Pharmakon

Pharmakon is the project of Margaret Chardiet, who started making music in New York City around 2004. Her work draws from industrial noise and ambient textures, with vocals that can feel raw and confrontational. The project's name itself suggests something medicinal and poisonous at once, which fits the tension in the music.

Her first album 'Abandon' came out in 2011, followed by records like 'Bestial Burden' in 2014. Songs such as 'Ache,' 'Autoimmune,' and 'Body Betrays Itself' deal directly with physical and psychological distress, often through layers of distortion and rhythmic pounding. The sound isn't meant to be easy; it's built to unsettle.

Chardiet has worked with various collaborators over time, but she remains the central voice and driving force. The music tends to polarize listeners, some find it cathartic, others overwhelming. That reaction seems intentional, part of how Pharmakon operates within experimental and noise circles without aiming for broader appeal.