Encore Programs

PGM 615R ‘THE CONSTANT FLAME’ : nov.28-dec.5

In the russet and golden days of autumn, we gather round the fire and the table with family, friends, and food—to give thanks. It’s an inflection point, a moment of warmth and communion in the busy days of year’s end.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space called ‘THE CONSTANT FLAME,’ we honor the emotional fire that fuels music with creativity and passion, and the inner flame in us that seeks it. In the words of composer ALEX CLINE, “it’s a fire that can warm, consume, illumine, destroy, purify, blind…or save.”

With music by SECRET GARDEN, BILL DOUGLAS, THE MARQUIS ENSEMBLE, GEORGE WINSTON, MICHAEL GETTEL, TIM STORY, ALEX CLINE ENSEMBLE, and MASAJI WATANABE.

[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ]

PGM 1092R ‘SPIRIT OF ARMENIA’ : oct. 17-24

Armenian landscape with Mt. Ararat

THE ANCIENT LAND OF ARMENIA has had a complex and often contentious history. Sitting astride the Silk Road trade route in the southern Caucasus, east of Turkey and north of Iran and Azerbaijan, Armenia served as one of the gateways between Christian Europe and the non-Western cultures of the Middle East and Central Asia.

Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as the state religion in 301 A.D. Both location and history account for the rich set of cultural influences that became Armenian music, from roots in Zoroastrian and Pagan folk and sacred music, through the rise of Christianity, and continuing to evolve for over 1500 years.

The great historical figure of Armenian music was KOMITAS — the late 19th/early 20th century scholar, priest, folk song collector and arranger, composer, choir-master and singer. Educated in an Armenian seminary, then in western classical music in Berlin, Komitas combined traditional sacred and secular Armenian modal music with western classical practice, to create the foundation for an authentic Armenian classical music.

The German ECM label has been documenting new and traditional Armenian music for over 30 years, with a series of superb recordings, many of which have been featured on these programs. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we focus on two of these recordings, on a program called “SPIRIT OF ARMENIA.”

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PGM 888R ‘TIME OF TRANSITION’ : oct.3-10

Four times a year, the seasons turn.
The changes can be subtle or dramatic.
These are the times of transition in the natural world —
the original, the most pervasive, varied, and far reaching
ambient soundscape of them all.

Societies and cultures go through their own transitions.
Sometimes they’re welcomed;
more often, they are resisted, even feared.
In nature, the wise, the lucky, and the flexible
evolve, and learn to adapt.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE,
we ride the receding energy of summer as it descends into fall,
on a program called TIME OF TRANSITION.

Music is by JON HOPKINS, BARCELONA, PSICODREAMICS, DAVID HELPLING & JON JENKINS, HAROLD BUDD & CLIVE WRIGHT, BRUNO SANFILIPPO & MATHIAS GRASSOW, DAVID DARLING, and FALLING YOU.

[ view program ] [ view Flickr image gallery ]

PGM 985R ‘BADLANDS’ : sept.19-26

Out on the western range, there’s places where the deep prairie meets the desert at the end of the line. Places where the tough get going and the outlaws go to hide: where the land’s eroded, the water’s scarce, the weather’s bad, the nights are dangerous, and everything you see…is a survivor. It’s called “The Badlands.” 

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, a program inspired by this hard and beautiful environment…called BADLANDS. Music is by DANIEL LANOIS, ERIC TINGSTAD, CARL WEINGARTEN, BRUCE KAPHAN, EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, JAPANCAKES and DAVID TORN.

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

PGM 1354R ‘WILD SANCTUARY’ : sept. 5-12

Trick question: Before recordings, before electronics, even before history—what was the original form of ambient music? Here’s a hint: it’s not what we normally call music, but it has a lot in common with music.

The answer is the natural soundscape: a combination of the geophony—non-biological natural sounds like wind, waves, water, and weather, and the biophony—the sounds produced by all the non-human organisms in a given habitat.

Documenting the natural soundscape has been the life work of “soundscape ecologist” BERNIE KRAUSE, who’s been recording and archiving natural soundscapes from around the world since 1979. Our 3-D sound localization ability is based on the evolutionary advantage of being able to identify the location, direction and distance of ambient sounds—and it’s this sensibility we use when we listen to ambient music.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, the magical combination of ambient nature sounds and ambient music…on a program called “WILD SANCTUARY.” Music is by ISHQ, BRIAN ENO, STEVE ROACH, PATRICK O’HEARN, ARIEL KALMA, RUTH HAPPEL, and DANNA & CLEMENT.

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PGM 1148R ‘INNER RHYTHMS’ : aug. 22-29

The trance rhythms of the Middle East, Asia and Africa are steady, continuous, and slowly changing. Rather than driving you forward like the ubiquitous military march beats of western rock, they patiently insinuate themselves on your nervous system, steady the breath, slow the pulse, and ultimately…transform your awareness. Psychologists call it “entrainment” or “dissociation.” The rest of us call it enchantment, rapture, ecstasy, or euphoria. It’s all part of the wide world of trance.

Trance rhythms have been used by priests and shamans in non-western cultures for centuries. More recently they’ve been rediscovered by western musicians seeking an alternative to conventional beats, used by so-called “minimalist” classical composers, and adopted by experimental musicians around the world for their psychoactive power and popular appeal. Trance is also a major genre of Electronic Dance Music, with mind-altering beats heard on dance floors around the world.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we insinuate ourselves on your nervous system—in a good way—with soft summer trance music, on a program called INNER RHYTHMS. Music is by JAMES HOOD, BYRON METCALF, LOREN NERELL, DREAM JUNGLE, and DON LI.  

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

PGM 883R ‘DESERT REALMS’ : aug. 8-15

The desert…a place where sun, heat, wind and sand conspire to make life a challenge for even the strongest organisms.

For humans, it’s where civilization ends, and we confront the earth at its most elemental — vast space, rugged terrain, extreme conditions, contemplative solitude, and often, eerie silence. It’s no wonder the desert continues to be a major source of inspiration for ambient musicians.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another superheated journey in dehydrated spaces called DESERT REALMS.” Music is by STEVE ROACH & BYRON METCALF, RUDY ADRIAN, BRUNO SANFILIPPO & MAX CORBACHO, and MARTIN, KLAMPT & ROWND.
    
[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]  

PGM 915R ‘HYBRIDS’ : july 25-aug 1

In biology and genetics, hybrids are the offspring of two different subspecies, genera, or families of plants or animals. Nature creates hybrids randomly as part of natural selection; humans do it deliberately and call it “selective breeding.” Often the hybrids that result are stronger than the natural offspring, and we call that “hybrid vigor.”

In music, hybrids (or fusions) result from thinking outside the box, creating new combinations of genres, styles and instruments. As you’ll hear on this transmission of Hearts of Space called HYBRIDS, the results are often surprising, satisfying and…vigorous.

Music is by BRUCE KAPHAN, ROBERT RICH, NELSON FOLTZ & TOM LYNN, MICHAEL BROOK, JAZZCOMPUTER.ORG, BILL LASWELL & TOSHINORI KONDO, FORREST FANG, JON HASSELL, and TONY LEVIN.

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

PGM 1154R ‘EQUILIBRIUM 2’ : july 11-18

The nation-states of the greater Middle East are a contentious group, with a long, complicated history and even longer memories. Spanning some 17 countries from Iran in the east to Turkey in the west, including North Africa, the eastern Mediterranean states, and the Arabian peninsula — the region is riven by political, religious, & ethnic conflicts. 

Yet the music of the Middle East shows a broad similarity of instruments, scales, rhythms and formats that cut across national boundaries and create a kind of super-cultural unity. Today, progressive middle eastern musicians are promoting a non-political form of communication through their music, bringing together traditional and electronic instruments to create a shared experience of beauty and soulfulness.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another journey in the contemporary Middle Eastern soundscape, on a program called EQUILIBRIUM 2. Music is by MERÇAN DEDE, SYRIANA, DHAFER YOUSSEF, LIAN ENSEMBLE w/DJIVAN GASPARYAN, ALBERTO IGLESIAS, ANOUAR BRAHEM, DAVID PARSONS & JON MARK.

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

PGM 1375R ‘AMERICAN HORIZON’ : jun 27-july 4

The yearly anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, has become a festive national holiday with food, music, and fireworks, celebrated by millions of Americans of all ages and backgrounds, in every part of the United States.

It’s a good time to revisit the roots of Ambient Americana—influences from American folk songs, blues, jazz, and country, classics from the American songbook, and the pan-diatonic harmonies of AARON COPLAND. On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE we celebrate the spirit of American Independence, on a program called AMERICAN HORIZON.

Music is by BRIAN KEANE, MARK ISHAM, JEFF OSTER & VIN DOWNES & TOM EATON, SPENCER BREWER & PAUL McCANDLESS, GEORGE WINSTON, CHAD LAWSON, BARRY STRAMP, JOHN WILLIAMS, (“Ambient country” band) SUSS, CHUCK JOHNSON, and MARK PRESTON.

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