String Quartets from Four Corners of the Globe: Saturday, Sept. 12 | 10pm

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by Maggie Molloy
Gabriela Lena Frank, Lei Liang, Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, and the Danish String Quartet are among the featured artists in this week’s episode.

The string quartet is an ensemble that just about every composer writes for at some point in their career. Two violins, one viola, one cello—and an entire world of possibilities.

Robert Schumann described the string quartet as a conversation among four people. Like any good conversation, a good string quartet is one where each voice contributes—where the players listen to one another, exchange ideas, and share a bit of their own personalities.

As we’ll hear on this Saturday’s episode of Second Inversion, the string quartet can also serve as a conversation between different musical cultures. This weekend, we’ll explore string quartets from four different corners of the globe. Tune in for music inspired by the mountains of Peru, the shamanic rituals of Mongolia, the musical modes of Azerbaijan, and the folk songs of Sweden.

To listen, tune in to KING FM on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 10pm PT.

Underwater: Saturday, Sept. 5 | 10pm

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by Maggie Molloy

Music is like water: it can be calm and serene, or choppy and chaotic. It can lift you, carry you, or bury you—it can immerse you in its waves.

On this Saturday’s episode of Second Inversion, we’re exploring music inspired by water. We’ll get lost in the waves with music ranging from rippling rivers to epic storms and ethereal whale songs.

To listen, tune in to KING FM on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 10pm PT.

Sonic Hypnosis: Saturday, Aug. 29 | 10pm

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by Maggie Molloy
Music from Dawn of Midi’s Dysnomia is included in this week’s episode.

You are getting sleepy—very, very sleepy…

When most of us think about hypnosis, the first image that comes to mind is a doctor swinging a pocket watch back and forth in front of the patient’s face, their eyes fixated on the watch as they slowly fall into a trance. And while that’s certainly an oversimplified image of hypnosis, it does get at some of the major characteristics: repetition, visual fixation, altered consciousness.

On this week’s episode of Second Inversion, we’re exploring sonic hypnosis. From aural illusions to mesmerizing trances, we’ll hear works that focus the mind and play with our perception of time.

To listen, tune in to KING FM on Saturday, August 29 at 10pm PT.

VIDEO PREMIERE: Robert Honstein’s “Soul House” ft. Hub New Music

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by Maggie Molloy

There’s no place like home: the sounds, the smells, the secret places that shape our childhood experiences.

Robert Honstein’s Soul House explores memories of his own childhood home in New Jersey, with each movement inspired by a unique space within or nearby the house. From the playful to the introspective, he captures the fleeting moments that make a childhood house into a home. The title comes from an ancient Egyptian tradition of burying clay model houses in tombs with the deceased, intended as a vessel for the soul to inhabit in the afterlife.

We’re thrilled to premiere a brand new video for the piece, performed by Hub New Music and Urbanity Dance and captured by Four/Ten Media.

Hub New Music’s debut album Soul House is out now on New Amsterdam Records. For more details, click here.

Listening to the Birds: Saturday, Aug. 22 | 10pm

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by Maggie Molloy
The red-whiskered bulbul is one of the birds that inspired composer Olivier Messiaen. Photo by Prasanna Venkatesh G.

You can learn a lot from the birds—when you’re quiet enough to listen.

The freedom and spontaneity of birdsong has inspired composers across the ages, including many composers today. Each one has its own unique melody, rhythm, timbre, and tune.

This week on Second Inversion, we’re listening to the birds. From mourning doves to evening vespers, we’ll hear music written for an entire orchestra of birds. Plus, a piece that brings together birdsongs from all around the globe.

To listen, tune in to KING FM on Saturday, August 22 at 10pm PT.