Travesias

Description

A new album by composer Oksana Linde presents new electronic pieces, composed between 1986 and 1994, that have remained unreleased. This set of electronic pieces explores more ambient and meditative sounds. The Venezuelan composer Oksana Linde presents Travesias, her second album released by Buh Records, featuring pieces created between 1986 and 1994 in her private studio in San Antonio de Los Altos, Venezuela. These works belong to the same creative period as the pieces included in her acclaimed debut album, Aquatic and Other Worlds (Buh, 2022). Born in 1948 in Caracas to Ukrainian immigrant parents, Oksana Linde's journey is an example of resilience and innovation. After abandoning her career as a chemist due to health problems, Linde devoted herself to music, experimenting with synthesizers to create a deeply evocative sonic universe. She produced a vast number of recordings during the 1980s, many of which remained unreleased until the publication of Aquatic and Other Worlds. This new collection of pieces, taken from the extensive archive of cassette tapes preserved by Linde, unveils yet another perspective of her work. The pieces "Mundos Flotantes" (Floating Worlds), "Horizontes Lejanos" (Distant Horizons), and "Arrecifes en el espacio" (Reefs in Space) were specifically composed for the show Travesia Acuastral (Aqua-Astral Journey), presented by Linde in February 1991 at Casa Romulo Gallegos as part of the 3rd Encounter of New Electronic Music. This event, produced by Maite Galan in collaboration with the Musikautomatika group, was a milestone in shaping an experimental electronic music scene in Venezuela, one of the most active in Latin America at that time. The name Travesia Acuastral alludes to the surreal imagination that inspired much of the artist's production. These ideas of extraordinary ways of perceiving reality at one point connected with certain trends in alternative meditation, such as Reiki, which captured the artist's attention from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. This was shortly after the serious health issues that led to her abandoning her work as a chemical researcher. Linde composed a series of pieces for use in meditation sessions, four of which are included in this compilation: "Luciernagas en los manglares" (Fireflies in the Mangroves), "Estrellas I" and "II" (Stars I and II), and "Kerepakupai Vena." The latter refers to two words from the Pemon Indigenous community in southeastern Venezuela, meaning Angel Falls, the name of the world's tallest waterfall. Travesias solidifies Oksana Linde's position as an essential figure in electronic music and furthers the effort to bring to light one of the most fascinating archives of electronic music produced in Latin America. This compilation is released through Buh Records in a limited edition of 500 copies. Compilation and liner notes by Luis Alvarado. Mastered by Alberto Cendra at Garden Lab Audio. Cover photo by Elisa Ochoa Linde. Art and design by Gonzalo de Montreuil. This album was made possible thanks to the Ibermusicas fund.