8-minute MACHINE
For Your GRAMMY® Consideration –
Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Composer's Note
8-minute MACHINE is a composition built on precision and symmetry. The piece unfolds in eight one-minute movements, each defined by an exact tempo calculation — so that every sixty seconds mark a new chapter in time. Drawing from Brazilian rhythmic language, I treated every instrument — from piano and guitar to bass — as part of a larger percussive engine. The arrangement is built in mirrored pairs, with instruments interacting across the stereo field — left and right — creating a sense of dialogue, balance, and motion. The result is a mechanical yet human rhythm machine, where structure and emotion coexist in balance.
About the Composer
Isaias Elpes is a Brazilian-born, Los Angeles–based composer and multi-instrumentalist whose work bridges classical form, cinematic narrative, and the rhythmic pulse of his heritage.
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A Latin GRAMMY®-recognized arranger and award-winning musician, Elpes has collaborated with artists such as Gloria Estefan, Sérgio Mendes, Brian McKnight, and Jorge Drexler, while developing a compositional voice rooted in precision and emotional depth. His catalog includes concert and film works that blend Brazilian lyricism with modern harmonic architecture, earning comparisons to Heitor Villa-Lobos for their balance of clarity and soul.
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Recent projects include the feature film Maloucos Contra o Ladrão de Sonhos (2025), original music for CBS’s Zoo and Globoplay’s Todas as Flores, and a growing body of chamber compositions led by 8-minute MACHINE — now under GRAMMY® consideration in the Contemporary Classical category.
Press & Recognition
“Turning eight movements into an intricate dance between mathematical precision and raw emotion.”
— Where The Music Meets on 8-minute MACHINE
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“Experimental, sensitive, and refreshing … Isaias Elpes has carved a place in the contemporary music scene through beautiful instrumental compositions that flow between jazz, classical, and experimental music.”
— Ovoide, "Hallazgos #81"
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“His work blends South American and Latin swing alongside classical guitar sounds, morphing into something that allies classical strings with a South American feel — almost a soundtrack in golden glow.”
— ACID TED
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“His music combines elements of jazz, academic music, and global folklore into soundscapes that feel alive and unbound… where Hermeto Pascoal meets Steve Reich and Pat Metheny.”
— Ovoide, “Hallazgos #23”
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“Los Angeles–based Brazilian guitarist and composer Isaias Elpes brings both lyricism and architectural control to his recordings.”
— Guitar Salon International​​
