As a concept piece this compilation suffers from three things – a lack of fresh songs, too many canned beats and not enough specifically Asian content. Most of these songs are culled from Water Music's back catalog, so they are several years old by now. The artificial rhythms seem out of place within the gentle and refined medium of Eastern music, so it would help if the beats weren't in the front of the mix, as they are on many of the sixteen tracks. of course this pokes at a tenant of "chillout" music, so I know the point is an arguable one. All this being said, freshly minted or not, some of these tracks are quite enjoyable.

1. Downbeat Corp. "Satori"
2. Zazen "Zen Life"
3. Nouri "World"
4. Mykej "Sitar In The Sky"
5. Karsh Kale "Analog Mood Swings"
6. Clazziquai Project "Color Your Soul"
7. Mondo Satori "Sacred Books"
8. Wu-Men-Kuan "Golden Sunset (Meditation Edit)"
9. Klub Rider "Green Bamboo"
10. Jade & Steve I. "Love And Peace"
11. The Tao of Groove "Brand New Delhi"
12. Lemongrass "Sunrise On Fujiyama"
13. Naoki Kenji "Across Japan"
14. Oman Chali "Lost In Beijing"
15. H-R/Black Asia "Tim Sum Vindaloo"
16. Yuko Matsuyama "Ajisai (Hydrangea)(feat. Lemongrass)"

As for the third thing, it seems that the notion of "all Asian" would promise more than the occasional sitar, tabla, wooden flute, or chant samples, or visions of Spanish coastlines.

Familiar names like Karsh Kale, Lemongrass, and The Tao of Groove dot the track listing but sadly, their contributions are several years old and have undoubtedly appeared on too many compilations to count.

"Color Your Soul" by Clazziquai Project is smooth urban lounge, a sound that from my perspective has nothing to do with Asia, but it is a great track. The same can be said of "Love and Peace," unless there is a form of Far Eastern world-reggae that I don’t know about. "Ajisai (Hydrangea)" gets the Asian mixture just right, with beautiful female vocals and orchestral washes dominating the electronics.

From a strictly "chillout" perspective, you'll find a lot of really nice tunes. The only problem is that the chillout compilation market sent itself well beyond burn-out production levels about the same time most of this music first came out. it's a tough crowd to stand out in these days.

Many of the tracks have pleasing melodies and smooth beats, but overall, this compilation seems more like a trip to the local chillout lounge instead of somewhere more mysterious in a faraway place. Perhaps the depth of its Asian concept just escapes my casual ear? Considering it was compiled specifically for Cathay Pacific Airlines, you can at least rest assured, they have your best country hopping (musical) interests at heart.

~ Dave Howell

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