''Ultima Thule Ambient Music'' is a long-running, specialist ambient music radio show which has been broadcast on
Australian
community radio
Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popula ...
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 podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...
. As at December 2007, Ultima Thule was the number one ambient
music podcast
A music podcast is a genre of podcasts covering topics related to music and musicians, which often includes reviews, interpretations, new releases, musician interviews, music history, music creation, and music theory.
History
Music podcasts d ...
on the
iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
.
Show format
Each broadcast is uninterrupted by back-announcing other than near the beginning and end of the show, and consists of a 90-minute musical
soundscape
A soundscape is the acoustic environment as perceived by humans, in context. The term was originally coined by Michael Southworth, and popularised by R. Murray Schafer. There is a varied history of the use of soundscape depending on discipline, ...
created by
segue
A segue (; ) is a smooth transition from one topic or section to the next. The term is derived from Italian ''segue'', which literally means "follows".
In music
In music, ''segue'' is a direction to the performer. It means ''continue (the next ...
mixing tracks from a number of different artists. The musical content of each show is eclectic and diverse, and can embrace
ancient
Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cov ...
,
mediaeval,
contemporary classical,
ethnic/world,
cool jazz
Cool jazz is a style of modern jazz music that arose in the United States after World War II. It is characterized by relaxed tempos and lighter tone, in contrast to the fast and complex bebop style. Cool jazz often employs formal arrangements an ...
,
film soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
s and occasionally even
popular
Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group.
Popular may also refer to:
In sociology
* Popular culture
* Popular fiction
* Popular music
* Popular science
* Populace, the total ...
idioms, in addition to mainstream
ambient,
new age
New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consi ...
and
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...
.
The duration of ''Ultima Thule'' has varied considerably over the years. Initially launched as a 90-minute programme, the duration was expanded progressively to two, and then three hours, until settling back into a 90-minute slot from March 2001.
History and presenters
The project was conceived by
George Cruickshank, and the first show aired on 1 February 1989, from the
Narwee studios of
2NBC-FM. In early 1990 the show was moved to Australia's oldest and biggest community station,
2MBS-FM, where it has been based ever since.
From the show's foundation until late 1998, George Cruickshank was Ultima Thule's sole programmer and presenter. Towards the end of 1998, David Bassin, Candace Cappe, Victor Kay and Nev Dorrington joined Cruickshank as co-producers, although that arrangement proved impractical, and was terminated early in 1999.
Dorrington subsequently rejoined the show's on-air lineup late in 2001, along with Mike Watson, a.k.a. Mike G, creator of the
Ambient Music Guide reference website. Watson remained with the show for five years, before departing in late 2006. Watson's position in the Ultima Thule roster was then taken by Marc "Kundalini" Cottee. Jon Shapiro joined the show in 2009. American presenter Jack Anthony replaced Nev Dorrington in 2016.
The show has been presented on a fortnightly cycle since late 2001, with Cruickshank presenting every second broadcast, while each of the other presenters take turns hosting the show in the alternate weeks.
Syndication, streaming and podcast
''Ultima Thule'' is broadcast live by
2MBS-FM in
Sydney,
Australia, on Thursday evenings between 10.30pm and midnight.
In June 2003 ''Ultima Thule'' was networked to
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
by 2MBS' sister station,
5MBS-FM. It is broadcast there on Sunday evenings, also from 10.30pm to midnight.
A third station in the
Fine Music Network,
Artsound FM
ArtSound FM (callsign 1ART) is a community radio station broadcasting to Canberra from studios in the suburb of Manuka. Its format is fine music and arts programming.
ArtSound was established in the early 1980s under the name Canberra Stereo ...
,
Canberra, began to carry the show in November 2006, broadcasting it on Tuesday evenings from 10.00pm.
In March 2008 it was announced on the ''Ultima Thule''
blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...
that the show had been picked up for nationwide distribution via the
Community Broadcasting Association of Australia
The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) is the peak body and the national representative organisation for community radio and television stations in Australia. The CBAA provide leadership, advocacy and support for members to ac ...
's Community Radio Network satellite service - which delivers shared programming to over 180 radio stations in all states and territories. That arrangement commenced on 2 May.
''Ultima Thule'' has been available as a podcast since May 2005, and at any given time 8 shows are available for download in
MP3
MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
form through the programme's website. It can also be streamed live from the
2MBS-FM website.
Compilation album
''Chasing the Dawn: Ultima Thule Ambient Volume 01'', a branded compilation album produced by George Cruickshank, was released as a fund-raiser for 2MBS in early 2006.
It features original and previously unreleased compositions by thirteen ambient artists, including
Steve Roach, Tim Story,
Robert Rich, and
Numina
Numen (plural numina) is a Latin term for "divinity", "divine presence", or "divine will." The Latin authors defined it as follows:For a more extensive account, refer to Cicero writes of a "divine mind" (''divina mens''), a god "whose numen ever ...
.
The recording reached #41 on the
New Age Reporter music chart in August 2006.
See also
* ''
Echoes'', a nightly ambient music show produced by music critic
John Diliberto
* ''
Hearts of Space'', an ambient music programme broadcast on
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
in the US since the late 1970s. Hosted by
Stephen Hill
* ''
Musical Starstreams'', a US-based commercial radio program produced and hosted by Forest since 1981
* ''
Star's End
:''Star's End is also a 1974 album by British composer David Bedford and a 1982 novel by Glen Cook.''
''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, i ...
'', a weekly ambient music programme broadcast on public radio in Philadelphia since 1976, hosted by Chuck van Zyl
*
Music podcast
A music podcast is a genre of podcasts covering topics related to music and musicians, which often includes reviews, interpretations, new releases, musician interviews, music history, music creation, and music theory.
History
Music podcasts d ...
References
*
*
*
*
* (Se
herefor scans of the 3 articles mentioned, above).
Notes
External links
* {{official
Australian radio programs
Music podcasts
Ambient music radio programs
Australian podcasts