hearts of space | news

PGM 406R 'GRAY LIGHT' : feb.24-mar.3

Winter...blankets the landscape with a leaden, contractive force, relieved by intense contrasts. Defying the cold and dark, the primordial hearth casts a soothing glow. The brilliant sun of day and bright stars of the winter night contrast with the ashen tones of a natural world in hibernation...while in the winter soundscape, somber bass drones and dense atmospheres are relieved by crystalline accents.

On this edition of Hearts of Space, a classic electronic winter journey called GRAY LIGHT. Music is by VANGELIS, MARK DWAYNE, CHRIS SPHEERIS & PAUL VOUDOURIS, KLAUS SCHULZE, KEVIN BRAHENY & TIM CLARK, LIQUID MIND, and BOB CHARLESWORTH.

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

 

PGM 1137 'FLYING and FLOATING 3' : feb.17-24

Slogging through the recurring storms, natural disasters and political turmoil of this seemingly endless winter, even the sudden appearance of the first blossoms of spring on the trees here in California brings only a moment of joy and relief. No, what we need is some extended sonic therapy, the kind that Ambient Electronic music magically provides.

So let's get back to basics: on this transmission of Hearts of Space, music for deep space traveling and weightless levitation, on a program called FLYING AND FLOATING 3.

Music is by TRANSPONDER, ASCENDANT, STEVE ROACH, JEFFREY KOEPPER, JIM OTTAWAY, PALANCAR, KLAUS SCHULZE (with TOBIAS BECKER), and HOLLAN HOLMES.

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

An Updated Version of Our iOS App, and a Peek at Version 4 of Hearts of Space

 

On Friday, Feb. 10th an updated Version 3.0 of our iPhone app was approved by Apple and showed up in the iOS App Store. See the description there for the full details.

https:://iTunes.apple.com/us/app/hearts-of-space/id391429572?mt=8

One small bug emerged after release affecting the sign in box on iPads. We pushed an update that fixed that to Apple on Sunday and it is now (2/15/2017) available in the app store as Version 3.1.

IN BRIEF

This version is 64 bit, so no more misleading message from Apple about slowing down your phone (it never did — it was exactly as fast as previous versions). A new approach to the player provides much more reliable streaming in difficult network situations, along with many bug fixes and minor improvements. It looks pretty much the same on screen, but there are big differences under the hood. The music should be far less subject to buffering interruptions. 

FREE AT LAST

iOS upgrades have always been free, but with this version we are making the iOS app free for new users as well.

VERSION 4 COMING

Why no major changes or new features? Because this version of the app will be in service only until <FANFARE!> We introduce a completely redesigned, full-featured, super-slick "Version 4" iOS app with all the features of our main web site and more. 

At the same time, we'll be launching a brand new version of our website at www.HOS.com.

We've been silent about this until now, for two reasons. First, when we started the Version 4 rewrite/upgrade project over 3 years ago, we had no reliable idea how long it would take. Second, we didn't want to create hopes and expectations for our users until we could actually deliver them.  

VERSION 3 UPDATE

As the months passed, we realized that before launching Version 4 we would have to update the existing iOS app to fix problems that had emerged due to new versions of the iOS operating system and Apple’s insistence on 64-bit compatibility. That is the Version 3 iOS app mentioned above, now in the App Store.

FLASH SUNSET

If you've been streaming from HOS.com using our web application, you know the service has been very reliable. Most problems are due to mixed-up email addresses, forgotten passwords, credit card issues and...Flash updates. 

Yes, we know. Like many major video sites, we are still using Flash. Despite what you may have heard, it has been an excellent streaming solution for us for the last seven years.  But technology never sleeps. Our old "backend" was difficult to update and administer, and Flash was slowly but surely being replaced by newer streaming technologies. So as part of this major rewrite and redesign we decided to rebuild our backend completely using newer streaming protocols and state of the art cloud technology from Amazon Web Services (AWS). This means that going forward the service should be even faster and more reliable. 

VERSION 3 TO VERSION 4

The current version of our web site has some geriatric elements and limitations due to the site architecture we chose in 2007. For Version 4 we commissioned first-class professional developer BAY INTERACTIVE and our longtime programmer STEPHEN BROSSEAU to start from scratch and rewrite the entire setup based on up-to-date web and mobile standards. We spent almost a year working on technical specifications,  "wireframes,” and detailed design for the new user interfaces and new apps — before starting to write code. 

WEA CULPA

We realize that some of  you have had frustrating problems with the previous generation mobile apps, and for that we apologize sincerely. We expect that the Version 3 iOS update will end those issues on the iOS side and provide reliable, though still somewhat limited access to the service for the next few months. We will follow up with a similar update for Android as soon as possible. 

VERSION 4

When Version 4 of the HOS web and iOS app goes into beta testing (please email service(at)hos.com if you want to be a beta tester)  the situation will be completely different: there will be many improvements and new features on the web site, and aside from the necessary differences in screen design and graphic layout, the feature set of the iPhone and iPad apps will be identical to the website. Many users will only know the phone version of Hearts of Space, and never need to see the full size website.

We know many of you have been waiting patiently for this, and we're truly sorry it's taking so long. We have learned that software development is a difficult and demanding craft, and we want to make sure we deliver a beautiful and reliable suite of apps so you can lose yourself, or find yourself, in the music.

:: SH

PGM 1103R 'INTIMACY' : feb.10-17

This week we shine some light into the depths of winter with the celebration of Valentine's Day. The legend of Saint Valentine goes back to an early Christian martyr in 3rd century Rome. We can thank Chaucer for the connection to romantic love in the 14th century, and the Hallmark Corporation for turning it into a yearly holiday with cards and gifts.

The tradition offers a natural connection to quiet musical dialogues that express the sensitive connection between lovers. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, Ambient chamber music and duets for the season, on a program called INTIMACY. Music is by JAMIE SIEBER, BOB KINDLER, RAPHAEL, PETER KATER & TINA GUO, JOSEFINE & TRINA OPSAHL, DAVID DARLING, and MONICA ROBELOTTO.

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

PGM 1136 'NORTH WIND 2' : feb.3-10

The Nordic folk music of Scandinavia and Northern Europe takes a stand for warmth and human emotion in a land of long and challenging winters. And while these traditions share some elements with the neighboring Celtic lands, unique instruments like the hardanger fiddle, the nyckelharpe, and the wire-strung zither called the kantele give Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian folk music a sound and feeling all their own. It's a tradition that really comes alive in the depth of winter.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, contemplative folk sounds of Scandinavia and Northern Europe, on a program called NORTH WIND 2.

Music is by LOITUMA, NORTHCORE, SUSANNE LUNDENG, EDGAR KNECHT, NILS OKLAND & SIGBJORN APELAND, ARJA KASTINEN, SINNIKA LANGELAND, MARIA KALANIEMI, and TORD GUSTAVSEN with SIMIN TANDER & JARLE VESPESTAD.

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