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PGM 1078 'STRATOSPHERIC GUITARS' : may 29 - june 5

This week we're pleased to introduce a new guest producer on Hearts of Space. His name is D.J. EGAN, he hails from Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, and he's a longtime fan of the program and the Ambient music genre. DJ did something no one ever did before — he sent us a completely finished program on CD, timed to the second, with a text playlist complete in every detail! That earned him serious consideration.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a celebration of the high altitude electronic guitar from guest producer D.J. EGAN called STRATOSPHERIC GUITARS.

Why, you ask, is this not another installment of our long-running "SPACE GUITARS" series? Because we were up to number 13 and that just didn't seem fair to DJ. We'll save SPACE GUITARS 13 for Halloween.

Music is by EIVIND AARSET, THE FIRES OF ORK, AMONGST MYSELVES, PATRICK O'HEARN, CAUL, CLIVE WRIGHT, ELSKAVON, NOMADS, SYLVI ALLI, and COUSIN SILAS.

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

PGM 1077 'WINDS of CHANGE' : may 22-29

Ahhh, the fullness of Spring! It arrives when we're not looking, concealed by fresh winds, bright clouds, and unpredictable weather. Beneath the superficial chaos beats a steady rhythm, as the natural world acclimates to more light and heat. The flora bloom and change, while the fauna increase their activity after the restrictions of winter. It's a time for production, and reproduction.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space we sound the fullness of spring, on a program called WINDS OF CHANGE. Music is by ERIK WOLLO, ATOMIC SKUNK, ISHQ, FORREST SMITHSON, DAN POUND, YUNOMI, ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT, and LEMONGRASS.

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

PGM 885R 'MAGIC CARPET' : may 15-22

The power of music to create mental travelogues is one of its most distinctive qualities. But if you just listen to the instruments and the notes, you miss the proverbial forest for the trees. You have to let it take you away.

The "magic carpet" of biblical myth had a similar power. Floating on air, it could take you anywhere. On this program, the art of travel by sound: we'll follow a path through a series of sonic worlds, flying to a place of rare beauty and deep feeling, on a program called MAGIC CARPET.

Music is by OPEN CANVAS, STEVE ROACH & JEFFREY FAYMAN, TONE GHOST ETHER, FORREST FANG, HANS CHRISTIAN, SIVIA NAKKACH, and TIM CLARK.

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

PGM 1076 'PATH TO STILLNESS' : may 8-15

The cherry blossoms are long gone here in California, but in Japan they bloom famously from early March through the end of April. It reminded us that it's been six years since we've done a program of Chinese and Japanese spacemusic, an omission we're going to fix on this edition of Hearts of Space.

​Traditional Chinese and Japanese music goes back several thousand years, with hundreds of regional styles and dozens of exotic-sounding string, wind, and percussion instruments, like the pipa (a four-stringed lute), the violin-like erhu. and the end-blown bamboo flute called the shakuhachi, used by Buddhist monks for meditation. It's a tradition that's been challenged in the dynamic environment of modern China and Japan, but there are dedicated native and western artists working to transform it for the 21st century.

​On this transmission of Hearts of Space, contemplative sounds of China and Japan, on a program called PATH TO STILLNESS. Music is by WU MAN, HIROKI OKANO, YANG YING, FORREST FANG, MICHAEL ATHERTON & JAMES ASHLEY FRANKLIN, and featuring shakuhachi master RILEY LEE.

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

PGM 946R 'TIMESCAPES' : may 1-8

The phenomenon of time is an enduring mystery. Our greatest philosophers and physicists speculate about it. Some say time is as linear as the atomic clock; others say time is a subjective illusion, an artifact of the spinning of our bio-systems.

Like fish in water, we live immersed in time. Along with death, taxes, and change — time is one of life's inevitables. Time rules us. As mortal creatures, we can't avoid it, so we seek ways to outwit it.

From cosmetic surgery and life extension by cryogenics, to ecstatic experiences fueled by extreme states and recreational drugs, we seek the timeless: the place where time stands still — or at least slows down enough for us to enjoy it.

One of the best (and certainly the least dangerous) ways of getting closer to the timeless is ambient music. With its long cycles,  repetition, and slow-breathing modulations, it invites us into timeless space, destination free.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space....another hour of timeless, deep-drifting ambient atmospheres, on a program  called TIMESCAPES. Music is by BOB HOLROYD, HAMMOCK, BRUNO SANFILIPPO, TIME BEING, ANDREW LAHIFF, STEVE BRAND, ROBIN GUTHRIE & HAROLD BUDD, and CLIVE WRIGHT.

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