From Timbaland and Will.i.am to Marco Polo and Domingo, 2007 was dominated by producer’s making their own niche attempt at The Chronic. New faces emerge a year later, to mixed results as the Houston-born, Califonia-living Presto unveils his State of the Art. While the album thrives off its veteran appearances from New York rappers like CL Smooth, Sadat X and Large Professor, it’s the west-tinged moments of Fatlip, T-Weaponz and Blu that make this laid back collection of beats oh so special.

It is Presto’s unique sample manipulation that makes him such a versatile producer. Whereas the beautifully gliding “Street Sport” uses a fuzzy ‘70s loop in the vein of MF DOOM production, “On” moves into Dilla and Black Milk [click to read] territory with its aggressive percussion and dominating bass. State of the Art is an engaged listen, and nearly every emcee brings their best game to the table for their single contributions. Blu [click to read] shows his growth from competing amateur to overnight talk of the underground town. “Pour Another Glass” is a drunken man’s thoughts, with Blu unveiling some of that newfound cockiness over a laid-back Jazz and drum composition. It’s amazing to see generations of emcees ranging from O.C. to Blu share voices on an album that still finds a way to be so cohesive.

While so many compilations give their best efforts to the biggest stars appearing, Presto does a remarkable job of drawing a seasoned listener in with his co-signs, then allowing unfamiliar voices to win over the ear, similar to a well-crafted mixtape. LOWD, the voice of the aforementioned “On” is a North Hollywood emcee that has a ferocious delivery similar to Uncle Murda, with a bit more substance and vocabulary. Def Poetry alum In-Q uses powerful imagery on “Still Here” to tell stories of lost loved ones over an organic smooth bassline and O.C. scratches. Of all the guests, Fatlip is the surprising one to drop the ball a bit with “What’s What” with a lackluster “Mona Lisa”-esque tale of a seductive rondez-vous.

Released on Concrete Grooves, Presto makes fanaticism fun again with some deftly-produced videos on a DVD to accompany the 18 tracks of thriving independent Hip Hop. To keep things interesting, Large Professor remixes the album’s lead single “Conquer Mentally” with some of his best board work in the last three years. As Marco Polo and Black Milk continue to reel in work from last year’s fruits of labor, it’s criminal if Presto isn’t doing the same after State of the Art in the next six months.