Sweeping across Asia, this 10-track volume presents a select representation of exotic music that dwells within a chilled out ambience. The featured songs are clear examples of how the musicians have focused on the essence of their individual cultures to produce melodies of a gentle nature. Bearing in mind the theme to this collection is tea, or rather the ‘tealands’, the relaxing mood of the music kind of falls snugly into place.

The influence of Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Middle Eastern culture is quite recognisable on the bulk of the tracks, but perhaps the most unique song here is Zulya’s Saginou. There are few traces of her native Russia present in the music, mainly because Zulya’s inspiration is firmly rooted in her Tatar heritage. As the liner notes explain, Tatarstan is a crossroads in cultural terms, a mixture embracing elements of Russian, Turk and Balkan tradition, which despite its multiple ingredients, remains a unique culture.