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PGM 1124R 'FALLING LEAVES' : sept. 22-29

Summer often departs unwillingly, with warm days that linger into autumn. In years to come, the transition will probably take even longer, but eventually the sun sinks ever lower, the days grow shorter, the light dims, and the natural world prepares for the long winter to come: drying, darkening, withering, dropping, and dying — to be reborn.
 
The music of the season slows, darkens, and takes on a more somber affect, echoing the complex colors and diminishing energy of autumn, as the sun withdraws to its winter retreat. On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, an electro-acoustic journey in the autumn soundscape, on a program called FALLING LEAVES. Music is by LUDOVICO EINAUDI, JOHANN JOHANNSON, KEVIN KELLER, MARCONI UNION, DIATONIS, TIM STORY & HANS-JOACHIM ROEDELIUS, ROBIN GUTHRIE & HAROLD BUDD, and BRIAN ENO.

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PGM 501R 'ALTIPLANO' : sept.8-15

The music of the high Andes plateau—the "altiplano"—comes from the western edge of South America, an area that extends a thousand miles from southern Ecuador through Peru and Bolivia, to northern Chile.

In the brilliant mountain air, the sounds of simple flutes like the quena, the signature panpipe called the siku, skin drums like the bombo, and stringed instruments like the guitar and charango—take on an uncanny appeal. It is famously a land of great beauty and hard contrasts, and the music may as easily be joyful as solemn, mystic, and sad.

On this edition of Hearts of Space, a program devoted to the popular "pan-Andean" music of the region, called ALTIPLANO.

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PGM 879R2 'CLOUDSCAPES' : aug.25-sept.1

SUMMER brings us one of the greatest free shows on earth. In fair weather, rising water vapor freezes into microcrystals of ice, and we see a vast, constantly changing panorama of clouds, floating and flying overhead. When summer storms arrive, the sky grows dark with the drama of thunder and lightning — nature's original multimedia show.

Clouds come in four families: high, middle, low, and vertical — with official Latin names like cirrus, cumulus and stratus. Satellites now give us the big picture of cloud patterns around the planet and how they affect the weather; there are even clouds on other planets, and interstellar clouds in outer space. It's no wonder that ambient musicians find clouds a major inspiration.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a high altitude summer electronic journey called CLOUDSCAPES. Music is by DIGITONAL, RUBEN GARCIA, FORREST FANG, ROBERT RICH, TERRA AMBIENT, BRUNO SANFILIPPO, and DARSHAN AMBIENT.

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PGM 875R 'INDIA EVOLUTION' : july 11-18

The drone...the modal scale...the sinuous, ornamented melodic line. Even without a sitar or a tabla, you know you're enveloped in one of the new Indian-influenced strains of ambient music.

Hundreds of years ago, while Western music turned right at polyphony, harmony, and the equal-tempered scale, Indian classical music continued to develop the old modal system of scales and natural intervals, in a vocal-centered, monophonic style.

Where we created chords and counterpoint, monumental symphonies, hymns and songs, Indian music continued to evolve the melodic sophistication of raga, the rhythmic complexity of tala, and the patient pursuit of mood and depth.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we return to the sublime world of Indian ambient and devotional music, on a program called INDIA EVOLUTION.

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PGM 877R2 'SUSTAINABLE WAVES' : july 28-aug. 4

Guest Host STEVIE RAY HILL:

Well, spacefans, we started out doing a summer acoustic show, but it morphed into a western-style slide guitar and pedal steel show, and then into a "western landscape" show. Think canyons. 

But wait, it wasn't done: it took a head fake toward the Native American flute, but on the way it shape-shifted into something more ethereal: call it "pedal steel atmospherica."

Whatever. Time for a title to tie it together. On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, it's a sultry journey in western spaces called SUSTAINABLE WAVES. Actually, we borrowed the title from SUSTAINABLEWAVES.COM of Austin, Texas. These dudes don't just abide...they sustain.

Music's by DANIEL LANOIS, BLUE STAR, JAPANCAKES, BUCKETHEAD, MARJORIE DE MUYNCK, and PATRICK O'HEARN.

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PGM 845R 'SUMMERTRONICA 3' : july 14-21

SUMMER...despite all the great new things we have to worry about these days, good old sunshine and heat still inspire our bodies to move, explore, and expand, while our minds open up to new sounds.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we mix up a refreshing cocktail of summer electronica, world rhythms, cool horns and trancey vocals, on a program called SUMMERTRONICA 3.

Music is by LUCID, JON HASSELL, PAUL HASLINGER, AL GROMER KHAN, MICHAEL BROOK & DJIVAN GASPARYAN, STILL LIFE, LOTUS, and ISHWISH.

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PGM 874R 'DYNAMIC STILLNESS' : june 30-jul 7

The musical panorama connecting the electronic rhythms of our hyperactive culture to the nourishing waves of contemplative space...is long, but always worth the journey. Along the way, the slowing tempo reveals new perspectives at every vista. And at the destination, subtle worlds of infinite dimension and unpredictable insight await.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we flow with the electronic rhythms and sonic currents, on a journey to the threshold of silence called DYNAMIC STILLNESS. Music is by ATOMIC SKUNK, ERIK WØLLO, FRANK VAN BOGAERT, CRAIG PADILLA + ZERO OHMS & SKIP MURPHY, and STEVE ROACH.

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PGM 841R2 'FLYING and FLOATING 2' : june 2-9

These days electronic waveforms bubble up from every corner of the globe like some kind of benign gas. Wherever they come from, they often share the qualities of flying...or floating.

Flying music is rhythm-powered and moves through space, heading for worlds beyond; floating music is goal-free—ethereal, static, and timeless.

On this encore transmission of Hearts of Space, another electronic journey in our flying and floating series called FLYING and FLOATING 2. Music is by GREY AREA, PAN ELECTRIC, SNAKESTYLE, COLOURFORM, EMANUELE ERRANTE, CYBERCHUMP, and TETSU INOUE.

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PGM 1183R 'HYPERTRONIC' : may 19-26

In the fair days of late spring, electronic winds blow warm and steady, while sequencers spin creative rhythms, propelling us into the active days and balmy nights of summer. DJs prepare their sets for the summer festivals, while ambient composers create expansive soundscapes for virtual travel. Attention Spacefans: it's party time.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an hour of technotronic rhythms and ambient atmospheres, on a program called HYPERTRONIC. Music is by S1GNS OF L1FE, MARC HARTMAN, MEES DIERDORP, MARTIN NONSTATIC, ASC, CRYSTAL MOON, LEMONGRASS, ISHQ, and ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT.

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PGM 1145R 'ASIAN WINDS' : apr.28 - may 5

The contemplative music of China and Japan comes from their classical traditions. In both countries, unique string and wind instruments evolved, along with virtuoso playing techniques. Centuries of patronage by the imperial court produced a classical repertoire.

Today, traditional artists continue to perform the classics and create new pieces, while a new generation of multi-cultural and ambient artists create hybrid variations based on the genres. As with the traditional music, the goal is to immerse the listener in a slow, deep, magical soundscape.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, the gentle world of Chinese and Japanese contemplative music, on a program called "ASIAN WINDS." Music is by CHRONOTOPE PROJECT, KITARO, YANG YING, ANGELA JUI LEE, ANN LICATER, GARY STROUTSOS, RILEY LEE, YUVAL RON, and MIZUYO KOMIYA.

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PGM 1230R 'TRIBUTE to NOTRE-DAME de PARIS' : apr.7-14

The fire at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris in April 2019 sent shock waves of distress and sadness around the world. You didn't have to be French, Catholic, or even believe in God to feel a profound sense of cultural loss.

Since the 12th century, Notre-Dame has been both a physical monument and a metaphysical symbol of the deepest aspirations and highest artistic values of humankind, at the center of one of the greatest cities on earth. For it to be destroyed would have been an insult to the global spirit, in a world that's already burdened by unprecedented challenges.

When the fire was out, it was clear that it could have been much worse. The spire and most of the oak and lead roof were destroyed and the exterior was badly burned — while the irreplaceable relics, priceless artwork, rose windows, bell towers, and three pipe organs were not seriously damaged. Over a billion Euros have been pledged to rebuild and restore the cathedral — a job that will take decades. Our Lady will rise again in the center of Paris, in all her Gothic magnificence.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space from longtime guest producer for sacred and classical music ELLEN HOLMES: A TRIBUTE to NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS.

Sacred music for chorus, strings and organ is by an all-star cast of French composers from the 16th to the 20th century, including MARC-ANTOINE CHARPENTIER, FRANCOIS COUPERIN, JEAN RICHAFORT, PHILIPPE VERDELOT, JOSQUIN DES PRES, ANTOINE BRUMEL, CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS, CESAR FRANK, CHARLES GOUNOD, LILI BOULANGER, GABRIEL FAURÉ, MAURICE DURUFLÉ, and OLIVIER MESSIAEN.

We celebrate the artistic and spiritual legacy of a great cathedral: a TRIBUTE to NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS...on this transmission...of Hearts of Space.

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PGM 905R 'RAINING' : mar.31-apr.7

As winter unlocks its icy grip, we enter a transition time energized by the sound of water on the move.  Melting...dripping...flowing...draining......raining.

In spring, water completes a journey that begins in the ocean, ascends to the clouds, falls back to earth, and ends, once again, in the sea. It's one of the core movements in the yearly cycle of life, and a powerful metaphor for the eternal cycles of stasis and flow, contraction and release.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, ambient hydrology for early spring on a program called RAINING. Music is by YAGYA, BIOSPHERE, DAN BARRIO, ROBERT RICH, JEFF PEARCE, and ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT.

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PGM 836R 'SUSPENSION' : mar. 10-17

Floating...through the long transition between winter and spring. In times of uncertainty, we hold back, restrain action, and wait. Patience and experience help us endure the time. We relax, observe the signs, quietly mark the changes, remain ready...for what comes next.

In music, a suspension is an extended tone connecting one chord with the following chord, often marked by a temporary dissonance. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a floating journey for a time of transition and temporary dissonance called SUSPENSION.

Music is by LUDOVICO EINAUDI, RUDY ADRIAN, ROBIN GUTHRIE & HAROLD BUDD, BRUNO SANFILIPPO & MATHIAS GRASSOW, and FRANK VAN BOGAERT.

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PGM 1207R 'A FRAGILE BEAUTY' : feb.17-24

For all the challenges that winter brings, it also offers a time for quiet, solitude, pristine stillness, rebirth, and renewal. This meditative aspect of the season has inspired contemporary post-classical composers to create sparse yet majestic soundscapes. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we bring together the serene melancholy of ambient chamber music, the patiently unfolding cadences of sacred minimalism, and the ethereal lightness of choral harmonies, on a program called A FRAGILE BEAUTY.

Music is by LUDOVICO EINAUDI, ELENI KARAINDROU, JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON, MAX RICHTER, and VOCES8.

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PGM 1066R 'ICE NIGHT' : jan.27-feb.3

In the depths of winter, movement slows and time expands. Below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, flowing water becomes static crystals, locked and silent. At absolute zero, motion stops.

The sound of winter is low and slow: thick drones punctuated by dark bells and metallic overtones. The chilled air is heavy with water vapor, damping sounds and creating a hushed atmosphere. And when the storms come, the keening of the cold night wind creates an eerie wail.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, far north winter electronics, on a program called ICE NIGHT. Music is by BIOSPHERE, SIMON LOMAX. DEEP CHILL NETWORK, HAROLD BUDD, CSILLAGKOD, BRAIN LAUGHTER, ALTUS, and JANNE HANHISUANTO.

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PGM 1168R 'POLAR FLIGHT 3' : dec. 30-jan. 6

WINTER DESCENDS...a contractive force that drains the color from the landscape, leaving a world of subtle monochromes, softened by chilled blue-gray mist and fog. As the temperature drops, movement slows, challenging every species to adapt and survive, while winter storms bring cutting winds, freezing rain, sleet, and the white fantasy world of snow. 

Winter inspires Ambient musicians to change their tonal palette and create sonic images of cold wind and stormy skies. The sound of the season is darker, denser, colder, slower—with restrained melodies and crystalline accents. It's native territory for musicians from the northern countries of Europe, Iceland, Canada, and kindred spirits in the United States. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a journey across the Arctic north, on a program called POLAR FLIGHT 3. Music is by BANCO DE GAIA, BRYAN CARRIGAN, BRIDGE TO IMLA, SEETYCA, SIMON LOMAX, ALTUS and PANGAEA PROJEKT.

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PGM 999R 'ANGELICO' : dec. 16-23

This week we begin our suite of winter holiday programs with another deep journey into the sublime world of sacred choral music, from our longtime guest producer for classical and sacred music ELLEN HOLMES.

There's a lightness and purity in these subtle harmonies that's often described as angelic. Whether they've come down to us from 800 years ago or just yesterday, by doing less, they achieve more. They engage us on a deeper, more internal level, when we simply open ourselves to the sound and listen with the heart.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, the ethereal, angelic sound of choral voices, on a program called ANGELICO. Music is by MAURICE DURUFLE, CESAR FRANCK, MICHAEL PRAETORIUS, MORTEN LAURIDSEN, IVER KLEIVE, OLA GJEILO, ALEXANDRE GRETCHANINOFF, ERIC WHITACRE, and DANIEL LENTZ.

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PGM 1304R 'CANTO ELECTRONICO' : dec. 2-9

The best-kept secret in European minimalism must be the late Dutch composer SIMEON TEN HOLT, who died in 2012. After experimenting with complex chromaticism and serialism early in his career, Ten Holt arrived at his own style of "humanized" minimalism: infused with traditional musical values, rhythmically rigorous, wonderfully melodic, and flexible in performance.

His most famous piece, composed in 1976, is called CANTO OSTINATO, which in Italian means "obstinate song," a reference to its continuous, repeating quintuplet rhythm base: 1-2-3-4-5, 1-2-3-4-5, 1-2-3-4-5, 1-2-3-4-5. Its structure is based on 106 "cells" of a few phrases each which allow great latitude for repeats and interpretation by the performers. The piece can take from two hours to more than a day, and there are dozens of versions for 1, 2, 3, and 4 pianos, pianos plus organ, harp, or marimba, pipe organ, strings, and synthesizer.

Canto Ostinato has been a popular phenomenon in the Netherlands for 40 years and hundreds of sold out performances. Despite its appeal, it's hardly ever been performed or broadcast in the U.S. We tried to help fix that a couple of years ago when we featured a mesmerizing live version for two pianos, performed by the Dutch husband/wife duo JEROEN and SANDRA VAN VEEN.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a buoyant, energetic version for synthesizer, programmed and performed by SANDRA and JEROEN VAN VEEN. Simeon Ten Holt's Canto Ostinato for synthesizer; let's call it CANTO ELECTRONICO, on this transmission...of Hearts of Space.

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PGM 853R 'INFINITE LOOPS' : nov.18-25

In the early 1970s, English guitarist ROBERT FRIPP (of the seminal progressive rock band KING CRIMSON) began a series of experiments with tape delay echo loops that he came to call "Frippertronics."

Fripp's collaboration with fellow electronic experimentalist BRIAN ENO yielded two influential albums of treated electric guitar and synthesizers. NO PUSSYFOOTING (from 1972) and EVENING STAR (in 1974) defined a new sound: the infinite spatial guitar. Whether endlessly looped or indefinitely sustained, Fripp transformed, expanded and dematerialized the electric guitar by feeding it back on itself — and created one of the foundations of today's ambient soundscapes.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE we borrow a term from computer programming, on a descending journey for fall called INFINITE LOOPS. Music is by HAROLD BUDD & CLIVE WRIGHT, ROBIN GUTHRIE, HAMMOCK, and RICHARD BONE.

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PGM 1232R 'SHADES and SHADOWS' : nov. 4-11

In the waning days of late autumn, the sun falls ever lower in the sky, the air becomes crisp as the restless wind strips the leaves from the trees, and the nights grow quiet, as the last lovelorn crickets of the season succumb to the cold.

The autumn harvest brings a bounty of fruits and flowers, grains and nuts, in a rainbow of complex colors from bright orange pumpkins to deep purple cranberries. The sounds of the season are darker, slower, deeper — a somber interlude before the bright celebrations of the holiday season.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an ambient-electronic journey for late autumn, on a program called SHADES AND SHADOWS. Music is by ASCENDENT, MARCONI UNION, STEVE ROACH, RUDY ADRIAN, APERUS, MILES RICHMOND & PETER GRENADER, IAN BODDY, and JUTA TAKAHASHI.

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PGM 1298R 'SHADOWLANDS 2' : oct.14-21

Autumn brings transformations both subtle and powerful. The shadows lengthen as the focus of the sun moves south below the equator. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we now experience rapid seasonal climate change on top of slow global climate change. It's a transition marked by familiar changes in temperature, color, and activity in the natural world, disrupted by increasingly extreme weather events.

For ambient musicians, it's a time for complex tone colors burnished with glints of silver and gold, bittersweet harmonies, descending progressions, and gently melancholy emotions.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, we transition to the darkening electro-acoustic soundscapes of autumn, on a program called SHADOWLANDS 2. Music is by MYCHAEL DANNA & TIM CLÉMENT, STEVE ROACH & MICHAEL STEARNS, MIGUEL NOYA, CLIFF MARTINEZ, ALEX HAAS, and LISA BELLA DONNA.  

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PGM 1172R 'THE TRANSCENDENT PIANO' : sept.30-oct.7

With its bell-like high notes, rich bass tones, subtle touch dynamics, and endless chordal, melodic and rhythmic possibilities—the piano is indispensable for many genres of contemporary music. In the history of the national Hearts of Space program, we've done more than 50 shows focused on the piano. The guitar may be the world's most popular instrument, but for range, versatility and personal expression, the piano takes the prize.

When played with sensitivity and imagination, the acoustic piano alone is capable of taking us into rarified spaces. Today in Europe, a new generation of classically trained, technically creative and musically talented Ambient musicians are exploring minimalist trance patterns, combining the piano with traditional chamber instruments, extending it with electronics, and transporting the instrument into new dimensions of contemplative sound experience.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, a program of recent discoveries called THE TRANSCENDENT PIANO. Music is by NILS FRAHM, MAX RICHTER, ANGUS MACRAE, DUSTIN O'HALLORAN, DMITRI STÖKL, KAI SCHUMACHER, STEN ERLAND HERMUNDSTAD, and BRUNO SANFILIPPO.

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PGM 1157R 'ENDLESS SUMMER' : sept.9-16

Summers...are famously long and hot, and in the superheated days of late summer, time seems to expand in front of us. And it's not just because it's the season for natural disasters — we're back to school and back to work, packing new activities into our schedules while memories of summer fun still linger in our minds. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, languid guitars, ethereal electronics and subtle rhythms for the season, on a program called ENDLESS SUMMER.

The title comes from a classic 1966 surfing documentary, but it's been repurposed hundreds of times. We'll do the same, from a concept and music research by guest producer DAVID J. EGAN. Music is by DIATONIS, MATTHEW STEWART, LEO ABRAHAMS, BJORN MEYER, TONY GERBER, EIVIND AARSET, HAMMOCK, and BYLA.

Laidback, expansive ambient guitars for the season: ENDLESS SUMMER...on this transmission...of Hearts of Space.

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PGM 1223R 'ELECTRONIC DIMENSIONS' : sept. 2-9

The transition from 'electric' to 'electronic' was one of the great technical achievements of the 20th century. Electronic engineering emerged out of the telephone, radio, film and television industries, and military communication and weapon systems during World War II. The earliest devices for creating electronic music actually date from the end of the 19th century. By the 1920s and 30s we had compact, playable electronic instruments like the Russian Theremin, the French Ondes Martenot, and the German Trautonium. 

Development of recording technology led to experimentation with record players and tape recorders to manipulate sound and create new kinds of music. Electronic music expanded exponentially in the 1960s and 70s with the arrival of practical electronic synthesizers, fueling an era of explosive creativity. Today electronic music extends from mainstream dance music to experimental noise, with literally thousands of sub-genres, and an unlimited palette of sounds and creative possibilities. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a journey in the infinite tone-worlds of electronic space, on a program called ELECTRONIC DIMENSIONS. 

Music is by FOURTH DIMENSION, BLUETECH, ESKOSTATIC, BETWEEN INTERVAL, SCOTT LAWLOR, and ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT.

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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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