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Hip-hop's golden era was smack down full of Bronx B Boys spinning jazz asides with their native urban sounds. Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys, even Third Bass and De La Soul were known to include something other than R&B sides in their magical Technics' spinning stews. Heck, Tribe Called Quest even brought in master jazz bassist Ron Carter to jam out on a few tracks. Oh, the humanity!

Following that lost, probably illogical mode of thought, up and coming producer Presto adds a touch of jazz harmony there, a perceptive bent chord or dark change to his debut, State of the Art. No one would mistake Presto's productions for Jaco Pastorius or Woody Herman, but in his willingness to veer away from hip-hop's current fixation with juvenile behavior (and the $$ it can bring), he succeeds in challenging those content to simply slap an MPC around. "Conquer Mentally" is a perfect illustration of Presto's power, the producer dropping simmering grooves with ethereal moods via stark piano chords, oozing bass riffs and samples.

As the man behind the independent label Concrete Grooves, Presto has put forth several selections reflecting his eclectic range of influences, including DJ Presto's "Breakin Concrete," V/A's "Impressions on Concrete," LOWD's "Calligraphy," Presto's "Jazz Juice," Presto's "Inflight Instrumentals," V/A's "Next Impressions," Kim Hill's "Right Now," and Presto's "Magic LP." Big voices mesh into State of the Art's mix, including Sadat X, Large Professor, CL Smooth, T Weaponz, Fatlip, O.C., Sach, Kim Hill, Blu, LOWD, Mr. J Medeiros, Raashan Ahmad (Crown City Rockers), DJ Smash, and Nobody.

Sure, it's old school, like those '70s styled Adidas that clog every Foot Locker, or the silly '70s clothing styles favored by moneyed females looking to replicate Jackie O. But Presto is deeper than that, he's unafraid to throw the backwards glance. His otherworldly hip-hop speaks to the past and the present.

Presto feat. Sadat X, O.C., & Large Professor
"Conquer Mentally" (mp3)
from "State of the Art"
(Concrete Grooves)

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Presto feat. Blu
"Pour Another Glass" (mp3)
from "State of the Art"
(Concrete Grooves)

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Presto feat. LOWD
"On" (mp3)
from "State of the Art"
(Concrete Grooves)

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Bitter:Sweet's Drama (sugar next to creamer): On the other side of that ethereal equation, Bitter:Sweet's Drama is melodically frothy and rhythmically elastic, and as non-threatening as your G-ma's slippers. Something of a lost cause as they prance cooing female vocals and dreamily vacant beats from yesterday's trip-hop parade, "Waking Up" nevertheless succeeds in revisiting both ‘60s girl group silliness and Lamb/Hooverphonic styled soundscapes. Bitter:Sweet aim for soul profundity, but the results are sticky sweet. Pass that latte, Holmes!

Bitter:Sweet
"Waking Up" (mp3)
from "Drama"
(Quango)

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