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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.

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PGM 1322 'PHRYGIAN PHANTOMS' : july 29-aug. 5

In traditional music, a mode is a set of notes or tones that go together to create a distinctive, culturally valued ethos or character.

Modes go back to ancient Greece, and have been redefined over the centuries. In Greece the 5th harmonic minor mode was originally called the Dorian or Aeolian mode, and later the Phrygian mode, inspired by the passionate people of the kingdom of Phrygia in the wild Anatolian mountains of modern day Turkey. It was part of the modal music system of the Medieval Catholic church; and in the folk and classical music of Spain, the Phrygian dominant mode is known as the “Spanish gypsy scale,” because it’s found in Flamenco, and the hypnotic Berber rhythms of North Africa.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, we return to the distinctive sound of the Phrygian mode as it echoes down the centuries to the contemporary Spanish-Moorish soundscape, on a program called 'PHRYGIAN PHANTOMS.' Music is by guitarists MILOŠ, OTTMAR LIEBERT, ADAM HURST, BENEDETTI & SVOBODA, JOSÉ LUIS MONTÓN, and the fusion group AL-ANDALUS.  

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PGM 1321 'VANGELIS 2' : july 2-9

We continue our tribute and retrospective for the singular recording artist and film composer VANGELIS, who joined the immortals in May 2022 at age 79.

EVANGELOS ODYSSEAS PAPATHANASSIOU was born in Greece in 1943. He showed a natural early talent for music and was entirely self-taught. In his 20s he was the keyboard player in the hugely successful Greek progressive rock band APHRODITE’S CHILD, but he chose to abandon a conventional pop music career and began working as a film composer in Greece.

In the early 1970s he moved to Paris, where he worked with French film director FREDERIC ROSSIF creating lush electronic scores for animal documentaries. They became so popular they helped establish him as a solo recording artist. In 1975 he relocated to London in and built Nemo Studios, where he created his Academy Award-winning electronic score for CHARIOTS OF FIRE, and classic scores for BLADE RUNNER, MISSING, ANTARCTICA, THE BOUNTY, 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE, ALEXANDER, the 1980 PBS documentary series COSMOS, and many others.

His gift for opulent melodies and a retrogressive style based on 19th century Romantic classicism was balanced by his early embrace of the tools and techniques of electronic music—a highly effective combination of old and new.

Vangelis never learned to read or write music, but he and his engineers pioneered a virtuoso working method and technical setup that allowed him to compose, play, and record simultaneously, often in one “take.”  On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, we celebrate the second half of his stellar career, on a program called VANGELIS Part 2.

=    We'll feature music from his solo albums SPIRAL, OCEANIC, NOCTURNE, JUNO TO JUPITER, and ROSETTA;
=    and film scores for OPERA SAUVAGE, 1492 CONQUEST OF PARADISE, and BLADE RUNNER.

It’s Part 2 of our posthumous retrospective of VANGELIS, on this transmission…of Hearts of Space.

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PGM 1320 'INDO-TRONICA 4' : june 17-24

When the definitive history of cross-cultural musical fusions and hybrids is written, there will be an honored place for the congruence of Indian classical and ambient-electronic music.

Of all the experiments that were attempted after electronic instruments matured to the point of viability in the mid 20th century, this combination was one of the earliest and most successful. Synthesizers expanded the role of microtones and drones in Indian music, while raga and tala—the traditional melodic and rhythm systems of Indian classical music—brought a welcome sophistication to electronic music. It's an area we've explored since the earliest days of this program.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another journey where Indian classical meets ambient/trance, on a program called "INDO-TRONICA 4."

Music is by DAVID HELPLING with NIDHI BHATMULEY and BENJY WERTHEIMER, DAVID PARSONS, WOUTER KELLERMAN & DAVID ARKENSTONE, DJ CHEB I SABBAH, MYCHAEL DANNA, BEN LEINBACH & JAI UTTAL, and AL GROMER KHAN.

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PGM 1319 'SPACETIME' : june 3-10

We can thank Albert Einstein's math teacher for the concept of this program. In 1908 Professor HERMANN MINKOWSKI presented an interpretation of Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity that unified time and the three dimensions of physical space, into a single four-dimensional continuum called "spacetime."

So physicists began with three-dimensional space, added the dimension of time, and came up with four-dimensional space. Ambient musicians have done just the opposite. All music exists in the dimension of time: ambient electronic music lives in time, and creates the impression of virtual space in us.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a four-dimensional journey, on a program called SPACETIME. Music is by GLOBAL COMMUNICATION, LEMONGRASS, TIME TRAVELER, THE GREAT NORTHERN, BLUETECH, S7VEN, ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT, and ALTUS.

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PGM 1318 'MINIMAL GROOVE 2' : may 27-june 3

It's a marriage that seems preordained: the appealingly simple, tonal repetitions of minimalism, and the ancient, irresistible kinetic energy of rhythmic grooves. A group of experimental, percussion-oriented composers in Europe and the U.S. have recognized the potential of this combination, and set out to create a genre.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space...beguiling, time-warping rhythms meet ambient atmospheres, on a program called "MINIMAL GROOVE 2." 

Music is by THIERRY DAVID, NEN, DON LI, REPERCUSSION UNIT, LOOP 2.4.3, MICHAEL JON FINK, and HANG MASSIVE.

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PGM 1317 'TRANSONIC' : may 20-27

Acoustic versus electric: once upon a time it was an issue — infamously with Bob Dylan's plugged-in performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. Electric won that round, at least for guitars and popular music. But by the mid 1970's acoustic was back, with the rise of Windham Hill Records and its purist approach to so-called "American Primitive" guitar and piano.

Many innovations have come and gone in the evolution of music since then. We still have purely acoustic folk, jazz, new age, and classical music, but without much fuss, electro-acoustic hybrids have become increasingly mainstream. Acoustic instruments provide a familiar, comforting, organic sound, and support musical expression; electronics expand the subtle dimensions of tone, imagery, and ethereality. Together they make a potent contemporary combination.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we explore the transition from acoustic to electro-acoustic, on a program called TRANSONIC. Music is by WILL ACKERMAN, JEFF OSTER, & TOM EATON, DAVID MICHAEL, WILL ACKERMAN solo, RYAN JUDD, TOM EATON solo, JEFF PEARCE, RUSSEL WALDER, and DAGOBERT BÖHM.

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PGM 1316 'PLANETARY UNFOLDING' : apr.28-may 6

Popular electronic music was born out of the creative ferment of the 1960s. As a result, it took on some of the character of the cultures from which it emerged. In academic settings, it was dry, intellectual and experimental; in Germany, technical and mechanistic; in France, lush and romantic; in England, it was integrated into Progressive Rock; in the U.S. and Japan, it became part of the commercial record business, with electronic versions of classical works by Bach, Debussy, Satie and Pachelbel. While in California — as you might expect — it was embraced by grassroots psychedelic and spiritual subcultures creating music for a New Age.

In Los Angeles and San Francisco, sonic explorers like TERRY RILEY, MICHAEL STEARNS, STEVE ROACH, KEVIN BRAHENY, IASOS, and DON ROBERTSON discovered the power of electronic music to take listeners on virtual journeys across time and space. Soon, an international cohort of electronic musicians—aided by drugs and new instruments—began to create an informal genre of electronic "spacemusic."

A young rock guitarist from Tucson, Arizona named MICHAEL STEARNS became fascinated with electronic music and moved to Los Angeles in 1975 to be part of the emerging scene. He learned to program synthesizers, started an independent record label, and began releasing his own music in 1977.

In 1981 he produced a classic of California electronic journey music called PLANETARY UNFOLDING. Long out of print, it was remastered and re-released by Projekt Records in 2022. Combining early analog synthesizers with natural ambient sounds, ethereal chorales, and powerful electronic effects, it's a profound journey across time and space.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, we feature PLANETARY UNFOLDING in two continuous "sides" (remember sides?) with an interlude by MICHAEL STEARNS from THE SOFT TOUCH OF MORNING LIGHT, and complete the hour with additional music by MICHAEL STEARNS from WITHIN: THE NINE DIMENSIONS.

MICHAEL STEARNS' PLANETARY UNFOLDING...on this transmission...of Hearts of Space.

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PGM 1315 'ECSTATIC RHYTHMS 2' : april 22-29

The Turkish-born, Montreal-based musician MERÇAN DEDE has long been a mainstay of our Middle Eastern ambient programs. In a world of hyper-conservative Islam that bans music entirely in some countries, Merçan Dede is a member of the diaspora of Middle Eastern artists who've reluctantly abandoned their homelands in search of personal and creative freedom.

Deeply influenced by the spirituality of the mystical Islamic sect of Sufism, his fusion of traditional acoustic sounds of the Middle East — the ney, the kanoun, the saz, and the oud (plus the Western violin) — with rhapsodic vocals and electronic soundscapes powered by the infectious rhythms of the darbuka hand drum — has brought him many awards, appearances at major world music festivals, film scoring work, and collaborations with other important artists.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE — the microtonal melodies, trance-inducing rhythms, and electronic ambience of Middle Eastern music you can trance to...on a program called ECSTATIC RHYTHMS 2. We feature MERÇAN DEDE, plus Persian-fusion from ZIKR PROJECT, LOGA RAMIN TORKIAN and MAMAK KHADEM.

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PGM 1314 'STELLAR QUEST' : apr.1-8

When we listen to ambient electronic music, the first question is "Where am I?" 

From the names of the artists and the titles of the music, one of the most popular locations is cosmic space, and the virtual experience of flying through it and floating in it. What's the appeal? Well, in the now politically incorrect language of Star Trek — the thrill of going "where no man has gone before," the promise of adventure, and the bliss of expanding into vast, limitless space.

All this is despite the fact that real interstellar space is either a frigid vacuum hundreds of degrees below zero, or super-hot filaments of ionized plasma at 100,000 degrees or more, shot through by lethal streams of cosmic radiation from stars. In short, not a very hospitable place for delicate humans. And it takes decades to visit the neighbors. A virtual sonic journey is safer, warmer, and ultimately more satisfying.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a journey through endless starfields and brilliant galaxies, on a program called STELLAR QUEST. Music is by STARTERRA, DEEPSPACE, TERMINUS VOID, DREAMSTATE LOGIC, and TRANSPONDER.

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PGM 1313 'PIANO PURO' : mar.25 - apr.1

A quiet movement in contemporary music got started unintentionally in 1973, when a lanky, laid back American folk musician named GEORGE WINSTON released an album of ballads, blues, and ragtime called PIANO SOLOS. Influenced by the folk music revival of the 1960s, it was a modest success that attracted the attention of the rising Windham Hill label. In 1980 Winston released AUTUMN, an album of impressionistic solo piano ballads that caught the spirit of the times, sold over a million copies, and helped establish the success of what later came to be called New Age music.

Of course, European classical composers had been writing sophisticated music for solo piano ever since the pianoforte was invented at the beginning of the 18th century. But Winston's "rural folk piano" (as he called it) was something different: simple, lyrical, quiet, imagistic, and American as cherry pie. By avoiding the technical virtuosity and complexity of European classical music, Winston opened up a populist alternative. Today, musicians all over the world continue to create personal music for solo piano that combines the sophistication of European classical with the effortless appeal of folk music.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a program of recent contemplative music for solo piano called PIANO PURO. Music is by NILS FRAHM, LUDOVICO EINAUDI, MAX RICHTER, RODELIUS & TIM STORY, PETE KUZMA, and MATTHEW LABARGE.

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PGM 1312 'BEYOND EARTH & SKY' : mar. 18-25

What makes ambient electronic spacemusic different from other music genres?

Well, think of it as a kind of sonic "imagery" — a term from literature, art history, and photography. But unlike literary or pictorial images, the sound images of ambient electronic music reveal an underlying quest for psychological expansion into a world of infinite space, and ultimately, a way to transcend the limits of the physical world we live in.

In the formative years of ambient and electronic spacemusic in the 1970's and 80's, leading artists influenced by the ecology and environmental movements explored terrestrial themes, with albums like "SEA & SKY" by Japanese progressive musician STOMU YAMASH'TA, and "EARTH" and "SOIL FESTIVITIES" by VANGELIS. Other electronic artists found earthly themes too limited, sought release in the vastness of cosmic and contemplative space, and created the ambient soundscape we have today.

That quest for expansion is still with us, not just in music, but as a plan for human survival in ELON MUSK's project to colonize Mars. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we embrace the quest for infinite space...on a program called BEYOND EARTH AND SKY. Music is by MICHAEL STEARNS & STEVE ROACH, MICHAEL STEARNS & ERIK WØLLO, MASSERGY, ANDREW LAHIFF, and MAX CORBACHO. 

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PGM 1311 'WINTER'S END' : mar. 4-11

Here on Hearts of Space, we regularly sing the praises of electronic sound, and its more or less unlimited ability to create ambient environments. Traditional acoustic instruments are the contrasting case — their limits are "built in" to their physical shape. But they come with one big advantage: what they lack in sonic flexibility, they make up for in inherent musicality. They are, after all, designed and built to be musical instruments.

One longtime Hearts of Space core artist who works exclusively with acoustic instruments is German musician STEPHAN MICUS. Since 1977 and 24 unique albums for the respected ECM label, he's searched the world for unusual and evocative instruments, sought out local musicians to teach him their secrets, and then used them in completely non-traditional ways in his recordings. Yet, far from limited, his music is deeply contemplative and pervaded with a generous sense of space.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we take a timely theme from the title of the 2021 album by STEPHAN MICUS called WINTER'S END. Music is by SUZANNE TENG & GILBERT LEVY, STEPHAN MICUS, AUKAI, GEORG REISS, the late DJIVAN GASPARYAN, and the LIAN ENSEMBLE.

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PGM 1310 'A NEW MUSIC IMMERSION' : feb.25-mar.4

The Venn diagram was invented in the 1880s by English mathematician JOHN VENN, to show the logical relation between sets. The overlapping circles of the diagram show where different sets have characteristics in common.

The Venn diagram of Ambient Music includes radically different genres: traditional folk ballads, classical adagios and choral music, cool jazz, ethnic and religious music, electronics, drones, and avant-garde and experimental music.

What these different genres have in common is a sensibility — a taste for slow, contemplative, space-creating, even trance-inducing sounds, and an appreciation of the magic of slow tempos, harmonic relationships, and spatial imagery.

In the 20th century, classical music evolved in many non-traditional directions. For a while it was thrown into a generic category simply called "New Music." More conceptual and experimental than other approaches, it's given us a consistently important catalog of ambient and contemplative music.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we focus on music by MICHAEL HARRISON, JASON TREUTING, CHAS SMITH, JOHN LUTHER ADAMS, and RICK COX from the COLD BLUE and CANTALOUPE MUSIC labels — on a program called A NEW MUSIC IMMERSION.

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PGM 1309 'TRANQUILITY GATE' : feb.18-25

Let us imagine, dear listener, the plight of an electronic musician. Even in a very modest studio, he or she commands a near-infinite choice of sounds to work with, and a near-infinite number of ways to modify and transform them. That's near-infinity squared — a paralyzingly large number. This "paradox of choice" once moved ambient godfather BRIAN ENO to declare that when working with electronic instruments, limitations are good.

Acoustic instruments evolved over the centuries to be playable, and support musical expression. They require physical skill to master, but once learned, they become familiar and dependable. Electronic instruments can be orders of magnitude more complex; their ergonomics run the gamut from limited to virtually unplayable, and they've now become constantly evolving software, challenging even the most technically competent.

Electronic keyboard instruments are a strategic compromise: they aim to combine the playability of an acoustic keyboard with the infinite sonic potential of electronics. But all those knobs, patch cords, processors, and choices tend to slow down the creation and performance of electronic music. For acoustic music that's a limitation, but ambient-electronic artists have embraced it to focus on slowly evolving, contemplative soundscapes and therapeutic sound journeys.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, why slow is good in electronic music, on a program called TRANQUILITY GATE.  Music is by HINTERLAND, APERUS, STEVE ROACH, MATTHEW FLORIANZ, and KELLY DAVID.

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PGM 1308 'NORTHERN NIGHTS 3' : feb. 4-11

The heart of a long, cold winter is a good time to return to the far north folk music of Scandinavia: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland. While not as celebrated as the music of its Celtic neighbors to the south, it's every bit as warm and soulful.

Originally distinguished by traditional instruments like the Finnish box zither called the kantele, and the Norwegian hardanger fiddle with its sympathetic strings — like other folk genres, in recent years electronics and studio recording techniques have been added to enrich and modernize the sound.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, traditional and contemporary winter music from Scandinavia, on a program called NORTHERN NIGHTS 3. Music is by BUKKENE BRUSE, ANNBJØRG LIEN, PRISCILLA HERNANDEZ, SINIKKA LANGELAND, ARJA KASTINEN & PETER PHIPPEN, TRINA OPSAHL, LAKKI PATEY, and ØYSTEIN SEVÅG.

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PGM 1307 'PERSEVERANCE' : jan.28 - feb.4

We're at the nadir of winter in the Northern Hemisphere — a time when the yearlong journey around our native star seems endless. Battered by recurring storms, cold and tired, starved for light, ready for change...we have no choice but to wait for the return of the sun and the fresh promise of spring.

As if that wasn't hard enough, in the third winter of a historic pandemic we're impatient for the return of "normal." Yet the virus is a relentless adversary. So we continue: it's a time for patience, diligence, and persistence. With its slow pace, ambient-electronic music can expand our frame of reference, reduce our impatience, and soothe our anxieties.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, electro-acoustic music to promote courage and stamina, on a program called PERSEVERANCE. Music is by HAMMOCK, JUHA-MATTI RAUTIAINEN, IN THE BRANCHES, ERIK WØLLO, JEFF PEARCE, EYES CAST DOWN, ROBIN GUTHRIE and HAROLD BUDD.

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PGM 1306 'MYSTIC MESSIAEN' : jan.14-21

The 20th century French composer OLIVIER MESSIAEN was a musical modernist during a revolutionary period in classical music, an unabashed Romantic, and a devoutly religious Catholic who spent most of his long life playing organ in churches and cathedrals.

He reconciled these apparent polarities by following an artistic path that was unique and original. Along with complex, innovative contemporary music that ranged in intensity from serene to volcanic, he created a vast catalogue of religious program music inspired by his deep faith. It's been described as "a glowing vision of hope and transcendence for the 21st century, through faith in music, love, and the divine."

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we focus on Messiaen's religious and contemplative music, on a program called MYSTIC MESSIAEN.

We feature two of his masterpieces for organ — LA NATIVITÉ DU SEIGNEUR and LE BANQUET CÉLESTE, O SACRUM CONVIVIUM for chorus, two movements from L'ASCENSION for strings and brass, and an ethereal movement from FÊTE DES BELLES EAUX, for an ensemble of pioneering French electronic keyboards called Ondes Martenot.

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PGM 1305 'WINTER LIGHT 2' : jan.7-14

Winter...drains the color from the landscape and leaves behind a subtle monochromatic palette of grays, browns, and blues; and after snow...a magical world of white. The winter atmospheres range from bright sun with airy transparent blues, to chilled mist, dense fog, and skies threatened by sullen clouds.

In the far north, time seems to slow. It's a vast, lonely, contemplative environment that's inspired an electronic genre called "isolationist ambient." On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, the immersive sound of winter atmospheres, on a program called WINTER LIGHT 2.

Music is by YAGYA, BANCO DE GAIA, SEETYCA, ERIK WØLLO, ISOSTATIC, PHILLIP WILKERSON & CHRIS RUSSELL, LOSCIL, and IAN BODDY+ERIK WØLLO.

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PGM 1304 'CANTO ELECTRONICO' : dec.31 - jan.7

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, we kick off the new year with 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 1303 'WINTERTRONIC 2' : dec.17-24

December...brings both powerful storms and clear, cold, silent nights that incline toward the holy as we approach the holiday season. We try to put aside the conflicts and challenges of the present day, and display the finer spirits and better angels of our nature. We celebrate the season with a radiance of light and color, hymns and songs, food and gifts, generosity and kindness.

For ambient musicians, it's a time to blend the warmth and intimacy of traditional acoustic music with the mysterious floating spaces of electronic music. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, calm and bright soundscapes for the season, on a program called WINTERTRONIC 2. 

Music is by KEVIN KELLER, ECHO SEASON, ROBERT RICH, ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT, MAX CORBACHO, PAUL AVGERINOS, and SENSITIVE CHAOS.

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PGM 1302 'KINDRED SPIRITS' : dec.3-10

The story of Windham Hill Records is both a story of success, and a cautionary tale. From its emergence in the heart of Silicon Valley in 1976 as a tiny independent label for co-founder WILL ACKERMAN's ironically low-tech solo acoustic guitar music, it became the poster child for the emerging genre that was eventually dubbed New Age by the record industry ten years later.

Described as "instrumental, acoustic, and mellow," with high quality analogue recordings on vinyl and tasteful minimalist graphics, Windham Hill got distribution from one of the major labels, expanded its roster with kindred acoustic artists like pianist GEORGE WINSTON and guitarist MICHAEL HEDGES, and went on to sell millions of records.

So...success, but there's a big difference between music, and the music business. The pressure was intense, and Will Ackerman wasn't happy. He never wanted to be a corporate record executive, so he sold his half of the company in 1992 and retired to a farm in rural Vermont.

That would normally be the end of the story, but Ackerman was still relatively young and wanted to get back to making music. So he built a recording studio on the property, teamed up with ace engineers CORIN NELSEN and TOM EATON, and began to record and produce other acoustic artists. A few years later he started another independent label, but this time — he stayed independent.

And that's where the story takes a creative turn. In over twenty years of working with hundreds of compatible musicians, Ackerman began to collaborate as an acoustic guitarist as well as a producer, which led to participation in instrumental "supergroups" like FLOW (in 2019) with trumpeter JEFF OSTER, guitarist LAWRENCE BLATT, pianist FIONA JOY HAWKINS, and triple-threat artist-engineer-producer TOM EATON; and (in 2021) with JEFF OSTER and TOM EATON in BROTHERS.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we feature music from BROTHERS and congenial acoustic and electro-acoustic artists, on a program called KINDRED SPIRITS. It's about finding your true artistic family. Music is by WILL ACKERMAN, JEFF OSTER & TOM EATON, TOM EATON solo, RUSSELL WALDER, TIM STORY, LAURENCE FURR, and ECHO COLLECTIVE.

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PGM 1301 'CONTEMPLATIONS' : nov. 19-26

For centuries, music has been used to lead listeners into deep, quiet meditative states. The goal of this music is healing, self-realization and spiritual communion. The 20th and 21st centuries have seen a steady growth of popular music to calm our hyper-stimulated nervous systems and support inner experience. Whether it's the sublime adagios of early classical music, the simple, consonant tonalities of New Age, the sophisticated orchestrations of contemporary sacred minimalism, or the expansive spatial experiences of ambient — we seek the pleasures and benefits of psychoactive sound.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space from longtime guest producer for classical and sacred music ELLEN HOLMES, a program called CONTEMPLATIONS, featuring music by MAX RICHTER, plus HANS ZIMMER, JAMI SIEBER, DIETRICH BUXTEHUDE, SIEUR de SAINTE-COLOMBE, ANTONIO VIVALDI, JORDI SAVALL & HESPERIAN XXI.

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PGM 1300 'A BRIEF HISTORY OF DARK AMBIENT' : nov. 12-19

And so it has come to pass, dear spacefans, that in the dark days of late autumn in the year 2021, we arrive at the 1300th transmission of the HEARTS of SPACE series. I'm STEPHEN HILL, and befitting the occasion, it's another of our centennial specials called A BRIEF HISTORY OF DARK AMBIENT.

The term "dark ambient" was coined in the early 1990s by ROGER KARMANIK, founder of the record label Cold Meat Industry, to describe the music of RAISON d'ETRE and similar artists. The style is a gene-splicing of the Industrial, Ambient, Drone, and Noise genres, including the experimental side of early 1970s German electronic music — fondly dubbed 'Krautrock' — and the Industrial Music of the late 1970s & early 80s, such as the band THROBBING GRISTLE.

During the 1980s, LUSTMORD, NOCTURNAL EMISSIONS & ZOVIET FRANCE were among the first to create consistently dark ambient music, featuring low drones and distressed chorales, liberally seasoned with industrial noise and electronic special effects. In the early 1990s RAISON D'ETRE augmented the industrial imagery with medieval iconography.

During the late 80s & early 90s, a slower, more ethereal side of Gothic art rock emerged, called "ethereal wave" or "dark wave," including many of the early artists on the Projekt label. And an even more austere sub-genre called "Isolationist Ambient" arrived quietly in the 1990s, including the music of THOMAS KÖNER from Germany and BIOSPHERE from Norway.

It's Program 1300 : A BRIEF HISTORY OF DARK AMBIENT, on this transmission...of Hearts of Space. Music is by RAISON D'ETRE, POPOL VUH, LIGHTWAVE, VOICE OF EYE + LIFE GARDEN, THOMAS KÖNER, BIOSPHERE, BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL, ROBERT RICH + B.LUSTMORD, TROUM, PAUL SCHÜTZE, and RHYTHM & NOISE.

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PGM 1299 'OMINOUS' : oct.29 - nov.5

If you're feeling masochistic, turn on the unrelenting stream of disaster, tragedy, and malfeasance that passes for "news" in these troubled times. Is it any wonder that each year at the end of October we celebrate a Celtic and medieval Christian holiday haunted by death, decay, and supernatural dark spirits?

For ambient musicians, it's a time for deep drones, disembodied voices, melancholy wailing, gloomy strings, and a dark galaxy of electronic and environmental effects. On this Halloween transmission of Hearts of Space, we embrace the gathering gloom with a program of cathartic dark ambient atmospheres called...OMINOUS.

Music is by SOUND PHENOMENON, ATRIUM CARCERI, GEORGE WALLACE, MONOCUBE, TOM JENSEN, MYUU, SUSPERIA-ELECTRICA, and SOUNDING THE DEEP.

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