Star's End

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Star's End is also a 1974 album by British composer David Bedford and a 1982 novel by Glen Cook.
Star's End
Starsend ss.jpg
Genre New-age, ambient, electronic, space
Running time5 hours
Country of originUSA
Language(s)English
Home station WXPN, Philadelphia
Hosted byChuck Van Zyl
Created byJohn Diliberto and Steve Pross
Original release1976 – present
Website www.starsend.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Star's End is a weekly, five-hour-long new-age music radio show broadcast by 88.5 WXPN, the University of Pennsylvania's radio station, in Philadelphia. It is the second longest-running show of its type in the world, after Hearts of Space . [1]

New-age music is a genre of music intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, reading as a method of stress management to bring about a state of ecstasy rather than trance, or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is associated with environmentalism and New Age spirituality.

WXPN is a non-commercial, public FM radio station licensed to The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that broadcasts an adult album alternative (AAA) radio format, along with many other format shows. WXPN produces World Cafe, a music program distributed by NPR to many non-commercial stations in the United States. The station's call sign, which is often abbreviated to XPN, stands for "Experimental Pennsylvania Network". The broadcast tower used by WXPN is located at, in the antenna farm complex in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia.

University of Pennsylvania Private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of the nine colonial colleges founded prior to the Declaration of Independence and the first institution of higher learning in the United States to refer to itself as a university. Benjamin Franklin, Penn's founder and first president, advocated an educational program that trained leaders in commerce, government, and public service, similar to a modern liberal arts curriculum.

Contents

History

Star's End was started in 1976 by Steve Pross and John Diliberto as a five-hour-long evening program. Diliberto later went on to host the syndicated nightly ambient music show Echoes . In 1977 Gino Wong began sharing duties with Diliberto when Steve Pross entered the recording industry. At that point the concept was solidified and the opening theme that is still used today was produced. Gordon Danis (1957–2008) joined for a short time in 1978 bringing his passion for early ambient music to the mix. In 1979 Wong began producing records and concerts, creating an opening for guest hosts including Janet Quigley and Kimberly Haas. Beginning in the early 1980s Star's End went through an extended rotation of several different DJ's. Original programmers Diliberto left in 1986 and Wong in 1988. The current host is Chuck Van Zyl.

<i>Echoes</i> (radio program) US radio program

Echoes is a daily two-hour music radio program hosted by John Diliberto featuring a soundscape of ambient, space, electronica, and new-age music. The program features in-depth artist interviews and intimate "living room" performances. Interview subjects have included Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Laurie Anderson, and Philip Glass. Live performers have included Yo-Yo Ma, Pat Metheny, Loreena McKennitt, Steve Roach, Air and many others. Echoes has produced sixteen CD collections from these and other in-studio performances. Distributed by Public Radio International, Echoes is currently heard on about 80 radio stations. Echoes can also be heard on the web, with 24/7 streaming and on-demand audio available.

Production details

Star's End is broadcast late Saturday nights / Sunday mornings from 1:00 AM through 6:00 AM. In the late 1980s an earlier edition was added on Friday nights from 11:00 PM to 2:00 AM. This "matinee" edition lasted for 3 or 4 years. The show features uninterrupted, hour-long segue-mixed music selections. The show's website lists a variety of ambient genres and related styles as present in its playlist, including space music, new-age, electronic music, world music, avant-garde, classical and even spoken word performances. [2] In the past, Star's End has featured guest DJ's mixing ambient music, and has also broadcast live in-studio performances by Robert Rich, Jonn Serrie, 302 Acid, Steve Roach, Radio Massacre International and others.

A segue is a smooth transition from one topic or section to the next.

Space music tranquil, hypnotic subgenre of electronic music

Space music, also called spacemusic, is a subgenre of new-age music and is described as "tranquil, hypnotic and moving". It is derived from ambient music and is associated with lounge music, easy listening, and elevator music.

Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments and circuitry-based music technology. In general, a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means, and that produced using electronics only. Electromechanical instruments include mechanical elements, such as strings, hammers, and so on, and electric elements, such as magnetic pickups, power amplifiers and loudspeakers. Examples of electromechanical sound producing devices include the telharmonium, Hammond organ, and the electric guitar, which are typically made loud enough for performers and audiences to hear with an instrument amplifier and speaker cabinet. Pure electronic instruments do not have vibrating strings, hammers, or other sound-producing mechanisms. Devices such as the theremin, synthesizer, and computer can produce electronic sounds.

In recent years Chuck van Zyl has organised a number of live concert performances in Philadelphia by various ambient artists, under the Star's End banner. Known as "The Gatherings" series, performers have included Steve Roach, Robert Rich, Radio Massacre International, Jeff Greinke, Erik Wøllo and van Zyl's own group, The Ministry of Inside Things along with numerous others. Several independent CD recordings of performances recorded at these concerts have subsequently been released by van Zyl under his Synkronos label.

Steve Roach (musician) American composer and performer

Steve Roach is an American composer and performer of ambient and electronic music, whose recordings are informed by his impressions of environment, perception, flow and space. His work has been influential in the new age genre.

Robert Rich is an ambient musician and composer based in California, United States. With a discography spanning over 30 years, he has been called a figure whose sound has greatly influenced today's ambient, new-age, and even IDM.

Radio Massacre International is a trio of British musicians, Steve Dinsdale, Duncan Goddard, and Gary Houghton. They specialize in improvisational experimental electronic music, utilising vintage synthesizers and sampled sounds alongside electric guitar. They are also exponents of the mellotron keyboard. More recently they have begun to incorporate Bass Guitar and Drums by varying degrees in an attempt to stretch musical boundaries within the confines of a three piece. Their music has been described alternatively as ambient music, space rock, Krautrock, New Age, Berlin School, and various other terms, although the band itself prefers the label "organic music". Points of reference include bands ranging from Tangerine Dream to "Rabbit"-era Chas and Dave.

See also

Hearts of Space is a United States weekly syndicated public radio show featuring music of a contemplative nature drawn largely from the ambient, new-age and electronic genres, while also including classical, world, Celtic, experimental, and other music selections. For many years, the show's producer and presenter, Stephen Hill, has applied the term "space music" to the music broadcast on the show, irrespective of genre. It is the longest-running radio program of its type in the world. Each episode ends with Hill gently saying, "Safe journeys, space fans... wherever you are."

Musical Starstreams is a terrestrial and internet radio program that first aired in the San Francisco bay area in December 1981. Originally known as Music for Your Inner Space, it has been produced, programmed and hosted by Forest, originally in Mill Valley and now from Maui, for its entire nearly thirty-five year history, except for a twelve-month period from mid-2002, when Madison Cole hosted the show.

<i>Ultima Thule Ambient Music</i> radio program

Ultima Thule Ambient Music is a long-running, specialist ambient music radio show which has been broadcast on Australian community radio since 1989. The show has been described as one of the leading alternative music programmes on Australian radio. It is also available as a webcast and as a podcast. As at December 2007, Ultima Thule was the number one ambient music podcast on the iTunes Store.

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Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. A form of slow instrumental music, it uses repetitive, but gentle, soothing sound patterns that can be described as sonic wallpaper to complement or alter one’s space and to generate a sense of calmness. The genre is said to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual", or "unobtrusive" quality.

<i>Dreamtime Return</i> 1988 studio album by Steve Roach

Dreamtime Return (1988) is a double album by the American ambient musician Steve Roach, based on Australian Aboriginal culture and the concept of the Dreamtime. Described as "one of the pivotal works of ambient music" and "groundbreaking," the album has been included on a number of lists of the world's best music, including 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die.

Springbok Radio was a South African radio station that operated from 1950 to 1985.

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5FM is a South African FM radio station that follows a Top 40 music format and is owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), South Africa's public broadcaster.

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The Town Hall (New York City) performance space in New York City

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Michael Stearns is an American musician and composer of ambient music. He is also known as a film composer, sound designer and soundtrack producer for large format films, theatrical films, documentaries, commercials, and themed attractions.

Sounds of the Seventies is a BBC radio programme broadcast on weekdays, initially 18:00–19:00, subsequently 22:00–00:00, on Radio One during the early 1970s. Among the DJs were Mike Harding, Alan Black, Pete Drummond, Annie Nightingale, John Peel, and Bob Harris. For contractual reasons one of Peel's two weekly shows was known as Top Gear, but the format and content of the show on every weekday were in essence identical for most of the early 1970s.

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<i>Landmass</i> (album) 2008 live album by Steve Roach

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Jeff Pearce is an Indiana-based ambient/new age musician. He has been called "one of the top two electronic guitarists of all time" by Allmusic, while reviewer John Diliberto wrote in Billboard magazine that Pearce is "one of the best" guitarists to follow the solo electric guitarist concept. Pearce started playing guitar at age 13 and discovered the music of Brian Eno and Harold Budd while in college.

Kevin Keller (composer) composer

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References

  1. ↑ "STAR'S END is (with the exception of "Music from the Hearts of Space") the longest running radio program of ambient music in the world. Since 1976, STAR'S END has been providing the Philadelphia broadcast area with music to sleep and dream to." Star's End website background information page
  2. ↑ "The music is presented in a non-stop drifting blend and drawn from a diversity of genres including: electronic, ambient, spacemusic, chillout, avant-garde, low-intensity noise, new age, international, spoken word and classical." Star's End website background information page

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