. It's a large, diverse brood including almost anything with stretched strings: zithers, lyres, harps, lutes, guitars, the violin family, hundreds of ethnic string instruments like the Japanese koto and the African kora, and not least — keyed zithers like the harpsichord and the piano.

Chordophones can be plucked, strummed, bowed, keyed, or struck. Looking back in time, zithers, lyres and harps were the foundational instruments of the chordophone family. They were used in antiquity to accompany recitations and promote healing.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we ride the soft strings of the harp and zither to a place close to silence, on a program called 'CHORDOPHONICS.'  Music is by PETER STERLING, HARP 46, LYSA LYNNE, DA WO's, HAROLD BUDD, CYMBER LILY QUINN, KLAUS WIESE, and LARAAJI.

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PGM 1397 'AMBIENT TRAVELER 4' : may 16-23

At its core, Ambient is a sensibility — a way of perceiving or sensing the world around us. As a sensibility, it gives us a heightened awareness of our physical and cultural surroundings; as a contemporary music genre, the name may be new, but the music has old, even ancient roots, arising from the discovery that slow tempos, repeated patterns, hypnotic rhythms, and resonant enclosures can alter our sense of time, and transform our experience of space.

The 20th century saw the invention of electronic music, along with technical advances in communication, travel, sound recording, and music distribution—all of which sparked unprecedented exposure to non-western folk, classical, and tribal music from indigenous cultures around the world. In 1987, the European and North American music industry—determined to avoid the confusion and criticism that accompanied the choice of "New Age" for an earlier emerging genre—opted for simplicity and called the entire non-western traditional category "World Music."

In time the World Music genre expanded to include ethnic fusions, crossovers, and hybrids, and the ethereal sounds of Tribal Electronic and World Ambient. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we journey over the high desert mesas, wind-blown dunes, and endless plains of the Ethno-Ambient soundscape, on a program called "AMBIENT TRAVELER 4."

Music is by LAYNE REDMOND & TOMMY BRUNGES, BYRON METCALF & ARI URBAN, SUZANNE TENG & GILBERT LEVY, MARLA LEIGH, STEPHAN MICUS, and ANOUSHKA SHANKAR.

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PGM 0726 'FLOWING INTO SPRING' : may 9-16

SPRING CREEPS IN with delicate leaves and fragrant flowers. The winds sweep through, the rains wash away the accumulated debris of winter, and we bathe in new light and energy. It's a time for music that flows with grace and melody—a confirmation of the release we feel.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, the music is fresh and the harmonies are lush...on a program called 'FLOWING INTO SPRING'. Music is by SECRET GARDEN, ANDREAS VOLLENWEIDER, NANCY RUMBEL, BILL DOUGLAS, SAVINA YANNATOU & PRIMAVERA EN SALONICO, LEE JOHNSON, and SANCTUARY.

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