hearts of space | news

PGM 865R 'TERRA STATICA' : february 25 - march 4

In the waning days of winter, change comes creeping across the landscape. The northern latitudes remain frozen in tones of gray, white and brown. Farther south, the first glints of spring are still a subtle presence. We float...in a zone of incremental transition, unmoored and vulnerable.

It's a time of regression and release from winter's static grip, a time for subtle, slow-moving electronic music — built on icy tones, images of desaturated vistas, and latent promise.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a transitional  electronic journey for winter called TERRA STATICA. Music is by CHUCK VAN ZYL, BRIAN ENO (with JON HOPKINS and LEO ABRAHAMS), CLIVE WRIGHT, and STEVE ROACH.

[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

PGM 938 'WAITING' : february 18-24

If ever there was a part of everyday life that almost everyone hates, it's waiting.

It's a shame because waiting is unavoidable, like death and taxes —
and just about as popular.

Waiting in line...is barely tolerated. God help the person who tries to cut in.

Waiting while driving is even worse, breeding dangerous, irrational behavior.
We have a name for that: road rage.

Waiting causes impatience, anger, and stress. We have drugs for that.

We have special rooms for waiting. They're rarely happy places.

In short, waiting is almost always considered a waste of time. A bad thing.

But it doesn't have to be that way. If you have a smart phone, you've already discovered the joys of "continuous episodic computing." It makes waiting productive. Just please...not while you're driving.

With a change in attitude, waiting becomes an opportunity for exploration, a time for discovery.  A time to read, play, watch or listen, connect with friends, write. Or simply a quiet space to catch up with yourself. A good thing.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an hour of ambient electronics for exploration and discovery, on a program called (wait for it)........WAITING.

[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

PGM 937 'STARRY NIGHT' : february 11-17

The heavenly spectacle is never more brilliant than during the cold winter months. On those glorious, crystal clear nights, the chilled fog, freezing rain and snow is forgotten, and we look out to the stars and look back into time itself. It's a vision that can truly be said to have a timeless fascination: if not for its beauty, then for its mystery.

The starry night is the subject of a powerful song by DON McLEAN, which is not about stars and planets at all, but the life — and death — of Vincent Van Gogh:

They could not love you,
But still your love was true.
And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night,
You took your life, as lovers often do.
But I could have told you, Vincent,
This world was never meant for one
As beautiful as you.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, acoustic and electronic music inspired by the night sky and the quiet melancholy of the winter atmosphere, on a program called STARRY NIGHT. Music is by MURIEL ANDERSON & JOHN DOAN, CAROL TATUM, CECILIA CHAILLY, JEFF GREINKE, and TIM STORY.

[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

PGM 936 'ALGORITHMICA' : february 4 - 10

The most famous achievements of English musical genius BRIAN ENO are a string of groundbreaking solo albums and collaborations going back to the 1970s, his role as producer of U2 and other major rock bands, and popularizing the term "ambient" as applied to music. Thank you, Brian, for all that. 

Less well known is Eno's advocacy of generative or algorithmic music — a method of making music automatically based on a formula or set of rules. It's heady, theoretical stuff, but in the right hands, the results can be both appealing and unexpected.

Two of those hands belong to German musician MARKUS REUTER, an electronic "touch" guitarist and composer of algorithmic music, with a growing catalog of solo and collaborative projects. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a wintry excursion in the realm of ambient sound featuring the music of MARKUS REUTER called ALGORITHMICA.

[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]