Where does lounge music end and new-age music begin? How can you sort your jazz from your easy listening?
On the gatefold sleeve of Ranga’s ‘Inner Circle’, the German label recommends that listeners file the CD under ‘World, Fusion, India, Yoga’ – and you could easily add ‘Lounge’ to that list of genres.
Ranga’s music is a pleasure to listen to, fusing Indian instruments and mantric themes with catchy Western rhythms. Deftly mixed and presenting an eclectic mix of sounds that never disrupts the CD’s harmony, 'Inner Circle' comes highly recommended and fits perfectly into any modern Lounge collection.

Ewald Wagenaar

Koorddanser
april 2009

Ranga creates space.

The peaceful tracks on Ranga’s 'Inner Circle'
are very conducive to meditation and yoga, while the
more up-tempo tracks make you want to Trance dance.
The opening track in particular makes it hard to sit
quietly in your seat.
When I listened to 'Inner Circle', I felt my inner world expand and open.

Inner Circle creates space in the soul.

By Anne-Christiene Staals in the Buddhist magazine Vorm&Leegte Autumn 2009

'Inner Circle' reaches the inner recesses of the heart/mind and connects with some magical receptors on the surface membrane of bountiful inner peace.
Artists Helfenrath and de Jong (as Ranga) became
a sensation with their release Radiant Awakening. Coen Helfenrath has a background in psychology and astrology. His delicate piano playing liberates tendrils of sound that reach and curl deep into the heart.
Ted de Jong is regarded as one of the leading Western tabla players and has lectured at the famous Rotterdam Academy of Music which boasts one of the finest north Indian music programmes outside of India.

Musician Lennekevan Staalen’s north Indian style of violin playing enters into this crucible of musical delight, which will charm lovers of fine music, yogis seeking a conducive background to envelop
their space, and therapists who provide sounds to embrace their clients and support healing.

Richard Clark

Astanga Yoga
Shala, Brisbane

Australian Yoga Life summer 2009

A perfect Circle

Inner Circle contains 13 beautiful tracks of Indian and Western music that features an array of instruments including tablas, sitar, piano and accordion for a mesmerising effect.
This is an excellent CD of devotional music to balance energies, and would make the perfect accompaniment for yoga classes, meditation practice or simply relaxing at home.

London Yoga Issue 81
October 2009

Good music for the mind

It’s hard to find really good meditation or yoga music. So it was a huge surprise to find a truly good ‘devotional’ album, which is quite beautifully composed, on the doormat. On top of that, it’s home-grown: a real Dutch product.

‘Inner Circle’ is an original fusion of classic Indian and Western improvised music, created by Coen Helfenrath, Ted de Jong and Lenneke van Stalen.
The two men, who together form the duo Ranga, play an impressive number of instruments, including tablas, the sitar, large drum, piano, keyboards and accordions. On top of that there is singing and violinplay.

Of course, the effect is what really counts.
Good music to meditate by should calm your emotions and keep the mind occupied in an interesting manner, for example in musical circles or along curves and streams.
And all that is achieved here quite cleverly and pleasantly.

Nan Luursema

Happinez 3 2009

Wer diese CD hort, würde wohl nicht vermuten,
dass sie von einem holländischen Trio eingespielt worden ist. Zu original indisch hort sich die Tabla-Violin-und Sitar-Musik an. Zwar sind die sanften
Kompositionen auch mit akustischem Piano untermahlt und weisen somit durchaus
wetsliche Töne auf, jedoch scheint man hier die meiste Zeit über durch und durch Indien zo hören.

Die guten Kritiken fur das neue Album von
Coen Helfenrath, der u.a. schon einem
Lieder-Zyclus über die Werke von Edgar
Allan Poe komponierte, Ted de Jong-früherer Schüler von ua. Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan und Ustad Faiyaz Khan, sowie Leiter des Indian Music Depart-
ment der Rotterdam Academy of Music and Dance-und Lenneke van Staalen,der die Kunst des Nordindischen Violinspiel virtuos beherrscht, überschlagen sich.
Verständlich, denn es handelt sich hier wirlkich um energetisch ausbalancierte und ausbalancierende Tracks, die den Zuhörer leicht in einem weit innen
liegenden, von Frieden erfüllten Kreis eintreten lassen.

Nelly Michels
Yoga Aktuell Ausgabe 6/2009