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PGM 895R 'WINTERSONGS 2'

In a time of cold and dark, we instinctively move toward warmth and light. So the winter songbook that comes down to us from Northern and Eastern Europe is replete with warm harmonies and brilliant timbres. From Norway, Bulgaria, Moldavia, Germany and Austria, music of the folk and classical traditions is wonderfully alive and resonant at this time of year.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, cold day hymns, songs, lullabies, and the immortal music of BACH...on a program called WINTERSONGS 2. 

Music is by IRARI, IREN LOVASZ, MEDIAEVAL BAEBES, LISA HAMMER, JOSEPH HEBERT & MERRILL COLLINS, KITKA, TRIO MEDIEVAL, JOHANN HEINRICH SCHMELZER, and JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH.

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PGM 1237 'A MARCONI UNION RETROSPECTIVE' : jan.17-24

These days, ambient music can come from anywhere, and England has been a particularly rich source for significant atmospheric and electronic music. But it was still a bit surprising for one of the most popular and productive electronic bands of the last 20 years to emerge from the 19th century industrial city of Manchester, a former textile center in the English midlands with a checkered history going back to Roman times. Today, it's a growing, cosmopolitan city considered second only to London, and the home of MARCONI UNION.

Starting as the duo of RICHARD TALBOT and JAMIE CROSSLEY in 2002, they became a trio in 2010 with the addition of keyboardist DUNCAN MEADOWS. In 18 years they've produced what they describe (with typical understatement) as "an explorative body of instrumental work that's shifted between electronica, dub, minimalism, avant-jazz and ambient music." It's also subtle, beautiful, melancholy, serene, occasionally dark and sinister, and thoroughly enjoyable music.

With the release of their 10th album in 2019, we thought it was high time to take a look back. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, A MARCONI UNION RETROSPECTIVE.

We'll focus on their ambient, electronic and minimalist work, starting with their second album DISTANCE, from 2005, and continuing with ambient explorations from BEAUTIFULLY FALLING APART, DIFFERENT COLOURS, WEIGHTLESS—rated "the most relaxing music ever" by neuroscientists--and their latest, DEAD AIR, from 2019.

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PGM 1236 'NORTHERN NIGHTS 2' : jan.10-17

The polar night…deep, still, and silent. As our world warms, it's punctuated by sounds of ice melting, cracking and falling. Overhead the auroras paint the sky with ghostly green light, as charged particles from the sun interact with the earth's magnetic field. It's a vast, solemn environment that inspires ambient and electronic musicians to create vast, chilled soundscapes.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, ambient nocturnes from the Arctic north, on a program called NORTHERN NIGHTS 2.

Music is by JANNE HANHISUANTO, MATHIAS GRASSOW & MICHAEL BRÜCKNER, SEETYCHA, ERIK WØLLO, STORMLOOP, BIOSPHERE, RETINA.IT, and ILUITECH.

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PGM 317R 'TEUTONIC ELECTRONIC' : jan.3-10

It doesn't sound all that unusual today, but this is one of the styles of electronic music created in the late 1970's by German musician KLAUS SCHULZE, a man who literally launched a thousand imitators. Whether they know it or not, just about everyone making popular electronic music today owes a big debt to Klaus Schulze. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we look back at some great music created by Klaus Schulze at the peak of his early career in 1978, on a program called TEUTONIC ELECTRONIC.

He got an early start as a drummer at the end of the 1960's, when he was one of the founding members of two bands that later became institutions in German spacemusic: ASH RA TEMPEL and TANGERINE DREAM. After a few years he was on his own, with a series of solo albums that advanced and defined the state of the art. For his tenth solo album in 1978, he created his masterpiece: an epic double album of six "musical biographies" of great figures from German history, literature, and music. It was called simply "X" or, if you prefer Roman numerals, "TEN."

On this project Klaus Schulze not only defined several styles of rhythm-based popular electronic music; he also realized a long-standing dream of many electronic musicians—to work with a real symphony orchestra. As you'll hear, the music he created—exciting, brooding, hypnotic, and powerful—has never been exceeded in its seamless integration of electronic sounds and orchestra. We'll be hearing selections from his "biographies" of GEORG TRAKL, LUDWIG II, and HEINRICH VON KLEIST, and related German spacemusic by PROJEKT ERDE from 11:11, and HORIZONT from WHITE CLOUDS.

It's a journey to the historic epicenter of German spacemusic: TEUTONIC ELECTRONIC...on this transmission...of Hearts of Space.

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PGM 1030R2 'COLD and BRIGHT' : dec. 27-jan. 3

Winter settles in to the Northern hemisphere bringing powerful storms, but also radiant clear days with azure skies and deep vistas. Unlike most sensible animals, human activity seems to increase as the temperature drops, and we fill the brief days leading up to the new year with all manner of hustle and bustle.

Holiday lights twinkle in the crisp air, and while the traditional sounds of the season are warm, rich and harmonious, it's also a perfect time for intricate electronic rhythms that echo the activity, and crystalline tones that ring in the chilled atmosphere.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an Ambient/Electronic journey for early winter, on a program called COLD AND BRIGHT. Music is by BRYAN CARRIGAN, BLUETECH, FORREST SMITHSON, NATURAL FREQUENCIES, PHILLIP WILKERSON, and JUSTIN VANDERBERG.

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PGM 1235 'CRADLE SONGS and CHORAL CLASSICS' : dec. 20-27

On any list of the oldest and most widespread musical forms on earth, the lullaby is going to be close to the top. The sound of a mother singing to her child is about as universal as it gets in human culture. Slow, quiet, with gentle swinging or rocking rhythms, lullabies sooth, teach, help cardiac and respiratory problems, aid bonding and neurological development, reduce stress, and yes — promote sleep. Happily, they turn out to be as good for the singer as for the child.

Originally unaccompanied, over the centuries lullabies have become beloved popular songs and folk instrumentals. Classical composers even adapted them for sacred, choral and dramatic works. The lullaby seems to charm everyone it touches.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, timeless folk and choral lullabies on a program from guest producer ELLEN HOLMES called CRADLE SONGS and CHORAL CLASSICS. Folk music is by ENSEMBLE GALILEI, PRISCILLA HERNANDEZ, LIZ MADDEN, CATHIE RYAN, TERESA DOYLE, BARRY PHILLIPS, and ANNBJØRG LIEN, plus choral classics by ARVO PÄRT, RIHARDS DUBRA, ĒRIKS EŠENVALDS, FRANZ SCHUBERT, J.S.BACH, BEYOND, and J. KETCHAHKMADZE.

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PGM 1234 'IMMERSIVE CAROLS' : dec.13-20

Christmas carols. Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't avoid 'em during the holiday season. Christmas music has become part of the advertising industry, dedicated to putting you in the mood to buy. Yet underneath the dreamy materialism is a musical tradition with some of the best-loved, most enduring hymns and songs ever created.

Acoustic musicians have long made instrumental versions of classic carols, ignoring the words and letting the music take center stage. Ambient musicians normally take a different approach — slowing down the tempos, stretching out the melodies, and expanding the virtual space of the recording.

But the most radical approach of all comes from our old friend Ohio composer TIM STORY. Revered for his exquisite ambient chamber music, he's applied his refined tonal sense and electronic power tools to extract the melodic and harmonic essence of recordings of the most popular Christmas carol of all: Silent Night. The result is total transformation, from a familiar hymn to "a slow motion immersive epic."

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, slow-floating, harmon-o-gized, spatially-expanded ambient music for the holiday season, on a program called IMMERSIVE CAROLS. Music is by TIM STORY, MATT BORGHI, SAM BRADY LONG, DANNA CUNNINGHAM, and RICHARD STOLTZMAN.

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PGM 1233 'CELTIC STARLIGHT 2' : dec. 6-13

Of all the world's folk musics, the songs of the Celtic lands of Western Europe—Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany and Galicia—have captured the hearts of listeners around the world. The combination of aching melancholy, joyous dances, ravishingly beautiful melodies, brilliant musicianship and great singing have charmed generations in Europe, and played a major role in the evolution of American folk music.

The Celtic boomlet at the turn of the century has passed, but great Celtic musicians never stopped performing and recording, and the genre carries on with new innovations. On this early winter transmission of Hearts of Space, warm Celtic ballads to chase away the chill, on a program called CELTIC STARLIGHT 2.

Music is by THE CRANNUA COLLECTIVE, JOHNSON-DUNNING-GOODWIN, JEFF BECK(!), MOYA BRENNAN & CORMAC DE BARRA, MICHAEL ATKINSON, ÁINE MINOGUE, JOHN DOAN, BJ COLE & DAVY SPILLANE, and AO MUSIC featuring MIRIAM STOCKLEY. 

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HEARTS of SPACE Version 4 is LIVE!

It's a beautiful fresh morning in Northern California. The sun is shining, the world is clean and rehydrated after three days of rain, and Hearts of Space has a brand new web site! 

The transition happened on schedule, everything seems to be working as expected, and people are using the site. Thanks to programmer ALEX BURROWS and his team at BAY INTERACTIVE, and our longtime engineers STEPHEN BROSSEAU and RAINES COHEN who burned gallons of midnight oil to make it happen.

Check it out at https://www.hos.com.

COUNTDOWN to the NEW HEARTS of SPACE!

 

Goodbye Flash, hello to an all-new website on Tuesday Dec. 3rd!

Read all about it:  http://bit.ly/2OFEiC7

 

 

HEARTS of SPACE VERSION 4 IS HERE

On December 3, 2019 we will launch the 4^th generation media player and design of our streaming service. We started in 2001 with 100 programs, a Real Audio player, and a rudimentary database-driven website. We migrated to Windows Media Player in 2004, then to Adobe Flash™ Player and Media Server in 2009. For Version 4 we built a custom HTML5 player, an all-new architecture and cloud "back end," a completely redesigned web user interface, and new native iOS and Android mobile apps. It's our biggest upgrade ever!