“Redefining classical radio” is how Spacesfm (www.spacesfm.com) markets its Internet-only station. It’s a whopping redefinition, but one that many non-classical listeners relate to.
Ditching straight-ahead classical forms (sonatas, symphonies) and repertoire (Beethoven, Brahms), Spacesfm plays contemporary high-quality cinematic music, for the most part. That doesn’t necessarily mean soundtracks taken from movies, but there is an epic quality to the playlist, even in quiet moments. And high-quality music production is clearly a standard upheld by this pureplay station.
The result is outstanding listening at work. Sometimes lush murmuring in the background, sometimes inspiring swells of music pushing to the forefront, and mostly without lyrics, this can be a soundtrack for sustained concentration. Or, just beautiful contemporary instrumental music for any relaxed situation.
We heard artists well outside the mainstream: Roel Funcken, Stray Theories, Worms of the Earth, Dustin O’Halloran, Pleq, Nils Frahm, Julia Kent, and others — many of whom are indie music brands found on Bandcamp.
The website is as beautiful as the music, and features hour-long SoundCloud electronica mixes, sub-genre breakdowns, and music downloads.
It is possible (even advisable) to spend long amounts of time on Spacesfm. We plan to.