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PGM 979 'PLANET INDIA 2' : april 27-may 4

As we navigate the challenges of the 21st century, there's a group of musicians that are directing one ear to the past and the other toward the future. The origins of East Indian devotional music are lost in time, but a new generation of Westerners are dedicating themselves to updating it for the present.

Combining Indian instruments and the meditative traditions of raga and devotional song with electronics and studio magic, they're producing new hybrids that take us to exotic soundworlds, while soothing the nerves and enriching the soul.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an hour of Indian devotional music created by western musicians, on a program called PLANET INDIA 2. Music is by TIM WHITE & JOE PAULINO, RASA, DAN BLANCHARD, BENJY WERTHEIMER & DAVID MICHAEL, and AL GROMER KHAN.

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PGM 978 'FLOATING WAVES' : april 20-27

Of all the psycho-physical sensations produced by ambient music, perhaps the most widely enjoyed is the feeling of weightless floating.

Of course, there are other ways to achieve this sought-after state: scuba diving, for example, is an exercise in "neutral buoyancy," where the diver floats suspended in the water column, weightless and serene. And scientist JOHN LILLY and others famously promoted "floatation tanks" filled with body-temperature water for floating psychonauts.

At the extreme sports end of the weightlessness experience, we have roller coasters, tethered drops like bungee jumping, high pressure air columns, and diving planes with padded interiors.

But let's face it spacefans — music is safer and more accessible than all the others. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we take an anti-gravity journey in the ambient soundscape called FLOATING WAVES. Music is by THOUGHT GUILD, CARL SAGAN's GHOST, JONN SERRIE, COYOTE OLDMAN, STU JENKS, and CONSTANCE DEMBY.

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PGM 557R 'EVOLUTION' : april 13-20

Let's hope you're as lucky as those of us here in Calfornia, and your grass is now green, your skies are now blue, your air is now warm, and your daylight has once again, been saved.

If so, I'll bet you're in the mood for some spring spacemusic, and we have just the thing for you. On this encore transmission of Hearts of Space, an hour of music that traverses a day and night with sonic images of the natural world. Artists include ATHARWAN, MYCHAEL DANNA & TIM CLEMENT, TOM WEDVIK, FUMIO, ROBERT RICH, KEVIN KELLER & JEFF PEARCE.

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PGM 977 'IMMORTAL MELODIES' : april 6-13

At the top of the list of the giants of western classical music is JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH. During his long and extraordinarily productive career, Bach was famous as a virtuoso organist, teacher, music director and composer. In 50 years of intensive musical activity in 18th century Germany, Bach elevated, refined and extended the Baroque contrapuntal style. His catalog is extensive, his works ingenious and profound.

​Today his music for organ, harpsichord, cello, chamber ensembles, orchestra and chorus/ are key monuments of the classical repertoire. In retrospect he created some of the great masterworks of western music, including major liturgical works performed on Christian holidays like the Mass in B Minor and the St. Matthew Passion.

Beyond its breadth, depth and intellectual brilliance, the appeal of Bach's music can be traced to something much simpler: Bach was a master of melody. For example, take one of his most popular pieces, the charming little hymn called Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE from longtime guest producer ELLEN HOLMES, we commemorate the benign lyricism of Bach with a program called IMMORTAL MELODIES.

​As with Bach himself, many of the pieces are transcriptions of music originally written for other instruments. Performers include pianists JONATHAN PLOWRIGHT, MARTA & GYORGY KURTAG, HAMISH MILNE, PHILIP THOMSON, JOHANNA HARRIS, and GLEN GOULD; strings by FRETWORK, SARBAND, and MATHEW BARLEY; organ by WOLFGANG RUBSAM; and choral music by the BACH COLLEGIUM, THE ALBAN SINGERS, the HILLIARD ENSEMBLE, and the STUTTGART CHAMBER ORCHESTRA and CHORUS.

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