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"Afterglow"

Best Drums
Best Programming
Best Production
Best Melody
Best Mood
Most Original
Feel Good Track
in
Latin

"Souvenirs"

Best Keyboards
Best Melody
Most Original
in
World Fusion

Sound Samples
&
The Story Behind the Music of Rhythm of Life
By Malele

When I started this album, I didn't have a clear idea of where I wanted to go. I knew it was going to be an instrumental album and that it would incorporate a lot of different styles of music. I also knew that I wanted this album to tell a story...my story. So, each song was inspired by a place, an event, or a person in my life.

I used complex rhythms and hypnotic time signatures to create a unique and powerful blend of world music, rock, R&B, classical, Latin and jazz concepts.

Jen(complete) was inspired by my wife. We met at a club where she was bartending and I was working as a bouncer. When I saw her for the first time, I thought she was incredibly beautiful. She was tall, athletic, and had big blue eyes that were looking at me with intrigue. She had a boyfriend at the time and I was also involved with somebody, so we became friends. In the end, though, those relationships failed and our friendship grew into love. We married on the beach in November 2004. She loves chill-out music, reggae and the saxophone. This song has all these elements.

Imagine is probably the most commercial track of the album. I wrote it when I was traveling the beautiful coast of Florida. I imagined what it would be like to live by the sea, to see the sunset every night, falling asleep to the sound of the ocean.

Life... or Something Like It combines R&B and jazz fusion with a flute as the lead instrument. Again there are a lot of changes in this song, many of which are unexpected by the listener. This is a little bit like the unexpected surprises life gives us once in a while.

Life... or Something Like It (sample #2)

Thinking of You is a beautiful piano solo with some classical elements in it.

Nightlife was inspired by the years I spent working at a club as a bouncer. It has a dance groove that is built with a powerful bass and drums. I also added a heavy rhythm guitar that gives the song a slight metal edge. This song is also filled with little changes.

Afterglow (Complete) is a celebration of life. It is about the joy and pleasures you get from just being alive. The song is written around a simple but gripping bass and drum line to which I added a catchy trumpet melody.

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Wildlife is a song about the beauty of Africa. I left Africa when I was 4 but used to return during the summer every year. One year my brothers and I took a trip through the savanna and went to Mount Kilimanjaro. It was an amazing journey. We saw lions, hippopotamus, giraffes, Rhino, and Gorillas in their wild habitats.

I met Isabella when she was 5 years old. I learned that her father had abandoned her and her mother at the tender age of two. She was suffering from NDA (No Dad Around) syndrome. The bond I formed with her grew, and I made the decision then to be there for her forever. She is 18 years old now and she still thinks of me as her dad. This is a fusion song with a hint of world beat in it.

One day I was walking our dog Buddy close to a park where we live. There were children playing and the sound of their laughter became the inspiration for Fields of Joy. It is a fun song with a Latin beat that makes you want to dance and be happy.

Bouncer's Groove is about the time I worked as a bouncer at Gilligan's Bar & Grill on Siesta Key. Built around grooving R&B drums and bass, I added distortion guitar with a heavy metal edge that give the song a powerful sound.

 Cast away is darker than the other songs on the CD. This song captures the emotions I felt growing up in Belgium. At the time, I felt like I didn't belong because I was not living with my family. Being a teenager is difficult for most youth. For me, it felt like life was a big ocean where there was a storm raging and I was on a little raft fighting to survive. That's why I put Sea of Thunders as the intro. I end the song with Sea of Tranquility because I eventually made peace with who I was.

Once Upon A Time can be described as cross between a country western melody and African music. I had the idea for the melody a long time ago and I thought it would be cool to use an African beat with it. It is a different kind of tune. I also added strings and ethnic instruments. I have just done a remix version of this song. Soon It will be available for download.

Souvenirs (complete) - which means memories in French - is dedicated to my father and sister who passed away.

In 2003 I went to Hawaii with Isabella for a her 15th birthday. We went to O'ahu and Maui. Hawaii is truly beautiful. Wiamea Falls is one of the places we saw and loved.