Richard Francis (aka Eso Steel) has been active as an experimental music composer and improviser since 1996. His work over the years has explored different techniques of sound generation and processing, with a focus on manipulating field and object recordings of acoustic and electronic sounds from the surrounding environment.

He has released solo and collaborative sound works on labels such as Drone Records, Stateart, Celebrate Psi Phenomenon, Digitalis Industries, Absurd and Scarcelight, as well as his own label CMR. Currently CMR is focused on documenting the Auckland music scene on lathe cut record.

As a performing artist he has toured in Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. From 2003-2006 Francis co-operated ACROMA, an organization that coordinated a series of experimental music events in Auckland hosting local and visiting experimental sound artists. Francis is a member of the Alt.Music committee, and in 2005 joined the board of the New Zealand Audio Foundation.

He has collaborated for recording and/or performance with Birchville Cat Motel, MSBR, Empirical, Tetuzi Akiyama, Gate, Mattin, Lawrence English, Rosy Parlane, Pumice, Howard Stelzer, Kuwayama Kiyoharu, Phil Dadson, Joel Stern, Anthony Guerra, Sean Meehan, Antony Milton, James Kirk, MHFS, Tim Coster, Paul Winstanley, Ishigami Kazuya, Takefumi Naoshima, Toshihiro Koike, Jason Lescalleet, Jay Sullivan, Jason Kahn.