hearts of space | news

PGM 1386 'LIGHT TIME' : dec.6-13

In the brief interlude between Thanksgiving and the winter holiday celebrations, we undergo a rapid change in emotional tone. Gone are the fearful ghosts and goblins of Halloween, the somber melancholy of the autumn season, and the quiet gratitude of Thanksgiving. Approaching the shortest day and longest night of the year on the winter solstice, we celebrate the return of the light.

Today, we chase away the gloom and transform our environment with millions of colorful lights and dazzling screens. From the brilliance of our seasonal displays to the hypnotic warmth of a single candle — we embrace the joy of light and color, and the fulfillment of sound and music. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, electronic ambient for the season of light, on a program called 'LIGHT TIME.'

Music is by DAVID HELPLING and singer MIRIAM STOCKLEY, JOHAN AGEBJÖRN and singer LISA BARRA, ERIK WØLLO, TOM EATON, ROSS CHRISTOPHER, ROBERT RICH & LUCA FORMENTINI, JON HOPKINS & ÓLAFUR ARNALDS, and WILL BANGS. https://bit.ly/HoS-1386

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

PGM 1385 'UNDERSCORE 3' : nov.15-22

The impulse to combine music and film goes back to the very beginning. The Lumiere brothers first silent film screening in Paris in 1895 was accompanied by a pianist. When films were added to vaudeville theaters at the beginning of the 20th century, music was provided by an in-house musician or organist, small ensembles, and even full orchestras.

Pipe organs for theaters—at the time the most wide-ranging and loudest instruments available—were built by the American musical instrument company Wurlitzer. The famous "Mighty Wurlitzer" theatre organ was introduced in 1910, and was installed in theatres, museums, and churches around the world.

Romantic-Classical styles and orchestration dominated the early years of sound films, and an emotional language of film music became widely understood. As film subject matter expanded, jazz and other "modernist" genres were added. Powerful rhythms, memorable melodic themes, and repeated motifs were common, as well as more subtle, quiet music to create mood and atmosphere. What we call ambient music today, was—and still is—a major part of film music, and came to be called the "underscore."

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, ambient and atmospheric music for film, on a program called "UNDERSCORE 3."  Music is by TIM STORY, LISA GERRARD & PIETER BOURKE, LUDOVICO EINAUDI, HANS ZIMMER, MYCHAEL DANNA, ENNIO MORRICONE, TOM HOLKENBORG, and featuring BRIAN KEANE'S score for DANTE: INFERNO TO PARADISE.

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

PGM 1384 'AUTUMN TRANSIT' : nov.1-8

Descending into the autumn soundscape, we return to the slow, dark, electro-acoustic sounds of the season—strings, horns, acoustic and electronic keyboards.

It's a time for descending progressions, dark drones, somber tone colors and minor key harmonies, as the music echoes the cooler days and waning light following the autumn equinox, culminating in the shocking loss of “Daylight Saving Time.”

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, it’s an ambient-atmospheric-classical journey for early fall, on a program called "AUTUMN TRANSIT." Music is by the indispensible MAX RICHTER, JÓHANN JÓHANSSON, WILLIAM ST.HUGH, BOB HOLROYD, and KEATON HENSON.

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

PGM 1383 'DESCENDING DARK 4' : oct 18-25

Even in these days of extreme and unpredictable weather, our astronomical position in the Northern Hemisphere of a tilted planet all but guarantees that October is the month we finally descend into autumn. The Fall Equinox has come and gone, the days grow ever shorter, the light grows ever dimmer. In the natural world, it's a time of withering flora and busy fauna preparing for winter's chilled embrace.

For ambient musicians, it's a time for dark drones, descending progressions, and minor key harmonies, a realm of muted colors, bittersweet melodies, and a bit of melancholy for the lost days of summer.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we follow the dimming light to a realm of quiet acceptance, on a program called DESCENDING DARK 4. Music is by RUDY ADRIAN, DRIFTING IN SILENCE & TINEIDAE, ROBERT RICH & LUCA FORMENTINI, STEVE ROACH & LINDA KOHANOV, JEFF PEARCE, ANDREW LAHIFF, CHRIS RUSSELL, and SERENA GABRIEL.

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

PGM 1382 'LOVING EVERY NOTE' : oct 4-11

At the elevated heights of musical skill, we encounter different styles of virtuosity.

In classical and jazz, playing fast and furious commands the attention, raises the energy, and concentrates the mind; while playing slow, deep, and intense focuses hearing, and opens up a world of subtle timing and melodic sensitivity. This is the perception that underlies ambient, space, atmospheric, and contemplative music.

For centuries the small Scandinavian country of Norway has exceled at slow, patient, intensely melodic music. It's not about how many notes you play, but how beautifully you play them. Unlike the virtuosity of fast tempos, says one of these musicians, “it’s about loving every note.”

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, we  revisit the lyrical, atmospheric world of Eurojazz, on a program called LOVING EVERY NOTE.

Music is by ØYSTEIN SEVÅG and LAKKI PATEY, THE TORD GUSTAVSEN TRIO, RUSSEL WALDER, KETIL BJORNSTAD & DAVID DARLING.

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

PGM 1381 'ELECTRON TRAVELER 7' : sept 20-27

One of the most durable program concepts in the now 41 years of Hearts of Space is the experience of virtual space travel on electronic waves. And like our "Space Guitars" series—now up to lucky number 13—we've been working on another series for electronic touring called "ELECTRON TRAVELER." This week, we arrive at number seven.

Whether flying effortlessly across vast cosmic spaces on the kinetic rhythms of electronic sequencers and the fractal patterns of loop echoes, or floating peacefully in star-crossed fields of cosmic gas and dust, we celebrate the awe and wonder of the celestial spectacle.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, it's another cosmic-electronic journey, on a program called ELECTRON TRAVELER 7.  Music is by ASCENDANT, TIME BEING, JAJA, JUTA TAKAHASHI, JIM OTTOWAY, and DREAMSTATE LOGIC.

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

PGM 1380 'PLANETARY RHYTHMS' : sept. 6-13

THESE HOT SUMMER DAYS inspire a more energetic music, born out of ancient rituals, festivals, and religious ceremonies, and featuring primitive instruments whose descendants are still with us—flutes, rattles, drums, and other members of the global percussion family.

Whether played for practical communication on hunts, for social and military occasions, or to accompany artistic performances, percussion music served many functions in cultures all over the ancient world. According to Grateful Dead drummer MICKEY HART in his essential book PLANET DRUM:

“World Music—and the percussive impulse that drives it—reaches past the needs of the marketplace, into emotional and spiritual dialogue with older oral traditions. Underneath the world’s extraordinary musical diversity is another, deeper realm, in which there is no better or worse, no modern or primitive, no art music or folk music—no distinctions at all—but rather an organic compulsion to translate the emotional fact of being alive into sound, into rhythm, into something you can dance to.”

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE—an ambient/trance/world percussion journey—on a program called PLANETARY RHYTHMS. Music is by JAMES HOOD, SPACE DRUM MEDITATION, DON PEYOTE, JAMES ASHER, MICHAEL SHRIEVE, HANG MASSIVE, SHAMANIC DRUMS, BYRON METCALF, and MICKEY HART.

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

PGM 1379 'VISIONS of PARADISE : A Iasos Retrospective' - aug.23-30

IASOS—one of the inventors of New Age music, passed away in January, 2024, three days before his 78th birthday. Born in Greece, raised in upstate New York, he moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 1968, adopted the stage name Iasos, and began a nearly 50 year solo career as an independent musician. Brilliant, exuberant, and completely original, he advocated for what he called “paradise music,” and claimed that what he heard in his head was sent to him by a being from a “distant dimension” named VISTA.

His debut album from 1975 was called "Inter-Dimensional Music."  Where other New Age composers promoted music that was relaxing or healing, Iasos’s mission was nothing less than raising the “vibratory frequency” of all humanity!!  And though he often made claims that were impossible to substantiate, there could be no doubt of his absolute conviction and utter sincerity. Because of his metaphysical beliefs, and his ability to invent new methods of music production to realize them, he was able to create a body of work that was widely influential yet virtually unequaled.

His music ranged from languid technicolor tropical to intensely dramatic, with lush textures and cosmic chords; from heavenly harmonies and angelic realms, to ethereal meditations with shimmering translucent curtains of sound. The overall impression is optimistic and positive, with a sense of unbounded potential.

In addition to his music, Iasos was a tireless advocate for Visionary Art. His web site featured an online gallery of paintings and videos by kindred visual artists. He also published two DVDs of his own video art and original music—"Crystal Vista" and "Realms of Light."

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, a Iasos retrospective called VISIONS OF PARADISE.

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

PGM 1378 'DEVOTION 3' : aug 9-16

IN THE LAST FOUR DECADES, the ardent world of Indian devotional music has been transformed by an international group of world and ambient musicians. Inspired by this venerable heart-centered vocal tradition called bhakti, working with both traditional and progressive Indian musicians, they've stretched the boundaries and expanded the atmosphere of the genre with electronics, echoes, reverberations, overdubs, and studio magic. Slow, deep, and meditative, with vocals in classical Sanskrit, you don't have to know anything about Indian music or religion to enjoy it.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, devotional chants and contemplative instrumentals inspired by the bhakti religious tradition of India, on a program called DEVOTION 3. Music is by WHITE SUN, RUSSILL PAUL, SHANTALA, SERENA GABRIEL, DAPHNE TSE & MIKE PSZONAK, SIVAKUMAR, and MANISH VYAS.

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

PGM 1376 'TRIBAL AMBIENT 2' : july12-19

The primal sound of prehistoric hand drums, brought to the present by 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 new genre was originally called "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 past, but a dedicated group of electro-acoustic artists with a taste for rhythm-powered trance continue to explore the sound and release new music.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another ethno-tronic journey on psychoactive rhythms, on a program called TRIBAL AMBIENT 2. Music is by STEVE ROACH & ROBERT RICH, BYRON METCALF + ARI URBAN & MARK SEELIG, FRORE & SHANE MORRIS, SERENA GABRIEL, SOLITAIRE, and STEVE ROACH solo.

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

PGM 1375 'AMERICAN HORIZON' : jun 28-july 5

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 ]

PGM 1374 'ENCHANTED LANDS' : june 14-21

Armed with a studio full of synthesizers and powerful production software, many electronic musicians will create sonic images of vast, cold, cosmic space. Others will conjure up infectious sequencer rhythms, and attract a high energy crowd with electronic dance music. Still others, following the great European symphonic tradition, will electrify the orchestra, or create ambient electronic soundscapes.

A smaller group find inspiration in the environment, incorporating the sounds of nature in their music. But perhaps the most unusual are inspired by the supernatural—the worlds of myth and legend, literature and folklore. They create music for spirits, fairies, sprites and elves, wood and water nymphs, elementals, and other invisible denizens of the magic forest.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, it's a magical journey in supernatural spaces, on a program called "ENCHANTED LANDS." Music is by LEMONGRASS, ISHQ, DESENSITIZED, KEVIN BRAHENY FORTUNE, THE AMNIS INITIATIVE, RICHARD ROSS, and ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT. 

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

PGM 1373 'CHANTRESS SEBA' : may 31-apr.7

If there's a contemporary musical group that demonstrates the enormous changes that have overtaken the music business in the last 20 years, it's the husband and wife team of singer GEMINI FOWLER, and guitarist & "handpan" player FINN MILBURN, together known as CHANTRESS SEBA.

They emerged from the north England city of Leeds, a vibrant area, but not one known for musical innovation. Nevertheless, they've been able to attract a worldwide audience of millions--and they've done it while completely ignoring the established music business.

Their main publishing and streaming platform is YouTube, where by mid-2024 they have 22 one-hour-plus "long form" videos available, which have attracted from a few hundred thousand to 3.9 MILLION views!

By taking full advantage of the internet, they've reinvented New Age music. Streaming on YouTube and promotion on social media have replaced all the functions of a conventional record company, providing a worldwide platform for their entrancing live performances, without the compromises and loss of control of a conventional recording contract.

Their music is peaceful, harmonious, and contemplative. Here's how they describe it:

"CHANTRESS SEBA, Singer of the Stars, a voice to guide us home to our hearts. Gemini's powerful ethereal vocals and channeled light language from the shining stars above, combined with Finn's earthy, spacious instrumentation, create an atmosphere of deep remembering, allowing the divine to speak to the listener through mind, body, and soul." "We create music, host ceremonies and gatherings, and provide 1 to 1 shamanic sound healing."

It's a long-form journey from one of the new frontiers of new age music: CHANTRESS SEBA...on this transmission...of Hearts of Space.

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

PGM 1372 'ELECTRON FLOW' : may 17-24

Electronic music has come a long way in the last 50 years. Beginning in the 1960s, the arrival of affordable mass-produced analog and digital synthesizers liberated electronic music from the rigidity of academic laboratories, the iconoclasm of avant-garde theories, and the dogmas of experimental music. Equipped with powerful instruments and their own recording studios, electronic musicians were free to take ideas and influences from all kinds of popular and historical music, leading to a fruitful period of cross-fertilization, invention, and collaboration.

Early electronic instruments were notably lacking in musical expression, but they proved to be exceptionally good at creating the impression of flying and floating in vast virtual spaces. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we fly on electronic winds and float on electronic clouds, on a program called ELECTRON FLOW.

Music is by GEORGE WALLACE, CHRONOTOPE PROJECT, COPAL RIVER, ROBERT SCOTT THOMPSON, STEVE ROACH, ANDREW LAHIFF, STEVE BRAND, and ADHAM SHAIKH.

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

PGM 1371 'HARMONIC WORLD' : may 3-10

"In turbulent times, ambient world musicians project calm and harmony."

It's an instinctive response to our super-charged environment, a way to transmute chaos and instability into order, reduce anxiety, restore regular breathing, and take down the temperature. Perhaps more remarkable, even in our electronic era, they do it mainly as they have for centuries — with traditional acoustic instruments and consonant harmonies.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a transcultural acoustic fusion of influences from South America, Jamaica, North Africa, the Middle East, Indonesia, and India — on a program called HARMONIC WORLD. Music is by SUZANNE TENG & GILBERT LEVY, STEPHAN MICUS, AUKAI, SHANTALA, CHANTRESS SEBA, and MIRABAI CEIBA. 

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

 

PGM 1370 'TRANSLUCENT GUITARS 2' : apr.19-26

If you've driven an electric car, you've experienced the feeling of smooth, silent power that conveys you almost effortlessly to your destination. Something similar happened to the venerable Spanish guitar when it got an electronic upgrade in the 20th century. In just a few years, a charming but limited folk instrument became a powerhouse — a vehicle for everything from heroic flights to subtle meditations.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we ride our favorite six string transporter to ethereal realms, on a program called 'TRANSLUCENT GUITARS 2'  Music is by ERIK WØLLO, DAVID HELPLING, HAMMOCK, JOHN GREGORIUS, JEFF PEARCE, CLIVE WRIGHT & HAROLD BUDD, CHUCK JOHNSON, and TOM CAUFIELD. 

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

PGM 1369 'TOTALITY' : apr.5-12

It's being called the "astronomical event of the decade." If you live in the middle third or the northeastern quarter of the United States—on a line from Texas to Maine—there's a good chance that a total solar eclipse of the sun will be visible on the afternoon of April 8th, 2024. Depending on the exact location, the darkening and cooling within the moon's shadow or "umbra" only lasts from two to seven and a half minutes, because the umbra moves across the earth's surface at over 1100 miles per hour.

Surprisingly, solar eclipses are not that rare. There are at least two, and up to five, somewhere on earth each year. For millennia, solar eclipses were attributed to supernatural causes or regarded as evil omens. Modern astronomers have taken most of the mystery and superstition—but not the strangeness and thrill—out of eclipses. They can now be accurately predicted hundreds of years into the future, but they still have a cosmic appeal that attracts millions of viewers and a worldwide community of "umbraphiles."

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, music for a total eclipse of the sun, on a program called TOTALITY. Music is by CHRONOTOPE PROJECT, SUBDREAM, STELLARIUM, LONEWARD, ZENON MARKO, ROBERT RICH, and STEVE ROACH.

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

PGM 1368 'SACRED SONGS of DEVOTION' : mar.29-apr.5

This week on Hearts of Space "SACRED SONGS OF DEVOTION" — a special program of choral and instrumental music for Easter, from our longtime guest producer for classical and sacred music ELLEN HOLMES. The show includes choral selections from Ellen's compilation "SACRED SONGS of MARY: Devotion"—the third in her series of albums showcasing music honoring the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. "In Western culture," writes Ellen, “Mary is the personification of tenderness, compassion, forgiveness, protection, and unconditional love—emotions reflected in music praising her or beseeching her comfort and help.”

This wide-ranging program includes sacred choral music from the Russian Orthodox mass, a 12th Century song by HILDEGARD VON BINGEN, 17th century sacred music from Spain by ALONSO LOBO, sacred works by 19th and 20th century composers JOHN TAVENER, SERGEI RACHMANINOFF, PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY, and MAURICE DURUFLÉ, and contemporary works by SIGUR RÓS, LISA GERRARD, DAVID DARLING, MAX RICHTER, and ARVO PÄRT. 

Choral and instrumental music for Easter: SACRED SONGS OF DEVOTION…on this transmission of Hearts of Space.

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

PGM 1367 'VIBRAPHONICS' : mar.15-22

The Vibraphone is an instrument in the metallophone family with a colorful history of American invention and competition.

Metallophones evolved from the wooden marimba. The predecessor of the vibraphone called the steel marimba, was invented by the J.C. DEAGAN company in Chicago around 1916. The first "vibraphone" was introduced in 1924 by LEEDY Manufacturing in Indianapolis. It was based on the Deagan steel marimba, and featured a vibrato effect created by a motor-driven fan inside the resonator tubes below each note. Not to be outdone, three years later the Deagan Company introduced an improved vibraphone, with better sounding tuned aluminum bars, and a damper mechanism operated by a foot pedal. It was an immediate success and became the model for all subsequent vibraphones.

By the 1930's the instrument was well-established in the burgeoning jazz scene at the hands of virtuoso players like Lionel Hampton. In addition to jazz, the vibraphone became part of the standard classical orchestra percussion section, and the standard college-level percussion performance curriculum. In the 1970's this led to use of vibraphones and marimbas in contemporary Minimalist music by Philip Glass and Steve Reich, and later in New Classical and Ambient. That's where we're going on this transmission of Hearts of Space, called VIBRAPHONICS.

Music is by GARY BURTON & CHICK COREA, PETER GARLAND, JASPON TREUTING, HANG MASSIVE, MICHAEL JON FINK, OLIVIÉR ALARY, OCEAN MOON, and GARY BURTON & PAUL BLEY.  

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

PGM 1366 'ELECTRON TRAVELER 6' : mar.1-8

The current boom in "immersive media" includes computer-assisted VR or Virtual Reality, AR or Augmented Reality, AR and VR glasses and headsets, immersive video games and films, panoramic projections, spatial audio systems, and specially designed theaters and concert venues, like The Sphere in Las Vegas. Regardless of size or complexity, they all have a similar purpose: to augment our existing world, or transport us to fantastic new synthetic worlds.

Interactivity and connectivity are the focus of these new technologies, but there's an older, simpler, more passive technology that can transport listeners to virtual worlds just by listening—electronic music.

It's been over a hundred years since the invention of practical electronic instruments, and the power of electronic sound to take us to exotic tonal and even cosmic environments is well-known to both musicians and listeners. On Hearts of Space, we've been documenting it for over 40 years, with hundreds of programs dedicated to the art of virtual travel on electronic waves. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, it's another journey in our electronic touring series, on a program called ELECTRON TRAVELER 6. Music is by THIERRY DAVID, MARTIN STÜRTZER, DREAMSTATE LOGIC, SUBDREAM, CHRONOTOPE PROJECT, STEVE ROACH, and ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT.

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

PGM 1365 'EUROJAZZ' : feb.16-23

The British jazz saxophonist and clarinetist JOHN SURMAN has a style that's described as "intensely lyrical," a quality he attributes to his time as a choirboy, and his upbringing in the verdant landscapes of rural west England. Surman sees the 20th century origins of jazz by black musicians in the U.S. as a melting pot of world music, with African, Creole, Spanish and other influences. These were eventually transformed into the speed and virtuosity of Bebop, which dominated jazz at mid-century.

Between the world wars, Europe had become a major venue for American jazz musicians. The genre took on influences from European folk and classical music, as well as a wider range of world influences from the Middle East, Central Asia, and South America. As a result, European jazz tended to be less abstract, more melodic, and more atmospheric than American jazz. The essential German jazz and New Music label ECM, founded in 1969, continues to document this repertoire in a catalog of over 1800 superb recordings, from which this program is drawn.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, lyrical jazz from Europe with a focus on Norway, a small country that produces a remarkable amount of great music, on a program called EUROJAZZ. Music is by the TORD GUSTAVSEN QUARTET, TERJE RYPDAL, JOHN SURMAN, ARVE HENRIKSEN & HARMEN FRAANJE, THOMAS STRØNEN, CRAIG TABORN, and KRISTJAN RANDALU with BEN MONDER and MARKKU OUNASKARI. 

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

PGM 1364 'ATMOSPHERIC CLASSICAL' : feb.2-9

The evolution of western classical art music is a story of evolving cultures, developing instruments, and continuous musical innovation. Over the course of some twelve centuries, acoustic strings, winds, horns, keyboards, and percussion instruments evolved into the symphony orchestra, as well as smaller groups: string orchestras, horn and wind ensembles, and intimate string quartets, trios, and duos. Each group was designed for a specific kind of music and social occasion.

The arrival of electronic instruments in the 20th century was a disruptive innovation that stimulated a different response than the slow evolution of acoustic instruments. Electronics promised the composer freedom from acoustic limitations, the ability to design completely new tones and new instruments, create spatial sound images and virtual environments. In time, these new capabilities led to new genres like Electronic Space and Ambient, with expansive cosmic spaces, infinite floating worlds, and subtle textures.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we explore the intersection of classical form and ambient electronics, on program called ATMOSPHERIC CLASSICAL. Music is by MAX RICHTER, A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN, CHRISTIAN WITTMAN, HAMMOCK, JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON and JONAS COLSTRUP, WILLLIAM ST. HUGH, and BOB HOLROYD.

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

PGM 1363 'WINTERTONES 3' : jan.19-26

AT THE NADIR OF WINTER, the time of deepest cold and lowest natural activity, the sound of the resonant percussion family of instruments takes on an uncanny appeal. The metallophones—bells, bowls, gongs, chimes, and cymbals—speak eloquently in the chilled, quiet air.

Bells have been with us for over four thousand years. Besides everyday functions like sounding the time, they’ve played an essential role in religious ceremonies around the world. For hundreds of years, Christian churches used them for both. 

More recently, metallic and quartz crystal bells, bowls, and gongs have become central to Sound Healing and group meditation practices, as well as personal rituals. Simple, relatively inexpensive, powerful tools for creating sacred space, bells are adapting to the changes in religion and personal spirituality.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, a meditative journey for resonant percussion, on a program called WINTERTONES 3. Music is by SHAWN FEENEY, SCOTT LAWLOR, TRYSHE DHEVNEY, 33 BOWLS, and featuring veteran San Francisco bell ringer KARMA MOFFETT.

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

 

 

 

PGM 1362 'WINTER CALM' : jan.5-12

WINTER brings a special challenge for ambient musicians—a wider range of atmospheric, visual, and sonic themes than other seasons. In the northern hemisphere, the chilled arctic latitudes and mountain heights see powerful storms with snow, sleet, and ice, creating a frozen world of winter white; on the temperate coasts, we have cycles of rain — a fertile world of winter wet; while in the southern latitudes, it’s a cool world of winter green.

On clear winter nights, as the temperature drops, activity slows and stops. Nature rests...in a quiet world of meditative stillness, under the slowly changing cosmic panorama.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, chilled ambient soundscapes for quiet winter nights, on a program called WINTER CALM. Music is by PANGAEA PROJECT, ISOSTATIC, ÓLAFUR ARNALDS, ARIN AKSBERG, BIOSPHERE, NETHERWORLD, AMONGST MYSELVES, JEFF GREINKE, and STORMLOOP. 

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

PGM 1361 'WINTERSONGS 3' : dec.15-22

Those of us who live in the temperate zone between the polar and tropical latitudes, are used to distinctive seasons, and the biggest distinction of all is between summer and winter.  The differences—in weather, in the natural world, and in the animal kingdom—are dramatic, and they add up to a completely different sonic atmosphere in winter.

For composers of sacred music for the winter religious celebrations, it’s led to a seasonal repertoire with special sounds, like bells and chimes; special instruments, like the pipe organ; and massed singing, in choral groups of all sizes. While for ambient composers, a new world of chilled sound design and thematic expression opens up in winter.  

In the 1970s, composer ARVO PÄRT from far north Estonia, abandoned rigid academic avant-garde formulas, and invented a new compositional system called tintinnabuli, inspired by bells, Medieval plainsong, Gregorian chant, Renaissance liturgical music, and contemporary Minimalism.

The combination of slow, unchanging tempos, consonant harmonies, and minimalist simplicity created a sublime sacred atmosphere, which seemed to fill a spiritual void in the audience. Pärt’s music became so popular that he inspired a new genre called mystic or sacred minimalism, which remains a powerful influence on classical and ambient musicians worldwide.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, sacred choral and instrumental music for the season, on a program called 'WINTERSONGS 3.' Music is by DAVID ARKENSTONE, ARVO PÄRT, LIBERA, VOCES8, OLA GJEILO. and PAUL AVGERINOS.

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