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PGM 1141 'PRANA PULSE' : mar.31-apr.7

One of the truly improbable results of 20th century cultural openness and experimentation has been the international success of yoga. From its origins as a means of physical support for Indian meditation practice, yoga came west with counterculture explorers in the 1970s, took root, and against all odds became a standard of the western fitness industry.

Today, yoga fuels burgeoning spin offs in clothing, fashion, video and accessories — as well as a hyperactive genre of India-inspired electronic music — not only for yoga practice and meditation, but for so-called "ecstatic dance" and other group activities. Over the last 20 years, the international yoga community has come together to create dozens of "transformational festivals" every summer, which provide live performance opportunities for the musicians, along with exercise and spirituality.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, groove-centric, globally percussive, tribal-electronic, Indo-Ambient sounds for transformational festivals, ecstatic dance, yoga and meditation, on a program called PRANA PULSE.

Music is by SHAMAN'S DREAM, MOLLONO.BASS, DESERT DWELLERS, AL GROMER KHAN, ANUGAMA, DEUTER, and RAJENDRA TEREDESAI.

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PGM 1140 'SPACE GUITARS 13' : mar.24-31

Since 1985 we've been celebrating the spatially expanded version of the ubiquitous folk instrument known as the guitar. From its nomadic roots as the middle-eastern lute called the oud, through its evolution in medieval Spain to the Spanish guitar, its electrification in 20th century America, and later electronification as a vehicle for virtual space travel — the guitar has arguably become the most successful musical instrument in history, as well as the subject of our largest and longest-running series.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we journey far and deep in the six-string universe, on a lucky program called SPACE GUITARS 13. 

Music is by ERIK SCOTT, STRATOSPHERE, ROB BYRD, MICHAEL DIAMOND, CARL WEINGARTEN & CATHERINE MARIE CHARLTON, MATT BORGHI, JUHA-MATTI RAUTINAINEN, ROBERT FRIPP & BRIAN ENO, and JEFF PEARCE.

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PGM 1139 'EUROVISIONS' : mar.17-24

 

The dynamic decades of the 1960s, 70s and 80s brought an explosion of creativity in music. In Europe, the arrival of practical electronic instruments transformed centuries of musical evolution. The Greek composer VANGELIS expanded late 18th and 19th century Romanticism into cosmic space, while French and German artists extended the early 20th century Impressionism of DEBUSSY and RAVEL into new realms of sound, with innovative timbres, ambient atmospheres, and advanced spatial imagery. It was revolutionary and unprecedented, and more than 40 years later, we haven't heard the end of it.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we look back on this fertile period, on a program called EUROVISIONS — not to be confused, by the way, with the yearly "Eurovision" Song Contest.

Music is by VANGELIS, POPOL VUH, ARIEL KALMA, NIK TYNDALL, BERNARD XOLOTL (with DANIEL KOBIALKA), PETER MICHAEL HAMEL, JEAN-PIERRE ALARÇEN, and DEUTER.

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PGM 1071R 'CELTIC LEGACY 3' : mar.10-17

Another year rolls by, and with it our early spring celebration of St. Patrick's Day and all things Celtic. And when it comes to traditional Celtic music, it seems to be a bit bipolar — half lively, manic jigs and reels; half sad, some might say depressive, ballads. But it's all good, because you'll not find a more beautiful folk music tradition anywhere.

Of course these days the Celtic homelands are all thoroughly modern countries, but the music lives on, ready to be reborn by a new generation of musicians and rediscovered by a new generation of listeners.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another journey to the slow, heartfelt side of Celtic music, on a program called CELTIC LEGACY 3.

Music is by JEFF JOHNSON, BRIAN DUNNING & WENDY GOODMAN, MOYA BRENNAN, PHIL COULTER, SECRET GARDEN, WILLIAM DOWDALL, AINE MINOGUE, and JOHN DOAN.

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PGM 1138 'CHAMBERS of the HEART 3' : mar. 3-10

Classical chamber music has had a long and fascinating history. From its roots in medieval songs and instrumental "consorts," through centuries of change at the hands of the great names of European music — Bach, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, and later Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, Debussy, and a host of modernists and contemporaries.

Chamber music instrumentation followed the evolution of European classical music. In medieval times, string instruments accompanied singers. In the Baroque era, small ensembles combined dance movements with quiet interludes and led to the invention of the trio sonata.

In the Classical era, Austrian composer FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN focused on the string quartet and trios featuring the newly invented pianoforte. Haydn is credited with creating the intimate, conversational style of musical interaction that defines what we now call chamber music.

The late 20th century brought a new musical consciousness for minimalist, ambient and contemplative music, employing both traditional acoustic and electronic instruments, enhanced by studio techniques of sound manipulation.

Ambient chamber music differs from the historical forms: it's consistently slow, often repetitive, environmental, reverberant, and meditative. And while it may still use traditional acoustic instruments, the focus is not on the musical conversation, but creating a contemplative soundscape that patiently leads the listener into deeper levels of musical experience.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, ambient chamber music by some of the very best of the genre, on a program called CHAMBERS OF THE HEART 3. Music is by MAX RICHTER, LUDOVICO EINAUDI, HILDUR GUÐNADÓTTIR, OLAFUR ARNALDS, BEN LUKAS BOYSEN, and RYUICHI SAKAMOTO & FENNESZ.  

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