hearts of space | news

PGM 1030R2 'COLD and BRIGHT' : dec. 27-jan. 3

Winter settles in to the Northern hemisphere bringing powerful storms, but also radiant clear days with azure skies and deep vistas. Unlike most sensible animals, human activity seems to increase as the temperature drops, and we fill the brief days leading up to the new year with all manner of hustle and bustle.

Holiday lights twinkle in the crisp air, and while the traditional sounds of the season are warm, rich and harmonious, it's also a perfect time for intricate electronic rhythms that echo the activity, and crystalline tones that ring in the chilled atmosphere.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an Ambient/Electronic journey for early winter, on a program called COLD AND BRIGHT. Music is by BRYAN CARRIGAN, BLUETECH, FORREST SMITHSON, NATURAL FREQUENCIES, PHILLIP WILKERSON, and JUSTIN VANDERBERG.

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

PGM 1235 'CRADLE SONGS and CHORAL CLASSICS' : dec. 20-27

On any list of the oldest and most widespread musical forms on earth, the lullaby is going to be close to the top. The sound of a mother singing to her child is about as universal as it gets in human culture. Slow, quiet, with gentle swinging or rocking rhythms, lullabies sooth, teach, help cardiac and respiratory problems, aid bonding and neurological development, reduce stress, and yes — promote sleep. Happily, they turn out to be as good for the singer as for the child.

Originally unaccompanied, over the centuries lullabies have become beloved popular songs and folk instrumentals. Classical composers even adapted them for sacred, choral and dramatic works. The lullaby seems to charm everyone it touches.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, timeless folk and choral lullabies on a program from guest producer ELLEN HOLMES called CRADLE SONGS and CHORAL CLASSICS. Folk music is by ENSEMBLE GALILEI, PRISCILLA HERNANDEZ, LIZ MADDEN, CATHIE RYAN, TERESA DOYLE, BARRY PHILLIPS, and ANNBJØRG LIEN, plus choral classics by ARVO PÄRT, RIHARDS DUBRA, ĒRIKS EŠENVALDS, FRANZ SCHUBERT, J.S.BACH, BEYOND, and J. KETCHAHKMADZE.

[ view program page ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

 

PGM 1234 'IMMERSIVE CAROLS' : dec.13-20

Christmas carols. Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't avoid 'em during the holiday season. Christmas music has become part of the advertising industry, dedicated to putting you in the mood to buy. Yet underneath the dreamy materialism is a musical tradition with some of the best-loved, most enduring hymns and songs ever created.

Acoustic musicians have long made instrumental versions of classic carols, ignoring the words and letting the music take center stage. Ambient musicians normally take a different approach — slowing down the tempos, stretching out the melodies, and expanding the virtual space of the recording.

But the most radical approach of all comes from our old friend Ohio composer TIM STORY. Revered for his exquisite ambient chamber music, he's applied his refined tonal sense and electronic power tools to extract the melodic and harmonic essence of recordings of the most popular Christmas carol of all: Silent Night. The result is total transformation, from a familiar hymn to "a slow motion immersive epic."

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, slow-floating, harmon-o-gized, spatially-expanded ambient music for the holiday season, on a program called IMMERSIVE CAROLS. Music is by TIM STORY, MATT BORGHI, SAM BRADY LONG, DANNA CUNNINGHAM, and RICHARD STOLTZMAN.

[ view program page ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

 

PGM 1233 'CELTIC STARLIGHT 2' : dec. 6-13

Of all the world's folk musics, the songs of the Celtic lands of Western Europe—Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany and Galicia—have captured the hearts of listeners around the world. The combination of aching melancholy, joyous dances, ravishingly beautiful melodies, brilliant musicianship and great singing have charmed generations in Europe, and played a major role in the evolution of American folk music.

The Celtic boomlet at the turn of the century has passed, but great Celtic musicians never stopped performing and recording, and the genre carries on with new innovations. On this early winter transmission of Hearts of Space, warm Celtic ballads to chase away the chill, on a program called CELTIC STARLIGHT 2.

Music is by THE CRANNUA COLLECTIVE, JOHNSON-DUNNING-GOODWIN, JEFF BECK(!), MOYA BRENNAN & CORMAC DE BARRA, MICHAEL ATKINSON, ÁINE MINOGUE, JOHN DOAN, BJ COLE & DAVY SPILLANE, and AO MUSIC featuring MIRIAM STOCKLEY. 

[ view program page ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

 

HEARTS of SPACE Version 4 is LIVE!

It's a beautiful fresh morning in Northern California. The sun is shining, the world is clean and rehydrated after three days of rain, and Hearts of Space has a brand new web site! 

The transition happened on schedule, everything seems to be working as expected, and people are using the site. Thanks to programmer ALEX BURROWS and his team at BAY INTERACTIVE, and our longtime engineers STEPHEN BROSSEAU and RAINES COHEN who burned gallons of midnight oil to make it happen.

Check it out at https://www.hos.com.

COUNTDOWN to the NEW HEARTS of SPACE!

 

Goodbye Flash, hello to an all-new website on Tuesday Dec. 3rd!

Read all about it:  http://bit.ly/2OFEiC7

 

 

HEARTS of SPACE VERSION 4 IS HERE

On December 3, 2019 we will launch the 4^th generation media player and design of our streaming service. We started in 2001 with 100 programs, a Real Audio player, and a rudimentary database-driven website. We migrated to Windows Media Player in 2004, then to Adobe Flash™ Player and Media Server in 2009. For Version 4 we built a custom HTML5 player, an all-new architecture and cloud "back end," a completely redesigned web user interface, and new native iOS and Android mobile apps. It's our biggest upgrade ever!