Posted on: May 15, 2010 Posted by: Aaron_George Comments: 0

Building anticipation for his debut album, The Reset, out May 25, recently signed Mello Music Group producer Apollo Brown re-releases a mixtape done in 2007 named Skilled Trade. Raw in its sound, Skilled Trade is a collection showcasing Apollo Brown’s honed craft through the 30 tracks of instrumentals included in the album. “Really, the inspiration behind putting this project out was to get a little bit of my sound out of the bedroom and into the streets,” says Apollo.

A true display of talent, not only did Apollo produce and arrange it himself but also created the physical album through his own means, then distributing them the same exact way. But it isn’t just talent that makes Apollo a good producer but also the hard work he is willing to devote to his craft. “The dirty boots on the cover signify work. That’s all I do,” Apollo says, “I’m always working hard to better my craft and make sure my music sounds as good as it can.” On The Reset, Apollo’s hard work and talent will mix with the likes of accomplished emcees such as Rapper Big Pooh, Stik Figa and fellow label mates, Diamond District to bring the debut album to most excited fans.

“Streets Won’t Let Me Chill” Remix will available on iTunes tomorrow.

The Background:

Born into a bi-racial family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Apollo Brown’s early influences skewed more toward the music of Journey and The Carpenters than the urban genres his peers often cite as inspiration. This is not to say that once hip-hop came into play, Apollo wasn’t all in. Just as easily as he can praise the virtues of yacht rock, the 29-year-old beatsmith can name personal heroes – Gang Starr, Wu-Tang, Mobb Deep, M.O.P., Nas, and Black Moon – from the early 90s period in which, for him, beats and rhymes became life. Apollo began making his own music in 1996 using Voyetra audio software, then upgraded to Cool Edit 2000 in becoming a self-described bedroom beat-maker for roughly the next eight years. It was the mid-2000s, and the upstart producer saw no future for his work – work he had dedicated his life to – in an industry where radio was setting a formulaic pattern for mainstream music. But he eventually began to miss the creativity in his craft and began producing once again, releasing the instrumental albums Skilled Trade (2007) and Make Do (2009). He went on in 2009 to win the Detroit Red Bull Big Tune Championships and competed in the national finals. Apollo then signed as a producer with the Mello Music Group in December of 2009. His debut album, The Reset, will be released May 25, 2010 via Mello Music Group.

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