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PGM 1007R 'TIME LAPSE' : march 9-16

The perception of time is as elusive as a subatomic particle. As soon as you concentrate on it, it changes.

Something similar happens in the contemporary music genre called Minimalism. Invented in the 1960s by composers looking for an escape from the bitter dissonances and static textures of academic Serialism, artists like LA MONTE YOUNG, TERRY RILEY, STEVE REICH, PHILIP GLASS and JOHN ADAMS created a new approach to composition that changes our sense of time.

Simplicity, silence, repetition, slowly changing phrases, continuous drones, modal tunings and hypnotic patterns created flowing textures and a meditative quality that's influenced Classical and Electronic, Rap and Rock. And the foundations of Minimalism were absorbed by BRIAN ENO in the 1970s and applied to the new language of electronics to create Ambient music.

Today the characteristics of minimalism are so embedded in contemporary music that we hardly notice them. And since the turn of the century, there's been a move to "humanize" the strict forms of Minimalism by adding back the melodic and harmonic sensitivity of Classical music.

No one has had more success at this than Italian composer and pianist LUDOVICO EINAUDI. As I said about him in 2008: "Like fine Italian food, fashion and design, Einaudi's music has a humanized opulence and sensual appeal. The elements are simple and often repetitive, but the effect is subtle, contemplative, satisfying, even profound."

On this transmission of Hearts of Space...the timeless sound of humanized Minimalism, on a program called TIME LAPSE.

Music is by LUDOVICO EINAUDI, JIM FOX, HAROLD BUDD, JERI-MAE G. ASTOLFI, and BRUNO SANFILIPPO.

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PGM 1004R 'ELECTRONIC NORTH' : feb.9-16

In winter, the kinetic rhythms, crystalline tones and subtle timbres of the synthesizer seem to resonate with the chilled landscape. Whether flying over silent fields, frozen lakes and snow-covered hills, evoking the latent energy of the sleeping flora, or sounding the deep notes of a cold and barren world — electronic music creates a soundscape for the season.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an hour of superchilled winter electronica, on a program called ELECTRONIC NORTH.

Music is by CHRONOTOPE PROJECT, MARCONI UNION, CONNECT.OHM, OOPHOI & PAUL VNUK JR., and PATRICK O'HEARN.

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PGM 1135R 'OVERCAST' : jan.12-19

 

The typical winter atmosphere is muted and monochrome, under a sky of dense grey-blue clouds. Above, chilled vapor waits to return to earth as cold rain, sleet or snow. On the ground, it's a world of desaturated colors and diffuse shadows, punctuated by storms and relieved briefly by short bright days. Nature sleeps, awaiting the awakening of spring.

The sound of winter is slow, ethereal, subtle, with occasional accents of brilliant white or deep black. Bell sounds and the metal strings of the piano ring across the landscape, supported by profound dark drones.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we ride the sounds of winter to a place of deep calm, on a program called OVERCAST.

Music is by BEN LUKAS BOYSEN, JANNE HANHISUANTO, LIBRARY TAPES (DAVID WENNGREN), BRUNO SANFILIPPO & MATHIAS GRASSOW, BIOSPHERE, and SIGUR ROS.

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PGM 1011R 'ELECTRON TRAVELER' : dec.29 - jan.5

Even in the early days, the pioneers of electronic music knew they were on to something special.

Here was a way of sculpting sound that made it like clay — something you could shape to your own creative vision. Today every artist can have electronic tools of almost unlimited power at their fingertips. We've had several generations of musicians tending the electronic vineyards, and these days the sonic wine is available in many varietals.

For example, "Downtempo" is a name invented in the 1990s to describe slowed-down, less intense electronic dance music. It's still beat-y but the atmosphere is chilled; rather than pumping you up, it floats you along with a relaxed vibe that leads to pure Ambient realms.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space...a journey from Downtempo rhythms to Ambient space, on a program called ELECTRON TRAVELER.

Music is by MYTHOS, AES DANA, HIBERNATION, MARCONI UNION, HEALER, and RADIANT MIND.

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PGM 826R 'TO THEE WE SING' : dec.22-29

The legacy of choral singing is never more cherished than during the holiday season, when it brings warmth and light to the winter darkness by opening the heart and feeding the soul. From the Christian churches and cathedrals of Europe and the U.S., to the Orthodox churches of Russia, central Asia, and the Holy Land, the human family gathers to listen, sing, and worship together. 

After more than ten centuries of evolution, some of the finest choral music has been written in the last 100 years by a special breed of contemporary composers, who respect and extend the tradition. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another compilation of sublime choral pieces from our longtime guest producer for sacred and classical music ELLEN HOLMES called TO THEE WE SING.

Music is by ARCHBISHOP IONAFAN, NIKOLAI KEDROV SR., SERGEI RACHMANINOV, N.FRUNZA, GEORGIA KELLY, DOBRI CHRISTOV, GEORGIY SVIRIDOV, URMAS SISASK, MORTEN LAURIDSEN, and M.KONSTANTINOV.

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PGM 1129 'ELECTRON TRAVELER 2' : nov.24-dec.1

If you make music with conventional acoustic instruments, you know in advance what each of them will sound like; your sonic choices are in the combination of instruments and how they're played.

On the other hand, if you're an electronic musician, you have to choose or invent every sound you work with, a process we now call "sound design." These days there are pre-designed electronic sounds built into instruments and software, but the variety is much greater, and the choices...are endless.

So the electronic sounds you select or create are as much a part of your artistic identity as the music you make with them. And when it comes to ambient electronic music, you have to add the virtual dimensions of space and atmosphere. Taken together, these elements give electronic music its unique psychological character.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, ambient electronics for the fall/winter transition, on a program called ELECTRON TRAVELER 2. Music is by ENIGMA, SOLOMON GREY, NERVOUS_TESTPILOT, BIOSPHERE, MARTIN KENNEDY, CHRONOTOPE PROJECT, RUDY ADRIAN, TOM EATON, and DEEPSPACE.

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PGM 993R 'CATHARSIS' : oct.27-nov.3

We owe our Pagan ancestors thanks for their recognition of the special days of late autumn — a time of restless spirits, spawned by all things dark and fear-full.

The advent of the house of Scorpio each year brings the ambient genres of gloom, Gothic, and dark atmospheres to the fore. This music displays a romantic quest for strangeness, a taste for the ominous, and a fascination with death and decay that's appropriate for the fall season, even celebrated on All Hallow's Eve by fans of the macabre, the ominous, the morbid, and the diabolical.

It's a taste that's both aesthetic and cathartic: a willful immersion in our ancient limbic emotions of terror and fear. And (to look on the bright side of a dark picture) a reassuring exercise of our impulse for self-preservation.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space...a Halloween experience called CATHARSIS. Music is by CAUL, SCEPTRE, LIGHTWAVE, JOE RENZETTI, HAR, MINGO and BETWEEN INTERVAL.

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PGM 958R 'AFTERGLOW' : sept. 29-oct.6

In the golden days that follow the autumn equinox, the natural world enters a period of recession. The heat of summer often lingers while the light declines; the evening crickets sing their hearts out in a final quest for immortality, and the withering leaves crackle underfoot as the trees begin their seasonal transformation.

It's a time that calls for a special music: contemplative, melancholy, austere...beyond ambition. A music of pure tones and slow melodies — elegant, unassuming, suffused with quiet beauty. The classic combination of the piano and the cello sounds the season perfectly, with clear, bell-like notes ringing over a rich, dark foundation. For this sound, we return every autumn to the immaculate recordings of the German ECM label.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, sublime chamber music for the autumn transition, on a program called AFTERGLOW.

Music is by pianist KETIL BJORNSTAD with cellists SVANTE HENRYSON and DAVID DARLING, and French pianist FRANCOIS COUTURIER.

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PGM 1052R 'TRANCEWORLD' : sept. 8-15

The concept of trance has a long and complicated history. Originally "a dazed, half-conscious or insensible condition or state of fear," the meaning has evolved to include many unusual or altered states of consciousness associated with hypnosis, meditation, magic, prayer, addictions, and ecstasy.

Trance states are characterized by repetition, so music is a prime instigator in both ethnic and social cultures, including high-energy styles of electronic dance music.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we ride hypnotic beats into strange realms and magical summer nights, on a program called TRANCEWORLD.

Music is by GREEN ISAC, KOUAME SEREBA & ERIK WOLLO, DREAM JUNGLE, ROBERT RICH, LOREN NERELL, LARAAJI, MAX CORBACHO & BRUNO SANFILIPPO.

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PGM 950R 'RECUERDOS' : aug.25 - sept.1

The sublime nostalgia of Recuerdos de la Alhambra —"Memories of the Alhambra" — a classic tremolo study for Spanish guitar by FRANCISCO TARREGA. It recalls a golden age in the Andalusian city of Granada in the 13th and 14th century, during a perhaps more enlightened period in human history.

It was an era of some 800 years, from the 8th to the 15th century, when the Moors of North Africa ruled "Al-Andalus" (as Spain was called) and religious and political co-existence was the order of the day. Art, music, architecture and poetry flourished, and Muslim, Jewish and Christian cultures co-existed in harmony. It stands today as a shining reminder that we can, in fact, get along.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, music inspired by this great Spanish/Moorish/Mediterranean tradition, on a program called RECUERDOS.

Music is by MILOS KARADAGLIC, ARMIK, AMINA ALAOUI, and THE AL-ANDALUS ENSEMBLE.

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PGM 1017R 'SOLAR WINDS' : aug.18-25

An encore program to celebrate the solar eclipse of August 21st, 2017.

In summer, the energy of the sun seems more intense. But the sun is a nuclear furnace that never stops, and the sun's corona is so hot that high energy particles there reach escape velocity, flying into space at over a million miles an hour in a stream called the solar wind. 

Made of ionized atomic particles and magnetic fields from the sun's corona, the solar wind is spun into a spiral as the sun rotates every 27 days. Here on earth, variations in the sun's magnetic field carried by the solar wind create auroras — the northern and southern lights — the plasma tails of comets, and geomagnetic storms that can knock out power grids. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another interstellar journey on electronic waves, on a program called SOLAR WINDS.Music is by JOHN LYELL, BROEKHUIS, KELLER & SCHONWALDER, MEG BOWLES, CHRONOTOPE PROJECT, CRAIG PADILLA & ZERO OHMS, HOLLAN HOLMES, and NIMANTY & SOULRSOUL.

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PGM 1050R 'MIDSUMMER NIGHT 3' : july 21-28

The long days and short nights of midsummer are a special time. We retreat from our intense work schedules and attend festivals and celebrations, some crowded and intense, others quiet and restorative. We travel, take vacations, entertain friends and relax on warm summer evenings. As the night deepens, activity fades, and the lulling sounds of nature and warm breezes create a seductive environment, inspiring ambient composers to create poetic images of a soft, nurturing night.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an hour of ambient music for the season, on a program called MIDSUMMER NIGHT 3.

Music is by ASCENDANT, DEEPER NET, ISHQ, ALTUS, S7VEN, CLAUDIO CASANUEVA, and RUDY ADRIAN.

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PGM 1048R 'CLOUD NINE' : june 30-july 7

Summer...inspires an even more ethereal brand of Ambient electronica. Whether flying or floating on the balmy breezes, the sounds are airy and the movement is light and buoyant. The words we use to describe the moods it creates are superlative: joyous, blissful, ecstatic, delightful — even heavenly. And when it comes to heaven—for some reason we prefer the 7th.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an ambient-electronic-summer-journey called CLOUD NINE.  Yes, we also number the clouds.

Music is by CHRONOTOPE PROJECT, FANGER & SCHONWALDER, JOHN LYELL, ARIEL KALMA, and DAVE LUXTON.

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PGM 769R 'BALEARICA' : june 2-9

The Balearic Islands — Mallorca, Minorca, Ibiza, and Formentera — occupy prime real estate in the Mediterranean Sea, just off the eastern coast of Spain. In ancient times, it was a tough neighborhood. The islands were invaded successively by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, and finally...the Aragons.

These days things are lively, but a lot quieter — they're all popular tourist destinations, home to a tapestry of musical cultures that matches their multi-cultural past, and an up-to-date vibe that runs from acoustic to electronic, sensual to chilled.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a journey into the Mediterranean soundscape new and old called BALEARICA.

Music is by CANTOMA, BLISS, B-TRIBE, ANOUAR BRAHEM, SAVINA YANNATOU + PRIMAVERA EN SALONICO, DINO SALUZZI, SACRED SPIRIT, and ZEUS FABER.

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PGM 1044R 'ETHNOTRONIC' : may 5-12

THE TRIBAL MUSIC TRADITIONS of Asia, Africa and the Americas stretch back to the mists of pre-history. For perhaps a hundred centuries, music was made with simple, even primitive instruments: flutes, rattles, drums and percussion; lyres, harps and strings; and wind instruments of various sizes and tones. It was an all-acoustic world, where music and instruments evolved slowly.

Then in the late 19th and 20th centuries, electricity and electronics began to transform the world and transform music. First came the telegraph and the telephone, then radio, then recordings, and then the instruments themselves. Guitars and pianos became electric...and then electronic. And finally, purely electronic instruments of dazzling variety and unlimited potential to create new sounds.

After the electronic music revolution of the 1960s and 70s, the entire studio became a musical instrument, and the sound of recordings has never been quite the same. Today, ethnic instruments and genres can be set in new Ambient soundscapes, a fusion of the old world and the new.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, ethnic instruments join electronic ambient, on a program called "ETHNOTRONIC."  Music is by TUU, GREEN ISAC, SACRED EARTH, CHINMAYA DUNSTER, MANEESH DE MOOR, ARCHETRIBE, LOREN NERELL & MARK SEELIG, STILLPOINT and MICHEL BANABILA..

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PGM 908R 'CLOUD OF PROMISE' : apr. 7-14

 

The sound of a verdant landscape on a bright spring day. It reminds us of the natural environment that's nurtured us since the beginning of life on earth.

Looking out, our eyes come to rest on the horizon, the distant sky and delicate clouds. These are worlds that composers of environmental ambient music bring to us, melding sounds of the natural world into their music, and creating atmospheric soundscapes for us to travel in.

In the last 50 years, we've begun to recognize our responsibility to the environment — for ourselves and for generations to come. Forest, mountain, jungle, grassland, desert, tundra, ocean:  whatever your favorite, environmental music sends a message beyond ideology or politics — to cherish our relationship to the natural world and expand our hope for the future.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a terrestrial-ambient-future journey called CLOUD OF PROMISE. Music is by ATOMIC SKUNK, CHAD KETTERING, MICHAEL STEARNS, RESONANT DRIFT, MAX CORBACHO, and DAN POUND.

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PGM 1071R 'CELTIC LEGACY 3' : mar.10-17

Another year rolls by, and with it our early spring celebration of St. Patrick's Day and all things Celtic. And when it comes to traditional Celtic music, it seems to be a bit bipolar — half lively, manic jigs and reels; half sad, some might say depressive, ballads. But it's all good, because you'll not find a more beautiful folk music tradition anywhere.

Of course these days the Celtic homelands are all thoroughly modern countries, but the music lives on, ready to be reborn by a new generation of musicians and rediscovered by a new generation of listeners.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another journey to the slow, heartfelt side of Celtic music, on a program called CELTIC LEGACY 3.

Music is by JEFF JOHNSON, BRIAN DUNNING & WENDY GOODMAN, MOYA BRENNAN, PHIL COULTER, SECRET GARDEN, WILLIAM DOWDALL, AINE MINOGUE, and JOHN DOAN.

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PGM 406R 'GRAY LIGHT' : feb.24-mar.3

Winter...blankets the landscape with a leaden, contractive force, relieved by intense contrasts. Defying the cold and dark, the primordial hearth casts a soothing glow. The brilliant sun of day and bright stars of the winter night contrast with the ashen tones of a natural world in hibernation...while in the winter soundscape, somber bass drones and dense atmospheres are relieved by crystalline accents.

On this edition of Hearts of Space, a classic electronic winter journey called GRAY LIGHT. Music is by VANGELIS, MARK DWAYNE, CHRIS SPHEERIS & PAUL VOUDOURIS, KLAUS SCHULZE, KEVIN BRAHENY & TIM CLARK, LIQUID MIND, and BOB CHARLESWORTH.

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PGM 1103R 'INTIMACY' : feb.10-17

This week we shine some light into the depths of winter with the celebration of Valentine's Day. The legend of Saint Valentine goes back to an early Christian martyr in 3rd century Rome. We can thank Chaucer for the connection to romantic love in the 14th century, and the Hallmark Corporation for turning it into a yearly holiday with cards and gifts.

The tradition offers a natural connection to quiet musical dialogues that express the sensitive connection between lovers. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, Ambient chamber music and duets for the season, on a program called INTIMACY. Music is by JAMIE SIEBER, BOB KINDLER, RAPHAEL, PETER KATER & TINA GUO, JOSEFINE & TRINA OPSAHL, DAVID DARLING, and MONICA ROBELOTTO.

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PGM 863R 'CONSONANCE' : jan. 20-27

The formal, pious, monarchical cultures that produced what we call Medieval and Baroque music seem worlds removed from the chaotic multicultural intensity of our era. Yet, whether coming from cathedral or castle, dedicated to the glory of God or the entertainment of man, whether modal or harmonic, monophonic or polyphonic, homorhythmic or contrapuntal — European music from the Middle Ages to the 18th century still speaks eloquently, and carries a message of faith, civility and grace across the ages.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we revisit some of the masters of this period — GESUALDO, DOWLAND, HANDEL, and BACH — on an Early Music, Baroque and contemporary journey called CONSONANCE.

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PGM 933R 'SACRED SONGS of MARY' : dec. 23-30

In the Western Classical tradition, some of the most tender, heartfelt and exalted sacred music has been created in honor of Mary, mother of Jesus.

Veneration of Mary has been a subject of devotion in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions since the 2nd century, while Marian hymns and songs have been part of the Western folk and choral music traditions since medieval times.

This abundance of love has produced a wealth of sacred and devotional music that nourishes us during the winter holidays. Adored the world over, the spirit of Mary floats over Western history like a beneficent cloud, carrying a message of eternal feminine wisdom, patience and compassion.

In 2010, our longtime guest producer for classical and sacred spacemusic ELLEN HOLMES collected her favorites for an album that's the basis for this program called SACRED SONGS OF MARY. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, Marian music from the 12th to the 21st centuries by JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL, CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI, ANTHONY HOLBORNE, JOHN TAVENER, ERIC WHITACRE, MORTEN LAURIDSEN, and more.

SACRED SONGS OF MARY: a holiday celebration...on this transmission of Hearts of Space.

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PGM 749R 'TRANSLUCENT MUSIC' : dec. 2-9

After the often painful and turbulent days of November, we seek relief from dark and gloomy emotions. We look forward toward increasing light and hope: from opalescent, to translucent, to luminous — harbingers of the season of light and celebration to come.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we echo that journey through the fragile, pellucid landscape of the psyche, on a program called TRANSLUCENT MUSIC. Selections by LISA GERRARD & JEFF RONA, ELENI KARAINDROU, ARVO PÄRT, VALENTIN SILVESTROV, and KARL JENKINS.

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PGM 868R 'INTO THE STORM' : nov. 11-18

In good times, life moves swiftly, with little time for reflection. Warnings of impending disaster may go unheeded — until it's too late. Confusion and chaos rule the day.

In stormy times, the wise remain calm, even when the world around them is in turmoil. Turbulence may destroy structures that lack a firm foundation, but this is necessary to build stronger ones. In nature and society, excess must be corrected. Destruction is also the path to renewal.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an electro-ambient journey for turbulent times called INTO THE STORM.

Music is by MARCONI UNION, ADHAM SHAIKH & TIM FLOYD, MICHAEL STEARNS, DAN BARRIO, RUBEN GARCIA, IAN BODDY, KIT WATKINS, and PHILIPPE EMMANUEL GUEBLE.

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PGM 926R 'THE CROSSING' : oct.14-21

Rolling down the on-ramp to autumn...the world is changing faster now. The last warm days of Indian summer are a brief blaze of glory in a fading world. The light mellows, then burns, as the color palette deepens. Fruit trees make a final effort, drop their seeds, then retire for the winter. Acorns bang on the roof, and the squirrels work overtime to gather the crop. Birds head south, as spent leaves skitter across withered fields. Soon, the rains will come, with life-giving water for the next cycle.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we echo these changes with an ambient-electronic journey for autumn called THE CROSSING. It's a metaphor for the challenge of an epic journey across great distance and uncertain fate, with music of deep drones and complex timbres.

Music is by DAVID HELPLING & JON JENKINS, STEVE ROACH, PHILLIP WILKERSON, and STEVE BRAND.

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PGM 1089R 'TWILIGHT MESA' : sept.30 - oct.7

Somewhere on the way from ethnic specialty music to the therapeutic edge of popular culture, the Native American flute took on a new mission. Originally used only by a few southwestern tribes like the Anasazi and the Lakota Sioux, the buttery tone and serene energy of these soft cedar instruments opened up a new audience for meditation and stress reduction.

For a few years in the 1980s and 90s, the Native flute found itself within the then-burgeoning new age genre, but as new age faded became a specialty music once again. It's a story that helps separate musicians who are called to the instrument, from those who merely follow popular trends.

In the hands of a master, the cedar flute creates a world of sound that evokes the vast spaces of the American West, opens the heart and summons the spirit. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another journey in the gentle world of the Native American flute, on a program called TWILIGHT MESA.

Music is by SCOTT AUGUST, DEBORAH MARTIN, GARETH, ANN LICATER, COYOTE OLDMAN, RANDY GRANGER, MICHAEL BRANDT DE MARIA, and PETER KATER & R.CARLOS NAKAI.

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