Music from Eastern cultures spans a fascinating and diverse road, featuring everything from Hollywood musicals to Chinese opera to the tuned percussion of Balinese gamelan music. There is one aspect that unifies a portion of Eastern music however, a deep spiritual devotion that flows through' the music of Sufi mystics, Tibetan monks, and various musicians who produce music meant for transcendence. Miles away from new age noodling and wooden hymns, this music pulses with centuries of faith embedded in daily culture. Despite divergent traditions and backgrounds, recent,CDs by Turkish Sufi musician Mercan Dede, qaw-wali musicians Rizwan-Muazzam Qamvalt, and Buddhist nun Choying Drolma with American guitarist Steve Tibbetts, all reflect the spiritual side of Eastern music.

Mercan Dede represents the modem reality of ancient Sufi tradition. An accomplished producer, arranger, and DJ who goes by the name Arkin Alien when he's mixing techno music, Dede weaves Sufi beliefs through every element of his music, directly and indirectly. His latest album, Su (Escondida), flows with other worldly rhythms and traditional instruments such as the ney (wooden flute), tabla, and sitar. "Su" means water and he uses water symbolism, from the fish on the CD cover to the song titles, to convey the mystical significance of water. Recorded in a room overlooking Istanbul's Bosphorus River, Dede believes the river brings Europe and Asia together, rather than dividing them, just as his music borrows aspects of both cultures.