Lefto Early Bird presents The Beauty Is Inside CD

In truth, not all DJs are genuine "tastemakers", but Lefto most certainly is. Like the similarly minded - if far older and more experienced - Gilles Peterson, Lefto gets as much pleasure from introducing people to new and obscure music, as he does from rocking clubs. It's for that reason The Beauty Is Inside, a terrific, lightly blended mix of eclectic, far-sighted sounds hand-picked by the Belgian, is such essential listening. It naturally contains some slept-on tackle from the past - see the cuts by Ethiopian singer Alemayeu Eshete and South African artist Patience Africa - but even more killer contemporary fare, with highlights including the contributions of Qur'an Shaheed, Elisa Bee, fellow Belgians abrahamblue and contemporary jazz hero Makaya McCraven.