Radiodiffusion Internasionaal Annexe

♬ Un Kilo de Kilovations

About a year or so ago, I stumbled on the reissue of Chelique Sarabia‘s Revolución Electrónica en Música Venezolana album – and it blew me away.

José Enrique “Chelique” Sarabia was born in La Asunción, Isla Margarita, Venezuela on 13 March 1940. In 1971, Chelique recorded an album of traditional and folkloric songs but giving them a modern touch, using specially developed equipment based on the principles of the Moog synthesizer. He employed traditional instruments like the cuatro and the bandola llanera, filtered these instruments through oscillators, playing with feedback, tape delay, synthesized frequencies, echoing sounds. Originally, the album was sponsored by the Shell Company in Venezuela, given away to customers, employees and friends of the company as a Christmas gift in 1973. It was titled 4 Fases del Cuatro – Música Venezolana desarrollada Electrónicamente por Chelique Sarabia / 4 Phases of Four – Venezuelan Music Electronically Developed by Chelique Sarabia. Once the exclusivity period with the petrol company was over, Chelique did a commercial release, this time under the name of Revolución Electrónica en Música Venezolana / Electronic Revolution in Venezuelan Music.

This single was a co-release between the C.A. La Electricidad De Caracas and C.A. Luz Electrica De Venezuela. No catalog number or release date listed.