Star's End
Encyclopedia
- Star's End is also a 1974 album by British composer David BedfordDavid BedfordDavid Vickerman Bedford , was an English composer and musician. He wrote and played both popular and classical music....
.
Star's End is a weekly, five-hour-long New Age music
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
radio show broadcast by 88.5 WXPN
WXPN
WXPN is a non-commercial, public radio station operated by the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia that broadcasts a music radio format called adult album alternative , along with many other format shows supported all with an indie slant...
, the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
's radio station, in Philadelphia. It is the second longest-running show of its type in the world, after Hearts of Space
Hearts of Space
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...
.
History
Star's End was started in 1976 by Steve Pross and John DilibertoJohn Diliberto
John Diliberto is an award-winning radio producer, music writer, and host of Echoes, a radio program on Public Radio International featuring ambient, downtempo music "soundscapes"....
as a five hour-long evening program. Diliberto later went on to host the syndicated nightly ambient music show Echoes
Echoes (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,...
. 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.
Production details
Star's End is broadcast late Saturday nights from 1.00 through 6.00 am. The show features uninterrupted, hour-long segueSegue
A segue is a smooth transition from one topic or section to the next.-In music:In music, segue is a direction to the performer. It means continue without a pause. It comes from the Italian "it follows". The term attacca is also used in classical music.For written music it implies a transition...
-mixed music selections. The show's website lists a variety of ambient genres and related styles as present in its playlist, including Space music
Space music
Space music, also called spacemusic, is an umbrella term, synonymous with a segment of New Age Music and Ambient Music, used to describe music that evokes a feeling of contemplative spaciousness. Space music can be found within a wide range of genres. It is particularly associated with ambient, New...
, New Age
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
, Electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, International
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, Avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
, classical and even spoken word performances. In the past, Star's End has featured guest DJ's mixing ambient music, and has also broadcasted live in-studio performances by Robert Rich
Robert Rich (musician)
Robert Rich is an ambient musician and composer based in California, United States. With a discography spanning over 30 years, he is widely regarded as a figure whose sound has greatly influenced today's ambient, New Age, and even IDM music.-Early life:At an early age he thought he disliked music...
, Saul Stokes
Saul Stokes
Saul Stokes is an American electronic musician and composer. He creates music that most would consider ambient, using an array of modular synthesizer equipment that he builds from scratch. His "hand forged electronics" include handheld synthesizers, rhythms pads, and tabletop modular synthesizers...
, Jonn Serrie
Jonn Serrie
Jonn Serrie is a composer of space music, a genre of ambient electronic music, and New Age music. He has recorded at least eighteen albums and worked on various projects for Lucasfilm, IMAX Corporation, NASA, the United States Navy, Hayden Planetarium, Expo Seville, and CNN.-Musical career:Serrie...
, 302 Acid
302 Acid
302 Acid is a music group from Washington, D.C., USA, formed by Doug Kallmeyer and Justin Mader in 2002. It currently includes Doug Kallmeyer , Justin Mader ....
, Steve Roach, Radio Massacre International
Radio Massacre International
Radio Massacre International are a trio of British musicians, Steve Dinsdale , Duncan Goddard , and Gary Houghton . They specialize in improvisational experimental electronic music, utilizing vintage synthesizers and sampled sounds alongside electric guitar. They are also leading exponents of the...
and others.
Related projects
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 RichRobert Rich (musician)
Robert Rich is an ambient musician and composer based in California, United States. With a discography spanning over 30 years, he is widely regarded as a figure whose sound has greatly influenced today's ambient, New Age, and even IDM music.-Early life:At an early age he thought he disliked music...
, Radio Massacre International
Radio Massacre International
Radio Massacre International are a trio of British musicians, Steve Dinsdale , Duncan Goddard , and Gary Houghton . They specialize in improvisational experimental electronic music, utilizing vintage synthesizers and sampled sounds alongside electric guitar. They are also leading exponents of the...
, Jeff Greinke
Jeff Greinke
Jeff Greinke is an American ambient music and jazz artist and composer currently based in Tucson, Arizona. He is known as one of the pioneers of dark ambient music, with his earlier solo albums often compared to works by Robert Rich, Brian Eno, and Vidna Obmana...
, Erik Wøllo, Saul Stokes
Saul Stokes
Saul Stokes is an American electronic musician and composer. He creates music that most would consider ambient, using an array of modular synthesizer equipment that he builds from scratch. His "hand forged electronics" include handheld synthesizers, rhythms pads, and tabletop modular synthesizers...
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.
External links
- Star's End website
- The Gatherings concert series website
See also
- EchoesEchoes (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,...
, a nightly ambient music show produced by music critic John DilibertoJohn DilibertoJohn Diliberto is an award-winning radio producer, music writer, and host of Echoes, a radio program on Public Radio International featuring ambient, downtempo music "soundscapes"....
. - Hearts of SpaceHearts of SpaceHearts 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...
, a US-based ambient radio programme produced since 1973 by Stephen Hill. - Musical StarstreamsMusical StarstreamsMusical Starstreams is a terrestrial and internet radio program that first aired in the San Francisco bay area in December 1981...
, a US-based commercial radio program produced and hosted by Forest since 1981. - Ultima Thule Ambient MusicUltima Thule Ambient MusicUltima 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...
, a weekly ambient music radio show broadcast on community radio in Australia since 1989.