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PGM 1292 'SUFI SOUL 3' : aug. 27-jun.3

The mystical, inward-facing order of Sufism goes back to the very beginning of the Islamic religion in the 8th century. It has parallels to the venerable traditions of Buddhist and Hindu mysticism, and aims for direct union with God by purifying the heart. The work of the Persian Sufi poet RUMI has achieved worldwide popularity for its beauty and insight, and a body of Sufi music evolved to accompany religious practices and meditation—most famously the "whirling dervishes" of the Mevlevi order in Turkey—creating a genre that's not only alive today, but producing new strains of spiritual music.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we revisit the contemplative heart of Middle Eastern music, on a program called 'SUFI SOUL 3.' Music by ZIKR PROJECT, DHAFER YOUSSEF, ANOUAR BRAHEM, ELIYAHU SILLS, ALEX KHASKIN, MICHEL BANABILA with MEMET POLAT, ÜMLAUT, & SALAR ASID, DEREK & BRANDON FIECHTER, ABE HATHOT, and PAUL AVGERINOS & OMAR FARUK TEKBILEK.

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PGM 1186R 'TRIBAL AMBIENT' : aug.20-27

It's not all that often that a new strain of popular electronic music arrives in the culture fully formed, but it happened in 1988 in the wake of STEVE ROACH's ground-breaking album DREAMTIME RETURN. Like Stravinsky 75 years earlier with The Rite of Spring, Roach realized that electronic music needed a dose of primitive energy and physicality — and he found it in the trance-inducing music of the aboriginal tribes of Australia.

The new genre was called "Techno-Tribal" and it combined electronic atmospheres with primitive rattles, drums, rocks, and the aboriginal didgeridoo. If our current political tribalism is an index of popularity, tribal music should be all the rage. But most electronic artists are urban, and have been influenced by Electronic Dance Music.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, ethnotronic atmospheres meet trance percussion, on a program called TRIBAL AMBIENT. Music is by STEVE ROACH, BYRON METCALF & JENNIFER GRAIS, INLAKESH, FRORE & SHANE MORRIS, JOHN VORUS, D LOOP and KEVIN BRAHENY FORTUNE.

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PGM 919R 'BAYOU MOON' : aug.13-20

Gather 'round all you swamp fans. This one's for you.

Yes, the great Mississippi Delta, home of deep Southern Blues, Cajun, Dixieland, jazz, funk — and let's-not-forget "sludge metal" — is callin' you, on a program called BAYOU MOON.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we wade into a hot and humid zone with a unique culture and a sense of place you can feel on your skin. Like a thick mist drifting out of the marsh, wetlands and barrier islands, bayou country has its own ambience, a sound that blends blues, creole, Indian, Cajun and jazz — and seasons it with a heavy coat of swamp sauce. It's one of the most distinctive cultural blends you'll find anywhere.

Music is by TOM NEWMAN, MICHAEL BROOK, RY COODER, DANIEL LANOIS, PATRICK O'HEARN, TINO IZZO, and HAMMOCK.

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

PGM 1291 'GONG-CHIME IMMERSION' : aug. 6-13

The traditional Gamelan music of Indonesia originated almost two thousand years ago. It has a sound and spirit all its own, with influences from bronze age metallurgy, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. The complex rhythms and shimmering sound of the metallophone orchestra of bells, gongs, chimes, cymbals and xylophones — plus skin drums, bamboo flutes, strings and vocals — has fascinated Europeans since Gamelan ensembles performed at the Paris Exposition of 1889.

In the 20th century, an elite group of western composers including ERIK SATIE, JOHN CAGE, LOU HARRISON, HARRY PARTCH, STEVE REICH, PHILIP GLASS, and others took the traditional gamelan sound in new directions, creating new instruments and orchestrations and later adding the ethereal dimension of electronics.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, ambient hybrids inspired by the gamelan music of Indonesia, on a program called GONG-CHIME IMMERSION. Music is by LOREN NERELL, DAVID PARSONS, JON IVERSON, DANIEL SCHMIDT and THE BERKELEY GAMELAN, EVERGREEN CLUB CONTEMPORARY GAMELAN, and JALAN JALAN.

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