Young New York City upstarts Mello Music Group are notorious for quality control, with an intimate roster that includes Georgia Ann Muldrow, Diamond District and the Left. Their brand of music is intelligent, soulful and melodic, and their artists spare no creative energy in producing every project.

In sync with these values, Mello signed producer Apollo Brown in December of 2009. Until then, the now 29-year-old Apollo was what we'd call a "musical drifter." With a business degree from Michigan State safely under his belt, he became disenchanted with the industry and periodically took time off to focus on work. In 2007, however, he made a graceful return and subsequently released two acclaimed instrumental albums, and won the 2009 Detroit Red Bull Big Tune Championships, a head-to-head competition for producers. As luck would have it, a week after signing with Mello Music, he was laid off his job as a property inspector in Cleveland.

This year, Apollo continues his work exploring instrumental construction methods, releasing the 29-track opus Clouds. The highlight here is “Tao Te Ching,” produced on Apollo’s unlikely program of choice, Cool Edit Pro; despite using software that seems almost archaic in a world of Abletons and Logics, Brown’s beats are as tightly crafted as anyone who's up on the latest and greatest software tweakers. “Tao Te Ching” greets you with soft kicks, alternating piano chords and a steady tambourine that replaces what would be a snare, yet the hypnotic pace is oddly balanced by an overwhelming trumpet sample. Not bad for a laid off inspector.

Stream "Tao Te Ching" here: