Hearts of Space Promo Podcast

Let's talk about the piano, ladies and gentlemen. It's so ubiquitous and flexible that it plays a part in almost every area of contemporary music. With its huge dynamic range, rhythmic and percussive capability, chordal and harmonic facility, and melodic expressivity—no other instrument can play as many roles, both solo and within an ensemble. Today, we can enhance its flexibility by modifying the sound of the piano—spatially expanding it with electronics, making it more ethereal; or perversely, celebrating action noise, making it more physical.On this transmission of Hearts of Space, ambient, atmospheric, and contemplative music for the piano, on a program called "INDISPENSABLE." Music is by LUDOVICO EINAUDI, TOM EATON, KEVIN KELLER, MASAKO, JOSHUA VAN TASSEL, PAUL CANTELON & LILI HAYDN, GABRÍEL ÓLAFS, and BEN LUKAS BOYSEN. [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

Out on the western range, there's places where the deep prairie meets the desert at the end of the line. Places where the tough get going and the outlaws go to hide: where the land's eroded, the water's scarce, the weather's bad, the nights are dangerous, and everything you see...is a survivor. It's called "The Badlands."  On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, a program inspired by this hard and beautiful environment...called BADLANDS. Music is by DANIEL LANOIS, ERIC TINGSTAD, CARL WEINGARTEN, BRUCE KAPHAN, EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, JAPANCAKES and DAVID TORN. [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

This time we return to a series we began in 2015, and continued in 2020 and 2021. Yes, spacefans, it’s another transmission in our seminal electronic music series—"COSMIC ELECTRONIC 4."It’s seminal because we’ve been obsessed with the genre since 1973, but didn’t get around to naming a program after it ‘til decades later. As I said then, “The analog synthesizer allowed musicians to design entirely new sounds and created a new kind of spatial imagery that evoked the vastness of cosmic space. It could be cold and dark, warm and romantic, dramatic or contemplative—and it came to be called "spacemusic."On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a deep space journey to newly discovered star fields, thanks to the awesome JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE — on a program called "COSMIC ELECTRONIC 4." Music is by MARTIN STÜRTZER, STARTERRA, DREAMSTATE LOGIC, JIM OTTAWAY, COUSIN SILAS & MICHAEL BRÜCKNER, KEVIN BRAHENY FORTUNE, and KLAUS SCHULZE. [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

AFRICA...an enormous continent, with a vast and diverse array of music. In Sub-Saharan Africa it’s mostly upbeat, polyrhythmic, and joyful, designed to accompany dancing and celebration. There’s also an extensive traditional folk music, with songs for every occasion, and historic religious and ceremonial music. It’s different—so it’s not surprising that it took us more than six years to produce our first program exploring the slower, quieter side of African music in 1989. The most obvious difference when compared to contemporary ambient from Western countries is the emotional quality. Where Western ambient is often cool and trance-inducing, African ambient makes a joyful noise, and remains committed to traditional acoustic instruments, like the 21 string harp called the kora, the metallic thumb piano called the mbira, the West African lute called the ngoni, and a wide array of drums and percussion. On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, the seductive polyrhythms and sweet modal harmonies of Sub-Saharan Africa, on a program called "AFRICAN DELIGHT."  Music is by AYUB OGADA, SONA JOBARTEH, BETWEEN, STEPHAN MICUS, DANIEL BERKMAN, WILL RIDENOUR & BETSY BEVAN, and SAMITE. [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

The trance rhythms of the Middle East, Asia and Africa are steady, continuous, and slowly changing. Rather than driving you forward like the ubiquitous military march beats of western rock, they patiently insinuate themselves on your nervous system, steady the breath, slow the pulse, and ultimately...transform your awareness. Psychologists call it "entrainment" or "dissociation." The rest of us call it enchantment, rapture, ecstasy, or euphoria. It's all part of the wide world of trance.Trance rhythms have been used by priests and shamans in non-western cultures for centuries. More recently they've been rediscovered by western musicians seeking an alternative to conventional beats, used by so-called "minimalist" classical composers, and adopted by experimental musicians around the world for their psychoactive power and popular appeal. Trance is also a major genre of Electronic Dance Music, with mind-altering beats heard on dance floors around the world.On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we insinuate ourselves on your nervous system—in a good way—with soft summer trance music, on a program called INNER RHYTHMS. Music is by JAMES HOOD, BYRON METCALF, LOREN NERELL, DREAM JUNGLE, and DON LI.     [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ] 

What we call Ambient Music today dates from 1978, when English musician and producer BRIAN ENO released “AMBIENT 1 : MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS.”  In his companion “Ambient Manifesto,” Eno gave a name and a purpose to an undefined creative area of minimalist, electronic, and experimental art music, and turned it into a contemporary genre. Writers searching for the roots of the Ambient sensibility traced its origins to prehistoric Eastern religious traditions that promoted ecstatic states through stillness, meditation, psychedelic and mystical experience. The contemporary influence of European electronic music was more technical, and focused on creating complex soundscapes and defining auditory space. Today, Ambient music creates a sense of place that ranges from merely calming and serene, to profoundly numinous and transcendent, and supports an accessible form of spirituality for a post-secular age. On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, we look back at ambient music from its early maturity in the 1980s, and now—on a program called “AMBIENT EVOLUTION.”  Music is by JOHANNES SCHMOELLING, PETER BAUMANN, DON ROBERTSON, STATE AZURE, CHRISTIAN HALTEN and MICHAEL STEARNS, BLUE CHIP ORCHESTRA, PETER SEILER, and BRIAN ENO. [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

The desert...a place where sun, heat, wind and sand conspire to make life a challenge for even the strongest organisms. For humans, it's where civilization ends, and we confront the earth at its most elemental — vast space, rugged terrain, extreme conditions, contemplative solitude, and often, eerie silence. It's no wonder the desert continues to be a major source of inspiration for ambient musicians.On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another superheated journey in dehydrated spaces called DESERT REALMS." Music is by STEVE ROACH & BYRON METCALF, RUDY ADRIAN, BRUNO SANFILIPPO & MAX CORBACHO, and MARTIN, KLAMPT & ROWND.    [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]  

It’s been just over a year since our last program on the classical and devotional music of India. With a history going back over three thousand years, it has complex, deeply entrenched traditions, yet has adapted surprisingly well to contemporary genres and technologies. A case in point is the ongoing embrace of electronic music by musicians from India and the demanding study of Indian music by western electronic musicians. It's even more remarkable because Indian classical music is drone-based and monophonic—no harmony, no chords—and microtonal, with 22 notes to the octave versus 12 in western music.On this transmission of Hearts of Space — contemporary, traditional, and devotional music of India, on a program called INDIA NAVIGATION 3. Music is by ANOUSHKA SHANKAR, JASDEEP SINGH DEGUN, STEVE GORN, MANOSE & TY BURHOE, ALAM KHAN, and MANISH VYAS. [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

In biology and genetics, hybrids are the offspring of two different subspecies, genera, or families of plants or animals. Nature creates hybrids randomly as part of natural selection; humans do it deliberately and call it "selective breeding." Often the hybrids that result are stronger than the natural offspring, and we call that "hybrid vigor." In music, hybrids (or fusions) result from thinking outside the box, creating new combinations of genres, styles and instruments. As you'll hear on this transmission of Hearts of Space called HYBRIDS, the results are often surprising, satisfying and...vigorous. Music is by BRUCE KAPHAN, ROBERT RICH, NELSON FOLTZ & TOM LYNN, MICHAEL BROOK, JAZZCOMPUTER.ORG, BILL LASWELL & TOSHINORI KONDO, FORREST FANG, JON HASSELL, and TONY LEVIN. [ view playlist ]     [ view Flickr image gallery ]     [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

When the comprehensive history of electronic music is written, the period from the arrival of playable synthesizers in the 1960s and the introduction of drum machines in the 1970s until now will seem particularly disruptive. Synthesizers propelled the music out of academic laboratories and on the road to the diverse electronic space, ambient, and atmospheric genres of today. At the same time, drum machines propelled popular music out of the recording studio and onto the dance floor, where DJs produced an endless variety of complex beats that paved the road to EDM—Electronic Dance Music, and IDM—Intelligent Dance Music.When the summer heat arrives, it stimulates rhythmic activity everywhere. Ironically, ambient is one of the few genres that can live without rhythm, but percussion is so fundamental to popular music that many ambient artists can't resist using it. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, percussion-powered ambient for early summer, on a program called (with due respect to the song by Peter Gabriel) 'RHYTHM OF THE HEAT.' Music is by AES DANA, VIR UNIS, STEVE ROACH, CHRIS MEYER'S ALIAS ZONE, EXTRAWORLD, BIFF JOHNSON, JOYSTICK, and THIERRY DAVID.  [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

The nation-states of the greater Middle East are a contentious group, with a long, complicated history and even longer memories. Spanning some 17 countries from Iran in the east to Turkey in the west, including North Africa, the eastern Mediterranean states, and the Arabian peninsula — the region is riven by political, religious, & ethnic conflicts. Yet the music of the Middle East shows a broad similarity of instruments, scales, rhythms and formats that cut across national boundaries and create a kind of super-cultural unity. Today, progressive middle eastern musicians are promoting a non-political form of communication through their music, bringing together traditional and electronic instruments to create a shared experience of beauty and soulfulness.On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another journey in the contemporary Middle Eastern soundscape, on a program called EQUILIBRIUM 2. Music is by MERÇAN DEDE, SYRIANA, DHAFER YOUSSEF, LIAN ENSEMBLE w/DJIVAN GASPARYAN, ALBERTO IGLESIAS, ANOUAR BRAHEM, DAVID PARSONS & JON MARK. [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ] 

It’s mid-2025, and on this transmission of Hearts of Space, we’ve arrived at one of our centennial benchmarks: Program Number 1400. It’s a tradition that goes back to our third year of national broadcasting in 1986, when we reached Program 100. On these centennial specials we look back, forward, or beyond our normal programming, searching for a wider perspective and deeper understanding of the music and cultural experiences we bring you. In considering possible themes for program 1400, the rapid rise of “AI” or “Artificial Intelligence,” jumped out—for its power, scope, and ability to bring fundamental advances in how we learn, work, create, and communicate—as well as the possibly disastrous prospect of loss of control that accompanies the benefits. “For the first time in human history,” says science and biotechnology historian YUVAL NOAH HARARI, “we will be sharing the planet with a new super-intelligent agent capable of making and executing its own decisions.” As media producers we depend on technology, so Hearts of Space had been experimenting with AI tools and services since the release of ChatGPT by OpenAI, and the AI assistant CLAUDE from ANTHROPIC. In this process, our guide, “AI Whisperer,” and “prompt engineer” has been longtime Hearts of Space listener TOM PARISH of Austin, Texas, producer and host of the essential podcast “AI for LIFELONG LEARNERS.”  So, it’s appropriate that the combination of the AI—CLAUDE—and the human—TOM PARISH— are our “guest producers” for this fourteen-hundredth transmission of Hearts of Space. Working on program 1400, Tom asked Claude to write an introduction to the program in the style of Hearts of Space and explain what they were trying to achieve. Here’s what CLAUDE said: “We stand at a pivotal moment in human creativity as artificial intelligence begins to collaborate with us in the making of art and music. Like electronic instruments before them, these new systems don't replace human imagination — they extend it into unexplored territories.” “The results aren't cold or mechanical as some feared, but often surprising, nuanced, and deeply emotive. In the ambient realm especially, the human-machine partnership is creating music of remarkable subtlety and complexity — compositions that could never have existed without this new symbiotic relationship.” We also asked Claude to recommend artists who were already working with AI, especially those who’ve never been heard on Hearts of Space. Of the 13 artists on this show, only three have appeared on previous programs. We’ll be hearing music by RETLAND, HOLLY HERNDON, THREE-SIX, ACTRESS, KELLY MORAN, HOLLIE KENNIFF & GOLDMUND, FLOATING POINTS, BRIAN ENO & BEATIE WOLFE, RYOJI IKEDA, RYUICHI SAKAMOTO, and ALVA NOTO. On this 1400th edition of Hearts of Space, we explore the emerging frontier of human--AI musical collaboration. A program called “SENTIENT SYNTHESIS”… on this transmission… of Hearts of Space. [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

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 ]

IF THERE'S ONE THING that Ambient electronic music excels at creating, it's the experience of floating in space. And when that space is high, light, and airy, we call it "atmospheric." Atmospheres have qualities — elevation, temperature, brightness, color, density : low to high, cold to warm, dark to light; and a wide range of tones. When we immerse ourselves in sonic atmospheres, our normal sense of time seems to disappear.  Suspended in space, we lose track of time. Einstein probably had a special theory about that. On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, an airy, immersive electronic journey, on a program called 'ATMOSPHERIC.'  Music is by KIT WATKINS, JACK HERTZ, CRAIG PADILLA, ROBERT SCOTT THOMPSON, ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT, and DARSHAN AMBIENT. [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

SUMMER...officially arrives in the Northern Hemisphere the third week in June. Also known as the Summer Solstice, it's the longest day and shortest night of the year. For fans of the ambient guitar, it's an event worth celebrating. The cold and dark of winter is forgotten; the bright promise of spring has come and gone; now, fair skies, gentle breezes, sweet melodies, and the warm harmonies of early summer invite us to melt...into the season of the sun.Instrumental music for the guitar continues to evolve, and whether the genre is traditional acoustic, 20th century electric, or 21st century electronic, the slow pace and spatial sound images of the ambient guitar bring us new dimensions in atmospheric music. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another seasonal journey for ambient guitar, on a program called "SIX STRING SUMMER." Music is by SOULFOOD & BILLY McLAUGHLIN, TOM CAUFIELD, MIKHAIL MEDVEDEV, ASCHE & SPENCER, STEVE SMITH, CHUCK JOHNSON, ERRANT SPACE, MATT BORGHI, CLIVE WRIGHT, ROBERT FRIPP & BRIAN ENO.  [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

As spring slowly morphs into summer, the music becomes more energetic and expansive. In the long days and mild nights,the sounds and rhythms of the warm weather cultures call to us. For ambient musicians, a brighter palette and hotter beats are in order, along with the changing sounds of an environment moving into overdrive. On this transmission of Hearts of Space...an ambient excursion for the spring/summer transition called "WARM FRONT." Music is by TWILIGHT ARCHIVE, YAGYA, LEO ABRAHAMS & JON HOPKINS, ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT, CYBERCHUMP, STEVE ROACH, and ERIK WØLLO. [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

It’s been almost 50 years since 1978, when the influential English recording artist and producer BRIAN ENO—in a historic bit of cultural appropriation—took the name “ambient” for an emerging genre of atmospheric contemporary music, and started an independent record label to publish it.The approach had been evolving since the early 20th century in artistic and experimental music circles, including impressionism, avant garde, electronic, psycho-acoustic soundscapes, new age, and minimalism.If there was a common element in these diverse genres, it was an emphasis on tone, texture, atmosphere, and spatial sound images, over traditional musical theory and structure. The genre was unusually open to influences from slow, quiet music from other cultures and historical eras, where it found hypnotic repetitions, psychoactive fractal patterns, modal drones, and consonant harmony.In time, modern listeners also came to appreciate the therapeutic power of ambient music to manage stress, enhance concentration, and support meditative and spiritual experience. Today, a new generation of dedicated ambient composers are creating new music of great subtlety and power.On this transmission of Hearts of Space, therapeutic ambient for unpredictable times, on a program called "RESTORATION." Music is by DAVID HELPLING & ERIC "THE" TAYLOR, MICHAEL STEARNS & CHRISTIAN HALTEN, ISHQ, MATTHEW STEWART, ANDREW HEATH, and STEVE ROACH. [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

Consider, gentle listener, the chordophone family of musical instruments. It's a large, diverse brood including almost anything with stretched strings: zithers, lyres, harps, lutes, guitars, the violin family, hundreds of ethnic string instruments like the Japanese koto and the African kora, and not least — keyed zithers like the harpsichord and the piano. Chordophones can be plucked, strummed, bowed, keyed, or struck. Looking back in time, zithers, lyres and harps were the foundational instruments of the chordophone family. They were used in antiquity to accompany recitations and promote healing. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we ride the soft strings of the harp and zither to a place close to silence, on a program called 'CHORDOPHONICS.'  Music is by PETER STERLING, HARP 46, LYSA LYNNE, DA WO's, HAROLD BUDD, CYMBER LILY QUINN, KLAUS WIESE, and LARAAJI. [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

At its core, Ambient is a sensibility — a way of perceiving or sensing the world around us. As a sensibility, it gives us a heightened awareness of our physical and cultural surroundings; as a contemporary music genre, the name may be new, but the music has old, even ancient roots, arising from the discovery that slow tempos, repeated patterns, hypnotic rhythms, and resonant enclosures can alter our sense of time, and transform our experience of space.The 20th century saw the invention of electronic music, along with technical advances in communication, travel, sound recording, and music distribution—all of which sparked unprecedented exposure to non-western folk, classical, and tribal music from indigenous cultures around the world. In 1987, the European and North American music industry—determined to avoid the confusion and criticism that accompanied the choice of "New Age" for an earlier emerging genre—opted for simplicity and called the entire non-western traditional category "World Music."In time the World Music genre expanded to include ethnic fusions, crossovers, and hybrids, and the ethereal sounds of Tribal Electronic and World Ambient. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we journey over the high desert mesas, wind-blown dunes, and endless plains of the Ethno-Ambient soundscape, on a program called "AMBIENT TRAVELER 4." Music is by LAYNE REDMOND & TOMMY BRUNGES, BYRON METCALF & ARI URBAN, SUZANNE TENG & GILBERT LEVY, MARLA LEIGH, STEPHAN MICUS, and ANOUSHKA SHANKAR. [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

SPRING CREEPS IN with delicate leaves and fragrant flowers. The winds sweep through, the rains wash away the accumulated debris of winter, and we bathe in new light and energy. It's a time for music that flows with grace and melody—a confirmation of the release we feel.On this transmission of Hearts of Space, the music is fresh and the harmonies are lush...on a program called 'FLOWING INTO SPRING'. Music is by SECRET GARDEN, ANDREAS VOLLENWEIDER, NANCY RUMBEL, BILL DOUGLAS, SAVINA YANNATOU & PRIMAVERA EN SALONICO, LEE JOHNSON, and SANCTUARY. [ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]