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PGM 1011R 'ELECTRON TRAVELER' : dec.29 - jan.5

Even in the early days, the pioneers of electronic music knew they were on to something special.

Here was a way of sculpting sound that made it like clay — something you could shape to your own creative vision. Today every artist can have electronic tools of almost unlimited power at their fingertips. We've had several generations of musicians tending the electronic vineyards, and these days the sonic wine is available in many varietals.

For example, "Downtempo" is a name invented in the 1990s to describe slowed-down, less intense electronic dance music. It's still beat-y but the atmosphere is chilled; rather than pumping you up, it floats you along with a relaxed vibe that leads to pure Ambient realms.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space...a journey from Downtempo rhythms to Ambient space, on a program called ELECTRON TRAVELER.

Music is by MYTHOS, AES DANA, HIBERNATION, MARCONI UNION, HEALER, and RADIANT MIND.

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PGM 826R 'TO THEE WE SING' : dec.22-29

The legacy of choral singing is never more cherished than during the holiday season, when it brings warmth and light to the winter darkness by opening the heart and feeding the soul. From the Christian churches and cathedrals of Europe and the U.S., to the Orthodox churches of Russia, central Asia, and the Holy Land, the human family gathers to listen, sing, and worship together. 

After more than ten centuries of evolution, some of the finest choral music has been written in the last 100 years by a special breed of contemporary composers, who respect and extend the tradition. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another compilation of sublime choral pieces from our longtime guest producer for sacred and classical music ELLEN HOLMES called TO THEE WE SING.

Music is by ARCHBISHOP IONAFAN, NIKOLAI KEDROV SR., SERGEI RACHMANINOV, N.FRUNZA, GEORGIA KELLY, DOBRI CHRISTOV, GEORGIY SVIRIDOV, URMAS SISASK, MORTEN LAURIDSEN, and M.KONSTANTINOV.

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PGM 1167 'MYSTIC MINIMALISM' : dec.15-22

This week we bring you music for the winter holiday season. But instead of the popular hymns and much-loved classical and sacred pieces, we're devoting the program to the contemporary genre variously called "Mystic" "Holy" "Spiritual" or "Sacred" Minimalism. 

What makes this music spiritual for its many fans is the psychological effect of its slowly changing repetitions, or the contemplative experience of its deep, slow, consonant tonalities. The poster artist for the genre is Estonian composer ARVO PÄRT; in the last 40 years he has quietly become the most performed classical composer in the world. 

Part began as a conventional avant-garde composer writing dissonant 12-tone works, but abandoned all that and created his own radically simple, tonal style. Other maverick composers like ALAN HOVHANESS, JOHN TAVENER, and HENRYK GÓRECKI also rejected dissonance and created beautiful sacred music; but none had the same impact on other composers as Arvo Pärt, whose influence today extends beyond classical composers to a host of serious popular, ambient and electronic musicians. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, contemporary spiritual classics, on a program called MYSTIC MINIMALISM. The entire program resides in what we call "the Deep Zone"—a rarefied realm of heightened musical communication and emotional resonance. 

Music is by ARVO PÄRT, A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN, LUDOVICO EINAUDI, ÓLAFUR ARNALDS, MAX RICHTER, NILS FRAHM, JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON, and HAMMOCK.

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PGM 1166 'WINTERSTELLAR' : dec.8-15

The long, cold nights and decorative lights of the winter season remind us of the vast cold vacuum of space, with its billions of bright stars, nebulae, and distant galaxies. Our space telescopes now bring us spectacular images of the cosmic panorama; and though we may never be able to "travel to distant worlds" as we do in science fiction, just contemplating the size, age, and composition of the cosmos defines the term "mind-expanding." It's an experience that truly deserves to be called awesome. 

Electronic and ambient musicians bring us another way to experience the cosmos, by creating sonic images of interstellar space. On this transmission of Hearts of Space...a winter journey in the electronic starfields, on a program called WINTERSTELLAR.

Music is by RICHARD BURMER, MARK DWANE, ERIK WØLLO, HOLLAN HOLMES, CHRONOTOPE PROJECT, and JAJA aka JANA ROCKSTROH. 

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PGM 1165 'WINTER SOUL' : dec.1-8

The sweet metallic overtones of the steel string guitar. It's a sound that really comes alive in the clear winter air. But while the guitar is a descendent of the Arabic lute called the oud, the piano, the violin family, most horns and woodwind instruments come to us from the northern countries of Europe.

In the long, cold European winters, folk and popular music evolved to provide warmth and comfort. In the U.S., the acoustic revival of the 1970s and 80s was led by the very popular Windham Hill Records. Today many of these acoustic musicians and producers are still active and creative, along with a new generation of fine acoustic musicians they inspired. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, acoustic sounds to warm the heart and nourish the spirit, on a program called WINTER SOUL.

Music is by CAMILLE NELSON, KEITH GEHLE, FEDERICO ALBANESE, PETER BRODERICK, KAREN MARIE GARRETT, KATHRYN KAYE, GRETCHEN YANOVER, SLOW MEADOW, KEVIN KELLER, STU JENKS, and ENZO.

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