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Venezuelan-Ukrainian artist, Oksana Linde, debuts after 30 years of beginning to compose in the 80s. Archival works of this caliber are not driven by a need to exploit nostalgia, but by justice.

Last year, one of the most important releases was by the Scottish composer Janet Beat, who after decades of an innovative career was finally able to debut her intricate soundscapes. Obviously -and unfortunately-, that great event was buried under the weight of albums and artists that enjoy collective appreciation driven purely by trends. However, one cannot fail to celebrate the fact that spaces are finally opening up so that the female pioneers of electronic music and sound experimentation can finally present their material to the public. In Mexico, the work of free jazz pioneer, Ana Ruíz, is being mentioned more frequently, as well as the work of women who are at the forefront of the avant-garde and the extreme, such as Leslie García, Concepción Huerta, Sarmen Almond, Victoria Carmilla Hazemaze; and now, thanks to the always wise curatorship of Buh Records, we can enjoy another late debut, but no less important for that: Aquatic and Other Worlds, in the hands of the Venezuelan-Ukrainian artist, Oksana Linde.

Oksana's biography deserves its own section, written by far better hands, but suffice it to say that from the very first note, Aquatic kicks into high gear, as if its energy had been contained for decades and it’s just been allowed to finally let loose. A hyperbole perhaps, but that interpretation is totally justified when you take into account that Oksana is debuting these pieces after a little more than 30 years since she started composing taking advantage of the infinite possibilities of synthesizers back in the 80s. Archival works like this are not driven by a need to exploit nostalgia, rather than by justice.

Under a title that could not be more apt, all the pieces in Aquatic have an underwater quality to them, with some tracks seemingly submerging us to the limits of the abyssal zone, while others lift us to the surface allowing us to take a breath. The synthesizers’ settings, with what appears to be a phaser or flanger effect, creates the impression that each piece is a signal being emitted from the bottom of an ocean, but not precisely one from Earth.

And, of course, what would all this be without at least a hint of emotion? Fortunately, Oksana endows all her work with sensitivity, with quite strong moments such as the melancholy of "Recordando a Kitaro", the intrigue of "Intromersión" and "Viaje a la Luz", the triumphant awe of "Descubrimiento" or the ethereal “Nenufar” and “Mariposas Acuáticas”. Aquatic has emotional range and it is not only about cold-hearted experimentation (which can also become quite intriguing when something new is really being proposed), making it a fairly accessible endeavor, and although it may draw more than one unnecessary (but acceptable) comparison to other artists and albums, what makes this work so important is what it meant at the time and place these pieces were created, as well as the fact that they are finally available to everyone to enjoy.