Penumbra

Hueso Records (HR) is my music label that has been releasing tracks in Brooklyn, US and Santiago, Chile since 2006. One mission of this project is to restore and publish music that has never been released before, either because there weren’t enough funds or lack of public interest to produce it when the music was originally recorded.

This mixtape is very similar to the bootlegs I made during the 1980s and 90s, when I recorded demos of Chilean underground bands on cassettes that were circulating among my friends. The unifying spirit of these bands was the anti-fascist dictatorship position.

I am currently conducting further research on this topic in a collaborative series between Hueso Records and the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA) in New York. The series highlights music as a form of resistance against South American military dictatorships during the 1970s and 80s, showcasing the inventiveness, talent, and resilience of musicians who, with minimal resources, protested against repression and censorship through their music.

The research project will be officially presented through the month of October 2025 as part of my exhibition Penumbra, at the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center (GAM) in Santiago, Chile. The event will feature a gathering of works, objects, videos, live interviews, and live performances, all coordinated to highlight the importance and influence of underground music and its intersection with other artistic disciplines during the 1980s in Chile. 

Penumbra will also host activities of the 17th Biennial of Media Arts and Interference, which will jointly take place in the GAM Visual Arts Space.

Penumbra Mixtape Songlist

0-Cleopatras 
Cleopatra, Chicas del Nilo VI (recorded 1987, released by HR 2015 and 2024)

1-Pinichet Boys 
Música del general (recorded 1984, released by HR 2012 and 2021)

2-Electrodomésticos 
Politikis (recorded 1990-91, released by HR 2013)

3-Cleopatras 
Porqué te vas (recorded 1987, released by HR 2015 and 2024)

4-Alvaro Peña 
Nada (recorded 1986, released by HR 2014)

5-Banda Pequeño Vicio 
El reto (recorded 1987, released by HR 2018)

6-Indice de Desempleo 
Warema KK (recorded 1988, released by HR 2013)

7-Parkinson 
1988 (recorded 1988, unreleased)

8-Maria Sonora 
Despojados (recorded 1989-90, released by HR 2025)