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PGM 1135 'OVERCAST' : jan.27 - feb.3

 

The typical winter atmosphere is muted and monochrome, under a sky of dense grey-blue clouds. Above, chilled vapor waits to return to earth as cold rain, sleet or snow. On the ground, it's a world of desaturated colors and diffuse shadows, punctuated by storms and relieved briefly by short bright days. Nature sleeps, awaiting the awakening of spring.

The sound of winter is slow, ethereal, subtle, with occasional accents of brilliant white or deep black. Bell sounds and the metal strings of the piano ring across the landscape, supported by profound dark drones.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we ride the sounds of winter to a place of deep calm, on a program called OVERCAST.

Music is by BEN LUKAS BOYSEN, JANNE HANHISUANTO, LIBRARY TAPES (DAVID WENNGREN), BRUNO SANFILIPPO & MATHIAS GRASSOW, BIOSPHERE, and SIGUR ROS.

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PGM 863R 'CONSONANCE' : jan. 20-27

The formal, pious, monarchical cultures that produced what we call Medieval and Baroque music seem worlds removed from the chaotic multicultural intensity of our era. Yet, whether coming from cathedral or castle, dedicated to the glory of God or the entertainment of man, whether modal or harmonic, monophonic or polyphonic, homorhythmic or contrapuntal — European music from the Middle Ages to the 18th century still speaks eloquently, and carries a message of faith, civility and grace across the ages.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we revisit some of the masters of this period — GESUALDO, DOWLAND, HANDEL, and BACH — on an Early Music, Baroque and contemporary journey called CONSONANCE.

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PGM 1134 'AFTER THE BURN' : jan.13-20

Beyond dystopia, after Armageddon and the apocalypse, lies an ever-changing realm of "extinction scenarios" where philosophers, writers and artists confront the specter of a post-human world. It's really horrific stuff, but we're fascinated by it.

So-called "end time" prophecies, once confined to extremist religious groups, are in the air these days, thanks to increased fears related to climate change, biotechnology, pandemics, artificial intelligence, and even renewed threats of nuclear annihilation. It's a kind of psychological background radiation — a dark presence in the eternal battle between fear and change, cynicism and hope.

California ambient composer ROBERT RICH has long expressed a deep love for the natural world in his music. Recently, he's begun to imagine what a world without us would sound like — a slow-motion collision of ecology and eschatology (the study of the end of humanity).

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a nostalgic look back at Earth after the "anthropocene" era...a cheerfully apocalyptic program called AFTER THE BURN.

Music is by ROBERT RICH, SECRET DRUID SOCIETY, STEPHEN PARSICK & MARKUS REUTER, and ALIO DIE & SYLVI ALLI.

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PGM 1133 'METALLOPHONIC' : jan.6-13

At the nadir of winter, we return to the very special sounds and instruments of the Tibetan Plateau. In the Himalayan mountains at "the roof of the world," the air is thin, clear and cold, and Tibetan bells, bowls, gongs and cymbals are used in the native Buddhist culture to create powerful sonic meditations.

The crystalline alloys of these metal instruments ring with a sublime purity, effortlessly drawing the receptive listener into states of sonic rapture. Western musicians traveled to Tibet and Nepal in the 1960s, brought back these rare instruments and introduced them in the West. Today you can buy them on Amazon.com (search for "Tibetan meditation bells") and they're used by sound healers, therapists and musicians around the world.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, the contemplative sound of resonant percussion, on a program called METALLOPHONIC.

Music is by DIATONIS, HIMALAYAN VOICES, 33 BOWLS, KARMA MOFFETT, MARJORIE DE MUYNCK, and BUDDHISM ACADEMY.

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