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PGM 1126 'NECROMANTIC' : oct.28-nov.4

And so, dear space fans, once again we arrive at that confluence of restless spirits and gloomy atmospheres we celebrate each October as All Hallows Eve.

It's a tradition that goes back thousands of years, a period when darkness, mystery, death and decay take center stage, and strange, troubled beings emerge from the shadows of our own psyche. It's a time for ominous, melancholy, disquieting sounds that challenge our desire for security and peace of mind — a cathartic encounter with the underworld and the spirits of the dead.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a somber Dark Ambient journey for Halloween, on a program called NECROMANTIC.

Music is by DIAMONSTEIN, YEN POX, BUCKETHEAD, KEIMVERBREITUNG, IGNEOUS FLAME, TOR LUNDVALL, HAR, TREY GUNN, and MAX RICHTER.

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PGM 1125 'STARSCAPES' : oct. 21-28

In the 1950s and 60s, the new sounds of electronic music emerged from academic laboratories in Europe and the United States. The motivations were self-consciously experimental, artistic, and technical.

In Cologne, Germany, one great innovator was the powerful theorist and teacher KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN. One of his surprising early discoveries was that, unlike acoustic instruments, abstract electronic sounds seemed to create the impression of cosmic space. "In my imagination," Stockhausen said, "I can fly anywhere—to the stars—use the music as a flying device, to unify with the cosmic forces. I think it's important that...we are instruments ourselves, and that cosmic vibrations create sounds through us."  It was the beginning of what we now call Electronic Spacemusic.

Today, inexpensive instruments and recording software allow anyone to create electronic music, and the sounds of space are all around us — in music and film, games and video. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another cosmic-electronic journey, on a program called STARSCAPES.

Music is by VANGELIS, MICHAEL STEARNS, DAVE LUXTON, JIM OTTOWAY, JONN SERRIE, and JAJA (JANA ROCKSTROH).

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PGM 926R 'THE CROSSING' : oct.14-21

Rolling down the on-ramp to autumn...the world is changing faster now. The last warm days of Indian summer are a brief blaze of glory in a fading world. The light mellows, then burns, as the color palette deepens. Fruit trees make a final effort, drop their seeds, then retire for the winter. Acorns bang on the roof, and the squirrels work overtime to gather the crop. Birds head south, as spent leaves skitter across withered fields. Soon, the rains will come, with life-giving water for the next cycle.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we echo these changes with an ambient-electronic journey for autumn called THE CROSSING. It's a metaphor for the challenge of an epic journey across great distance and uncertain fate, with music of deep drones and complex timbres.

Music is by DAVID HELPLING & JON JENKINS, STEVE ROACH, PHILLIP WILKERSON, and STEVE BRAND.

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PGM 1124 'FALLING LEAVES' : oct.7-14

Summer often departs unwillingly, with warm days that linger into autumn. In years to come, the transition will probably take even longer, but eventually the sun sinks ever lower, the days grow shorter, the light dims, and the natural world prepares for the long winter to come: drying, darkening, withering, dropping, and dying — to be reborn.
 
The music of the season slows, darkens, and takes on a more somber affect, echoing the complex colors and diminishing energy of autumn, as the sun withdraws to its winter retreat. On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, an electro-acoustic journey in the autumn soundscape, on a program called FALLING LEAVES. Music is by LUDOVICO EINAUDI, JOHANN JOHANNSON, KEVIN KELLER, MARCONI UNION, DIATONIS, TIM STORY & HANS-JOACHIM ROEDELIUS, ROBIN GUTHRIE & HAROLD BUDD, and BRIAN ENO.

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