From Boardroom to Beatmaking: Executive's Spiritual Awakening Yields Debut Album 'Axé Ilê (Home Within)'

PR Newswire

SEATTLE, Dec. 5, 2025

11-Track Journey Spanning 110,000 Miles Across Four Continents Fuses Afro-Brazilian Rhythms, AI Engineering, and Global Sounds

SEATTLE, Dec. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Tone Rich, the artist name of Anthony Long, a veteran marketing and growth executive who led teams at USA TODAY, AOL, and Vistaprint, has emerged from a profound life transition with an unexpected creative offering: his debut album "Axé Ilê (Home Within)" an 11-track AI-assisted electronic music production reflecting a personal pilgrimage from loss through healing to liberation.

But the heart of "Axé Ilê (Home Within)" lies in its message: that reconnecting with our life force energy—regardless of cultural origin or instrument—is the universal path home to ourselves.

Shaped by a transformative year spanning 110,000+ miles across four continents, the album bridges sacred and club, ancestry and AI, spinning pan-African spirituality, Afro-Brazilian rhythms, Hindi chants, Japanese minimalism, and Middle Eastern modal scales into borderless spiritual electronic music.

The title carries profound meaning rooted in Afro-Brazilian spiritual tradition. "Axé Ilê" merges two Yorùbá concepts as expressed in Brazilian Portuguese: "Axé" (life force, sacred energy) and "Ilê" (home, earth, origin)—together meaning "home of divine energy".

"This music is about spiritual awakening and homecoming to the self," Tone Rich explains. "It's about rising with the power and energy that gives life itself the ability to transform—like a butterfly emerging and soaring toward its highest calling. Each track is a musical prayer connecting listeners to healing through movement, identity reclamation, and love as unifying force."

AI Engineer Transforms Code Into Ceremony

Tone Rich's use of AI in music production reflects nearly a decade innovating artificial intelligence applications. As founder of Accelaira, an AI engineering company, and co-founder of Spoken Ventures, Tone Rich was among the first entrepreneurs granted access to OpenAI's private beta almost two years before ChatGPT's release, building Narralist, an AI-powered text-to-speech and content transformation platform.

"As an AI engineer and creative visionary, I transform emotion into algorithm and code into ceremony," Tone Rich notes. "The technology enables me to build compositions that are both ritual and architecture—honoring multiple cultural traditions with the depth and complexity they deserve."

A Global Sonic Journey

The album unfolds as a deliberate journey through spiritual transformation. Opening with "Axé Rising," an energetic Afro House anthem with infectious vocal hooks and call-and-response chants, the album immediately establishes its dance floor credibility.

"Namah Shivaya Fire Within" layers sacred Hindi chants over pulsing electronic basslines, bridging Indian devotional music with Afro-Brazilian rhythmic patterns, while the debut single "Maré do Ilê" (Tide of Homecoming) opens with breathtaking vocal performances and trademark Tone Rich grooves.

Sung in English, Portuguese, Yorùbá, Japanese, Spanish, Hindi, and Arabic, the album creates music that moves bodies, awakens minds, and nourishes souls—suited for both meditation practices and dance floors.

Building the Future of Spiritual Electronic Music

Through his label Enriched Sound LLC, Tone Rich positions himself at the intersection of artistic innovation and technological evolution. After navigating significant personal and professional transitions, the former executive found creative expression that bridges analytical skills with deeply personal spiritual exploration.

His pioneering work with AI technology gives him unique perspective on the creative potential of generative tools. But the heart of "Axé Ilê (Home Within)" lies in its message: that reconnecting with our life force energy—regardless of cultural origin or instrument—is the universal path home to ourselves.

The album "Axé Ilê (Home Within)" is available today on all major streaming platforms via Enriched Sound LLC: https://tonerich.lnk.to/axe-ile-home-within.

About Tone Rich

Tone Rich is a producer, artist, and engineer who fuses global rhythm, ancient energy, and AI-assisted sound into music that moves bodies, awakens minds, and nourishes souls. A sonic storyteller bridging sacred and club, ancestry and AI, he blends multiple genres into borderless compositions where Afro-Brazilian percussion meets Hindi chants, Yorùbá spirituality embraces Japanese textures, and every track guides listeners through revelation and renewal.

Drawing on decades of leadership experience at major media and e-commerce companies—and pioneering work with OpenAI's early beta programs—Tone Rich brings strategic vision and technical innovation to his music. His debut album Axé Ilê (Home Within) traces a personal pilgrimage from loss through healing to liberation. Through his label Enriched Sound LLC, Tone Rich builds the future of spiritual electronic music—where art, technology, and tempo pulse as one.

Press Contact

press@enrichedsound.com

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Stream/Download: https://tonerich.lnk.to/axe-ile-home-within

More Info

Artist: https://tonerichmusic.com

Label: https://enrichedsound.com

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Instagram: @tonerichmusic

TikTok: @tonerichmusic

YouTube: @tonerichmusic

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