top of page
New Matrix Mirage albums are now available!
MM01.png
a2822849304_10.jpg

Oksana Linde

Writer's picture: Jeremy SpurgeonJeremy Spurgeon


Electronic musician, Oksana Linde has been composing music for over 40 years. With the help of Buh Records she released her debut album in March 2022, and is finally receiving some well-deserved notoriety as one of Venezuela’s undiscovered treasures.


When Luis Alvarado of Buh Records first contacted me in February 2022, I was very excited to listen to his new album release by Venezuelan artist Oksana Linde. Unfamiliar with Buh Records or Oksana Linde, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised! As it turned out, only a handful of people have been familiar with Oksana’s work. As I learned about her a beautiful and inspiring story began to unfold.


Oksana was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1948. Her parents were Ukrainian immigrants and although they did not have much money, they enjoyed their life. Oksana remembers visiting the beaches and what an effect it had on her, “I was very impacted when we went to the Caribbean beach”, she remembers. “The immense sea, the sound of the waves, and the colors were like another world to me”. Although science is Oksana’s passion, music has always been a part of her life. “My family bought a turntable when I was around four years old”, she says. “We listened to many genres of music, Ukrainian, Moldavan, classical, folk, and many others”. Oksana’s parents also bought an old piano when she was young so her grandmother could teach Oksana and her sisters. “I didn’t want to take lessons, so I just learned to play by ear”, she explains.


In college, she studied Oceanography and spent the weekends on the beach with her friends. During this time, she was a member of a musical group of fellow students who played movie themes, bossa nova, traditional jazz, and other styles. She completed her studies at the Central University in Caracas and interned at the Venezuela Institute for Science before being hired there permanently. By 1974, Oksana was married and had two daughters. “I managed to buy a piano and I played many pieces by ear”, she remembers. She started her PhD program but was unable to complete it because of her health. “I had to quit because of health issues”, she says. “The protective measures at the laboratory were not adequate and I later found out that I had been exposed to a number of toxins that had affected my organs and brain. Much of the damage was irreversible. I was heartbroken”. To make matters worse, she was misdiagnosed and given medication that made her condition worse. Oksana became very depressed as she dealt with her health issues. Eventually she met a physician who understood her symptoms and how to treat them. As her health improved, she decided to return to music. So she arranged for a loan and purchased a secondhand Moog Polymoog and a Teac 3440, 4-track tape recorder. “I started with those and later I added a Moog Source, a Roland Tape Echo, a TR-505, and a mixer”, she says. She met José Ignacio Lares and informally studied under him at the Institute of Phonology. “I call him the Venezuelan ‘Emerson’ because he dedicates himself mainly to progressive rock”, she says.


Oksana found solace in her music, “When I was isolated and immersed in composing it had a very therapeutic effect on me,” she explains. For a while Oksana was very productive. During the ‘80s and ‘90s she composed numerous pieces, many of which appears on her debut album, Aquatic and Other Worlds. Unfortunately, life in Venezuela has been particularly hard for Oksana. “We have lived under a totalitarian regime for more that 20 years”, she explains. “Our income has been very low, and the prices are very high”. Over the years Oksana has suffered many setbacks to her musical career. Most of her equipment was either sold or needed costly repairs. Other pieces were stolen. “It was hard to say good-bye to the equipment, but that is the way life is”, she says. Oksana continues to improvise on the piano but awaits the day she will have an electronic studio again.

In the early ‘80s Oksana met fellow musician Angel Rada. She visited his studio where they discussed recording techniques, philosophy, and musical ideas. It was a Facebook post by Angel that led Luis Alvarado to contact Oksana about releasing an album. “The post was written by music critic and good friend Gustavo E. Pazos, who has always encouraged me to compose music”, she explains. Luis arranged for Caterwú Studio to digitize Oksana’s musical archives from her remaining cassette recordings. “I tried to listen to my old cassettes, but my player started to destroy them”, she says. “Luis Méndez from Caterwú Studios was able to preserve what most likely would have been lost”. Twelve tracks were selected from the newly digitized files and remastered by Alberto Cendra at Garden Lab Audio and Aquatic and Other Worlds was born. 41 years after the first recordings were made, Oksana’s dream of releasing an album has been realized.


The reception has been amazing. Oksana and her music have been embraced by the music community the world over, and for good reason. Not only is her story inspiring, but her music is outstanding. When you consider that these tracks were composed during the early days of electronic music, you begin to understand why she is being hailed as a pioneer. Thanks to the help of record labels like Buh, the world is beginning to learn more about the rich electronic music scene of Latin America. Oksana’s music is a joy to listen to and is on par with many of her European contemporaries. “I was captivated with the otherworldly sounds of electronic musicians like Jarre, Vangelis, Kitaro, and Froese”, she tells me. “I wanted to make music that sounded like an orchestra with the acoustic and non-acoustic sounds I loved”. I believe you will agree she has succeeded. Her music is magical with complex melodies and simple arrangements. “It is hard for me to explain my recording process. Sometimes it was like I could see the music in my mind with shapes and colors”, she describes. Indeed, Oksana still notates musical ideas with lines and symbols, mapping out musical pieces that she wants to compose. Throughout all of the hardships and misfortunes in her life, she has remained true to her music. Utilizing the tools available to her, she has continued to compose. “In 2007 I acquired a Korg TR88 that was not fully functional, but I was able to use the on-board sequencer to compose many pieces”, she says. “I still have many tracks I would love to get off of that sequencer”. More recently she has been able to create music with royalty free sounds and Audacity, a free audio editor and multi-track recorder. “It is hard to get equipment here in Venezuela. I have been waiting years for some of synths to be repaired and I may never get them back”, she says.

Buh Records are planning to release more of Oksana’s music in the future and I remain hopeful that she can setup a new studio sometime soon. In fact, I hope that this article can in some way help to facilitate that. I applaud the efforts of Buh Records in shedding light on the amazing treasure trove of Latin American artists that have remained virtually unknown to the rest of the world. I asked Oksana if she was able to use mobile devices to make music because of their versatility and inexpensive apps and she said, “I haven’t used mobile devices to make music before, but now I am working on some sounds to use on future projects with the Latin American Women of Electronic Music, who consist of musicians from different countries in Latin America”.


In the world of electronic music, it is easy for us musicians to get caught up in the latest gear and software, especially now when devices are so inexpensive. It is hard to imagine artists struggling year after year trying to create their art without access to the basic tools they need. Many of us have never dealt with the kinds of issues that Oksana has faced, both physically and socioeconomically. She brings an interesting perspective to electronic music composition that we could learn from, “When I see photos of studios filled with instruments I wonder if they are all necessary”, she says. “It would be interesting to have an opportunity to work with just a few of them”.


Oksana is very humbled by the publicity she has received, “I am an empirical composer who relies on intuition and not on formal training. I’m not sure if all the publicity is warranted”, she says. However, her music speaks for itself and some of the greatest musicians have not been formally trained. I have truly enjoyed getting to know Oksana and listening to her music. I hope you will consider her situation and show your support any way you can.


For more information visit:

23 views1 comment

1 Kommentar


Jose Lares
Jose Lares
09. Jan.


Respetada amiga, Impactantes e inmerecidas palabras hacia mi humilde persona; Me es una honra total, me contenta que los conocimientos que mis clases te ofrecieran hayan logrado tus exitos, porque de eso es que se trata...¡¡¡Inmerecidas palabras...😎😎😎

Gefällt mir
bottom of page