Peace in the Middle of Chaos. I created this EP during a time of severe mental health struggles—a period marked by the constant repression of feelings rooted in trauma. It became a journal of thoughts I couldn’t fully understand: shame, guilt, anger, depression, self-hatred. Unaware of my trauma and the coping mechanisms I had developed to suppress my emotions—and with a completely distorted sense of self—I threw myself into overworking and escapism, using music and the fantasy of success as a refuge. As an immigrant in Europe, the economic reality only added to the weight. But within this storm, the act of creating brought a sense of peace.

Brutalist Pop, Computer Folk

Drawing from the visual aesthetics of the Dada and Surrealist movements, as well as the stark, imposing beauty of Brutalist architecture, Tzara The Machine shapes these influences into a sound best described as Brutalist Pop or Computer Folk. The EP’s sonic world juxtaposes raw, industrial textures with intricate, glitchy details—much like

Brutalist concrete forms reveal unexpected patterns and depth. It is music built on contrast: organic yet mechanical, delicate yet unrelenting.

Central to the EP’s creation is a sample of American guitarist Toivo Hannigan, a longtime collaborator of Francisco. In 2021, Hannigan recorded a free acoustic improvisation on a cassette tape recorder, overdubbed another acoustic guitar layer, and sent it to Francisco. This three-minute fragment became the foundation of an unexpected creative process. Through electronic manipulation, Francisco reshaped and fragmented the recording, transforming it into something entirely new—nonlinear, warped, yet deeply expressive. The result is a blend of organic and glitchy soundscapes—an approach that feels Cubist in its reinterpretation of guitar music.

The instrumentation reflects a tension between the natural and the mechanical, weaving together sampled folk guitar, fiercely aggressive kick drums, and fragmented melodies. These contrasting elements mirror the contradictions within Francisco’s psyche at the time—between dissociation and hyper-awareness, between numbness and raw emotion. The music moves through these states, embracing both beauty and distortion, creating a soundscape that feels both organic and otherworldly.

This EP was mixed by Lautaro Hochman, bandleader and producer for the Amsterdam- based band Melqui, and mastered by Wessel Oltheten, known for his work with DeWolff, Black Oak, Spinvis, Navarone, Pocket Knife Army, and many others. Their expertise helped shape the final sound, preserving its emotional rawness while enhancing its sonic depth.