#hearts of space

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

dancing on water    ::  [Hearts of Space]

* * * *

“I am thinking of beauty again, how some things are hunted because we have deemed them beautiful. If, relative to the history of our planet, an individual life is so short, a blink, as they say, then to be gorgeous, even from the day you're born to the day you die, is to be gorgeous only briefly.”

― Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

[zef-zef]

Album Art for:

Suspended Memories - Earth Island (Hearts Of Space, 1994)

[deramin2]

I need to talk about one of my musical obsessions with you:

Hearts of Space

Hearts of Space is a public radio program started by Steven Hill in 1973 in San Francisco, and nationally syndicated in 1983. They broadcast what they call "space music" ambient and down tempo, selective classical, and world music that evokes a sense of boundless space. A sense of being among the stars or in quiet internal contemplation. To be a late night center of calm on a Friday night. Music that was both timeless and cutting edge.

Because they were on the bleeding edge of an electronic music technological revolution, they also had access to and interest in the internet and high hopes for its potential for human connection and direct arts interactions. They had a website by 1994 were part of Usenet. In 1999 they were first broadcast on a new thing called online public radio stations. In 2001 (2001!!) they began one of the earliest music subscription services for their program archive, then 28 years of programs with with playlist, artist, album, and where to buy the music (most of their music is small label and especially in the early days finding disks could be hard.) They also owned their own music label for a while to get this music made. Their website still has the aesthetic of a nerdy artist website of 2001 (in a very affectionate way).

If you want to have your mind blown, read this 2005 Very Long Interview with Steven Hill where he accurately predicts where digital music is heading in the next 0 years. It was there on the ground watching and interacting with both recent developments and what people's dreams and ambitions for it were. He was right about what people wanted and how the music industry would change to reflect that. It's like reading a prophecy.

Their weekly program can be listened to once for free, with a ton of different tiers for budget value with increasing access (but all good experiences, I've used most of them). Basically a bespoke Patreon system long before Patreon existed. They've always had direct control of their work and survived the volatility of middle men because of it. They've been artist-first, too, and have always tried to reduce friction for people to buy the music they play and directly find and support the artists. A very different mission than a platform like Spotify (founded a year after this interview).

One of my favorite things is Steven Hill starting each program with a music appreciation monologue contextualizing the selections and pontificating about the larger world in his incredibly smooth beautiful late night radio voice. Sometimes it's exploring a particular artist or a musical movement, or just the feeling of frost in winter. I learn a lot from them and they really set the mood (but also on high paid tiers you can turn them off if you're using it as sleep or study music).

There's a free three day pass to all the features and you can buy premium access in chunks of 10 hours if you only listen occasionally.

If you love ambient music in all its forms, definitely check this program out. It's such a great way to discover new music. Great music to game, too. (There have been two programs of video game music with guest curators Nerd Noise Radio.)

[jones-friend]

Things are hard. Things are scary. Amidst all the hurry and scurry of a world forcing its way out of a pandemic no matter the cost its hard to remember to carve out time to soothe yourself and take care of yourself emotionally.

Hearts of Space has been with me for just under 10 years and they’ve been a great friend of mine. Like it says on the tin: slow music for fast times. They create 1hr mixes of music ranging from electronic to classical, ethnic/world, folk, and soundtracks to movies and games. Running for decades, they have a vast library of incredibly good stuff to take a listen to and chill with. Its great for going to bed and great for late night vibes. Contemplative, thoughtful, and ponderous.

Their current show, The Transcendent Piano, has a lot of good stuff including Max Richter and Nils Fram. Their top tier subscription is reasonably cheap for the library of music you get to access, and they really aren’t that big of a studio. I can’t recommend HOS enough, if you want to rekindle those late night emotions you get when everyone else’s gone to bed and its quiet enough to hear yourself think this is that good stuff.

[pnw-chaplain]

Attention Norse pagans/heathens, adorably culturally connected Scandi-Americans, and music lovers of all stripes:

This week's episode of Hearts of Space is all Nordic music, a blend of ambient and folk and chamber music. Give your ears a treat, babes.

[riacte]

not romantic not platonic but a secret third thing [what would happen between earth and the moon if the earth stopped spinning as illustrated by xkcd randall munroe]

[petrichara]

‘Love is the one thing that we’re capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space.’

“Eulogy from a Physicist” by Aaron Freeman, with quotes from Interstellar by Christopher Nolan, and images from NASA, Interstellar, Getty, Petrichara, and Reuters.

1- NASA: GOODS-South.

2- NASA: NGC 1850.

3- NASA: Iberian Peninsula.

4- Christopher Nolan: Interstellar.

5- NASA: From the Earth to the Moon.

6- Hannah La Folette Ryan: Subway Hands.

7- Adams Evans: Heart Nebula.

8- NASA: Exploring the Antennae.

9- NASA: Crescent Moon from the International Space Station.

10- Petrichara.

11- Getty Images.

12- NASA: SMACS 0723.

13- Reuters

[irhinoceri]

All criticisms of The Acolyte are invalid because evil Manny Jacinto is hot.

[appaeve]

that’s a wrap!

[valentinsylve]

(Travis Merriman)

[crowkip]

ᯓ★

[themetalhiro]

Its getting super cold so I’m thinking about how this guy is a super powered heater.

[zef-zef]

Suspended Memories - Places Inbetween from: Suspended Memories - Earth Island (Fathom, Hearts Of Space, 1994)

[deramin2]

Listening to Hearts of Space program 263 Rivers of Belief from May 1991. It's all about modernized Gregorian chants and a currently chart-topping album.

So if you've been trying to pin down when the Gregorian chant craze of the 1990s started, this is it. What a time capsule.

[amikoroyaiart]

Some 22 and 09 angst doodles

[the-wolf-and-moon]

Heart and Soul Nebulae