Me-Lee is the main composer for moZaiKa. Bands such as Massive Attack, Lamb and Bjork are a common influence for their edgy electronica sounds combined with strong melodies all to create a textural mood which one can sink their ears into. Me-Lee also maintains her love for the piano classical composers particularly Chopin, Debussy and the 20th century australian composer Miriam Hyde. Combining these two very opposing forces of classical meeting electronica Me-Lee hopes to make moZaiKa an original sound which listeners can journey with and their aural senses being tantalised
Me-Lee fist began her musical career at the young age of 4 1/2 years of age starting with classical piano. She continued studying right through to achieve her A.Mus.A (Associate Diploma of Music, AMEB) in piano at a young age of 17 years. Despite achieving fourth in the state for music in the HSC (and dux of the school), Me-Lee decided to turn her back on formal musical education after school but instead studying the sciences.
She continued to explore music by learning jazz piano with the reknowned australian jazz pianist Chuck Yates, wanting to know more than just black dots (ie musical notation) and harmonic rules and regulations akin with the classical world ("good heavens don't sharpen that 5th - it's the devi'ls interval!!"). Playing as a keyboardist for RnB super group Madison McKoy (www.madisonmckoy.com) put her on the road to learning to play through a PA and with other musicians rather than being centre of attention as a soloist classical pianist.
Wanting to explore her compositional side, Me-Lee first wrote her songs strumming chords on a guitar, needing to NOT know notes she was playing and thereby purely using her ear and instinct to write her first tunes (on the sunny beaches on Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand). After translating her first few compositioins from guitar to piano the step of composing from guitar to piano was only natrual once learning the just let go of the theoretical side of music.
Always being curious with the way in which bands such as Massive Atack and Bjork developed their sounds Me-Lee self taught herself programmes such as Acid and Fruity Loops in an effort explore non traditional instrument sounds. She self engineered her first EP (solo work under her name) using Cakewalk Audio and implemented the use of synthesisers.
As a performer, Me-Lee continues intense study and practice her classical piano repertoire, ever increasing it, which in turn subliminally influences her compositional side. Her new love for the cello - which she has attached custom made fittings to play whilst standing up is also also a source of inspiration as it explores a totally new way of producing sound via bowing techniques, in synchrony with guitar effects pedals not possible with piano.
Having journeyed from solo work through to having a 4 piece band ("Me-Lee's Mosaic" EP released thruhg MGM in 2003) and now back again to a soloist - Me-Lee is now at a place to feel completely liberated in terms of what mediums to use as a composer. The album was recorded, engineered and produced by her including being the singer, cellist and pianist. Her compositional strengths are string arrangements and electronica programming combined with acoustic / classical instrumentation.
