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PGM 983R 'SUMMERTRONICA 5' : aug. 26-sept. 2

Does a season have a sound? ANTONIO VIVALDI obviously thought so, and THE FOUR SEASONS remains one of the most popular classical pieces of all times. So did electronic music pioneer WENDY CARLOS, who created SONIC SEASONINGS, the first album of synthesized environmental sounds, all the way back in 1972.

What's the sound of summer for the ambient musicians of today?  Well first, it's warmer: languid, even sultry; it's lighter, more airy. From heat waves to gossamer breezes, cooling ocean sprays to the nighttime cricket chorus, in summer — save the occasional thunderstorm, tornado or hurricane — we inhabit a kinder, gentler soundscape.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we round up a flock of warm weather electrons and fly the blue skies of summer...on a program called SUMMERTRONICA 5. Music is by DAN POUND, GENERAL FUZZ, MARCONI UNION, ISHQ, S7VEN, and BVDUB.

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PGM 1324 'WEST AFRICAN SPIRITS' : aug. 19-26

For the almost 40 years we've been producing Hearts of Space, our mission has been to bring you "Ambient, Space, and Contemplative music from around the world and across the centuries."

We've done it in dozens of countries and musical genres. Yet despite its rich and influential musical culture, we've only managed to create a handful of programs of the music of Africa. And within Africa, the music of West Africa and its signature instrument, the 22-string harp/lute called the kora—stands out for its melodic beauty and charm.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space from guest producer DAVID J. EGAN, we focus on the gentle joy of West African music and the kora, on a program called 'WEST AFRICAN SPIRITS.' Music is by RODERICK McLEOD & VINOD PRASANNA, AYUB OGADA, SONA JOBARTEH, STEPHAN MICUS, SEBATIERRA, ABLAYE CISSOKO & VOLKER GOETZE, and DEREK GRIPPER.

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PGM 1072R 'HYPNOTRONIC' : aug. 12-19

Back in the late 18th and early 19th century, a German doctor named FRANZ MESMER had a far out theory about energy transference between animate and inanimate objects. He called it "animal magnetism."

A Scottish doctor named JAMES BAIRD developed the idea and called it "nervous sleep" or "neuro-hypnotism," and later just "hypnosis." The word comes from the Greek hypnos for "sleep" and osis "to put to sleep."

These days, thanks to the American Psychological Association, we have a formal definition of hypnosis as "a state of consciousness created by 'hypnotic induction' and characterized by relaxation, focused attention and increased suggestibility, with alterations in perception, sensation, emotion, thought or behavior." Others define it as psychological regression, dissociation, or an altered state of functioning.

However you define it, hypnosis has a lot in common with ambient music, which also creates a relaxed state with focused attention. Whether it causes increased suggestibility and altered perception...well, that's up to you.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, electronic music for mental alteration, on a program called HYPNOTRONIC. Music is by ORCHESTRA SOLITAIRE, CHRONOTOPE PROJECT, THIERRY DAVID, HOWARD GIVENS & CRAIG PADILLA, A PRODUCE, PHILLIP WILKERSON, STEVE ROACH, and VIC HENNEGAN.

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PGM 1323 'TRIBAL AMBIENT REVISITED' : aug. 5-12

The timeless sound of prehistoric hand drums, brought to the present with space-defining ambient electronics. In the 1980s, elements of ancient indigenous music were embraced by electronic musicians searching for an earthy, vital sound to balance the dematerialized tones of electronic instruments, ground the atmospheric soundscapes of ambient, and gain the power of ritual experience.  

The genre was originally termed “Techno-Tribal,” but as the Techno label became associated with electronic dance music, it was renamed “Tribal Ambient.” Today, the period of discovery is long over, but a core group of electro-acoustic artists with a taste for psychedelic experience and a talent for rhythm, continue to refine the sound and release new albums.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, another report from the creative intersection of tribal rhythms and ambient electronics, on a program called TRIBAL AMBIENT REVISITED. Music is by BYRON METCALF, FRORE & SHANE MORRIS, STEVE ROACH & MICHAEL STEARNS, SERENA GABRIEL, BIFF JOHNSON, and REMANENCE.

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