When confronted with a DJ mix, the question usually arises as to what kind of genre you are dealing with, more or less. This conditioned reflex is somehow still there, even in times when artists working across genres have already formed a genre of their own. With Belgian DJ Lefto Early Bird, however, the question doesn’t really make any sense. If you want to answer by which criteria he makes his selection, in the case of »The Beauty Is Inside« you can probably only say: according to his taste. By all accounts, this is not the worst approach. Lefto Early Bird brings together historical gems from Ethiopian singer Alemayehu Eshete, the boogie of South African singer Patience Afrika and the fusion sound of Spanish drummer Pedro Ruy-Blas, as well as fresh contributions from young artists such as London’s Iman Houssein with his dry electronic R&B with Middle Eastern influences, or the jazzy soul of abrahamblue from Antwerp, both of whom are minor discoveries. The question of genre may be superfluous with this mix, but the title emblazoned in large letters on the cover is certainly not a sham.
Monica Rypma
Classifieds
BBE Records