A collaboration between Magenta’s Robert Reed, vocalist Steve Basalmo, and a revolving cast of prog and rock oriented musicians, Chimpan A have a sound that’s varied and complex, but also often accessible. Although their 2020 debut album favoured longer arrangements, their overdue follow up ‘Music Is Art Vol. 1’ is home to a few much stronger, shorter pieces. There are a couple of epic tracks to be found during the eight song journey that blends pop, rock, electronica and prog influences into a smart and seamless menagerie, but the bulk of this long awaited release centres itself a little more around actual songs.
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CHIMPAN A – The Air That I Breathe / Karl’s Song
Over the years, Albert Hammond’s ‘The Air That I Breathe’ has been recorded by numerous artists. The Hollies’ recording from 1974 remains its most famous incarnation, but dig through the archives and you’ll discover other notable versions from Dana Gillespie, Judy Collins, AOR band Alien, Olivia Newton-John, Swedish pop band The Tuesday Girls (latterly The Tuesdays), and even Hank Williams, Jr. It seems to be one of those tracks that never really goes away, but few have breathed as much new life into this well worn number than pop-prog collective Chimpan A.
CHIMPAN A – Saviour / Wichita Lineman
In April 2025, pop proggers Chimpan A (featuring Magenta’s Robert Reed and an assortment of musical friends) released a superb version of Peter Gabriel’s ‘Here Comes The Flood’. It managed to be reverential of the original recording whilst bringing a new slant via a modern production sound, and also shared a downtempo feel that felt half a world away from the ex-Genesis man’s musical interests. Coupled with the self-penned ‘Wolves’, the release marked a great return for the band after a few years away. This second two track release follows the same format – a Chimpan A original, joined by a well known tune sourced from the band’s many influences – and achieves a similarly impressive result.
CHIMPAN A – Here Comes The Flood / Wolves
Chimpan A’s ‘The Empathy Machine’ was an interesting album. Its songs took on the kind of lengths that would normally be associated with prog rock, but its sounds were far more pop oriented. The best tracks blended layers of synth with perfectly pitched melodic vocals, straddling the musical gulf between pop, AOR and electronica, almost in a way that pre-empted Alex Lifeson’s commercial sounds on the Envy of None debut, released just a few years later.