homepAge
Watch the ChimpanA Electronic Press Kit.
"…chill out, from The Dark Side of the Moon" - Neil McCormick, The Telegraph
"ChimpanA could be the new Faithless" - The Telegraph
"This is gorgeous music for gorgeous sake" - Great Yarmouth Advertiser
"...a truly stunning piece of work" - Selby Times
"...the whole album is a quite extraordinary timeless experience" - Powys County Times & Express
"This is gorgeous music. There are no comparisons to make when it comes to ChimpanA, they have a style of their own; a style that once heard will eat its way into your psyche and you just won’t be able to get enough" - Waveney Advertiser
An astonishing album of new music with influences from Floyd to Moby. Pushing the boundaries and breaking new ground...
ChimpanA was born halfway up a Welsh mountain, in a studio overlooking a disused coalmine. What began as a side-project for 3 songwriters; Rob Reed, Rob Thompson and Steve Balsamo, quickly grew into an altogether different animal.
The intention of creating beautiful soundscapes was realised very quickly, as programmer Reed, armed with an astonishing array of vintage keyboards, latest studio gadgetry, old vinyl and an unhealthy fascination with Trevor Horn began his ‘soul mining’.
Whether it was the effect of the location or the dark winter months, the sound of ChimpanA started to take on a much harder edge. Slowly, some of the more laid back grooves were replaced by real drums and real strings now mixed with the swampy moogs.
As more conventional song structures started to take shape, the search was on to find an ideal voice for each piece of music. Balsamo, having worked with the amazing Sam Brown, Margo Buchanan and Aitch McRobbie in ‘The Choir ‘, made the call. Shan Cothi, the celebrated Welsh soprano was also asked to play… And so the angels came, feathers flying.
Reed then enlisted Bluey, a DJ and remixer friend from Birmingham, to add beats, scratches and a little esoteric madness. Thompson played all guitars.
Tony Dallas, an award winning London/Jamaican storyteller who Thompson had met at a gig was asked to write some words and speak on some of the tracks. Dallas’ rich dulcet tones lend an eerie apocryphal timbre to the opening of the record.
ChimpanA’s influences range from early Peter Gabriel and Pink Floyd to the more contemporary sound of Faithless, Moby and Zero 7.
"ChimpanA is one of the finest albums I have heard in the fifteen years I've been doing this and includes some really incredible voices and musicians" - Classic Rock Society
"Here is the album of the month, year and 21st century thus far! Big statement but this album has absolutely everything..." Martin Hudson, Classic Rock Society
"...breathtaking and boundary busting" - Classic Rock Society
ChimpanA is available to buy NOW from www.progrock.co.uk.
Also available on iTunes, Woolworths, 7digital, Napster UK, Virgin Digital.
relAtedAlbums
The plan was to do something different... we wanted to do something a little less full-on, and a little bit more emotional...
Formed with the intention of writing classic songs with great hooks, melodies and lyrics, their beginning was prolific with songs falling out of the sky and behind every song is a story containing characters and a soundtrack to their lives...
A live recording of the latter leg of their tour where they played the entire Dark Side of the Moon album, a set that hadn't been played live since 1975...
relAtedlinks
myspace.com/chimpanAThe Chimp joins the My Space revolution...
youtube.com/chimpanAukThe Chimp on You Tube...
magenta-web.comWhen Rob Reed released “Revolutions” in 2001 under the banner “Magenta” little did he realise that he had started something that would take on a life of its own…
thestorys.co.ukWith 4 singer-songwriters all taking lead vocals on different songs, their sound is both fragile and intense, underpinned by a dark lyrical edge...
progrock.co.ukThe home of all things prog...
februaryfilms.comFilm-makers Abner & Kamma Pastoll...
thepopfactory.comThe Pop Factory is a unique venue with comprehensive studio and post-production facilities, set in the former home of a soft drinks factory, offering new, creative and innovative productions to the world of entertainment...
spacermAilinglist
lAtestnews
Hello and welcome to the official ChimpanA website. This is where you can find information about the band, the album project and the guest artists.
ChimpanA is available to buy NOW from www.progrock.co.uk.
Also available on iTunes, Woolworths, 7digital, Napster UK, Virgin Digital.
23/06/07
Magenta play Zoellner Arts Centre, Bethlehem, PA, USA as part of the Nearfest 2007 Festival.
13/05/07
Magenta play The Cheese and Grain, Frome headlining The Frome Prog Fest with Pineapple Thief, Crimson Sky and Electric Soup.
05/05/07
Magenta play Tiana Prog Festival, Tiana, Spain with IQ and Pure Reason Revolution.
03/05/07
Sam Brown starts her solo UK tour at the Acorn Theatre, Penzance.
28/04/07
Magenta play Herringthorpe Leisure Centre, Rotherham, support from Ezra.
20/04/07
Magenta play The Point, Cardiff.
13/04/07
The Storys play The Borderline, London.
19/03/07
Magenta release the song "Speechless" as a download and
CD single.
13 - 18/03/07
The Storys go to SXSW in Austin, Texas.
02/03/07
Steve Balsamo co-wrote and performs Modrwy Werdd (Green
Ring) with Karl Morgan and Cardiff-based Ynyr Roberts (from
Welsh band Brigyn) for Can i Gymru, Wales's answer to the
Eurovision Song Contest, which features nine Welsh songs
fighting it out for the title of this year's Song for Wales.
It will be shown live on S4C.
01/03/07
The Storys play Swansea's Grand Theatre for St David's
Day.
24/02/07
Margo Buchanan plays The Regal Room, Hammersmith, London.
09/02/07
The Storys announce they will be supporting Elton John on
his UK stadium tour in May, June, July 2007.
25/11/06
Steve Balsamo co-writes a song on Anthony Callea's new
album "A New Chapter" - released in Australia today. The
song is entitled "Now You're Gone".
19/10/06
ChimpanA album is officially released.
07/07/06
ChimpanA debut album is available for pre-release orders. The CD
will be officially released on 19 October 2006.
relAtedAlbums
The plan was to do something different... we wanted to do something a little less full-on, and a little bit more emotional...
Formed with the intention of writing classic songs with great hooks, melodies and lyrics, their beginning was prolific with songs falling out of the sky and behind every song is a story containing characters and a soundtrack to their lives...
A live recording of the latter leg of their tour where they played the entire Dark Side of the Moon album, a set that hadn't been played live since 1975...
relAtedlinks
myspace.com/chimpanAThe Chimp joins the My Space revolution...
youtube.com/chimpanAukThe Chimp on You Tube...
magenta-web.comWhen Rob Reed released “Revolutions” in 2001 under the banner “Magenta” little did he realise that he had started something that would take on a life of its own…
thestorys.co.ukWith 4 singer-songwriters all taking lead vocals on different songs, their sound is both fragile and intense, underpinned by a dark lyrical edge...
progrock.co.ukThe home of all things prog...
februaryfilms.comFilm-makers Abner & Kamma Pastoll...
thepopfactory.comThe Pop Factory is a unique venue with comprehensive studio and post-production facilities, set in the former home of a soft drinks factory, offering new, creative and innovative productions to the world of entertainment...
spacermAilinglist
ourmusic
- 1. Theme from "chimpan A" Pt.1*
- 2. It's Only Sin*
- 3. You Move In Me*
- 4. Future 1
- 5. The Secret Wish*
- 6. Sam's Song*
- 7. Future Love Games*
- 8. The Last Night On Earth*
- 9. The Thief*
- 10. Are You with Me?*
- 11. I Came To Say ...*
- 12. Theme from "chimpan A" Pt.2
- * Click on the song title to listen
chimpanAAlbums
Production by:
Rob Reed with Steve Balsamo and Rob Thompson
Engineered and Mixed by:
Rob Reed
Recorded at:
Big Studios, S Wales
Artwork and Sleeve Design:
Natalie Hook
thebAnd
chimpanAAre
Rob Reed (Keyboards, Programming)
Rob Thompson (Guitars)
Steve Balsamo (Vocal)
guestvocAls
Tony is a storyteller and poet. He describes himself as an 'urban griot'. '…Storytelling is life itself…'
Sian is a world renowned classical singer from Wales. She has successfully appeared in the West End and on her own TV specials.
In 1989 Sam sold over 2.5 million copies of her debut album and scored an international smash hit with the single 'Stop'.
Signed to MCA in the 80's, Margo has worked with Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Billy Idol, Seal and Tina Turner.
Christina is a singer songwriter from Wales. She had success in the band Trippa alongside Rob Reed. Currently she is the lead vocalist in Magenta.
guestmusiciAns
Nigel Hopkins was musical director for Steve Balsamo's band The Millionaires. He is also a successful string arranger.
Ryan Aston played in Steve Balsamo's band The Millionaires. He also played drums in Trippa alongside Rob Reed and Christina Booth.
Andrew is a multi-instrumentalist from Wales, from where he runs his own studio.
Bluei is an internationally renowned DJ. He has been responsible for a string of successful remixes.
links
Tony Dallas(Spoken word)
Sian Cothi(Vocals)
Sam Brown(Vocals)
Margo Buchanan(Vocals)
Christina Booth(Vocals)
Nigel Hopkins(String Arrangements, Keyboards)
Ryan Aston(Drums)
Andrew Griffiths(Trumpet, Saxophone)
Richard 'Bluey' Cornock(Decks, Rhythms)
bAndvideos
- View these videos on You Tube: www.youtube.com/chimpanAuk
-
ChimpanA Electronic Press Kit 86mb mpeg movie
The Secret Wish (Promo February Films 2006) 40mb mpeg movie - The Last Night On Earth 34mb mpeg movie
- Sam's Song 50mb mpeg movie
- The Secret Wish 38mb mpeg movie
bAndimAges
- ChimpanA Video Shoot, The Pop Factory (Photographer: Chris Walkden)
- ChimpanA Photo Shoot, The Pop Factory (Photographer: Rob)
bAndArticles
- Herts & Essex Music-Zime (Reviewer: Elton Townend Jones)
- Nucleus, Interview with Steve Balsamo (Reviewer: Sergio Vilar)
- Dutch Progressive Rock, CD review (Reviewer: Geoff Feakes/Bart Jan Van Der Vorst)
- Musical Discoveries, CD review (Reviewers: Stephen Lambe/Russ Elliot)
- Telegraph - 23 June 2007
- Dorset Echo - Monkey Shines - 15 June 2007
- Any band who name themselves after a Simpsons quote are instantly all right by me - and so it is with ChimpanA. If I recall, the quote comes from an episode which features a tatty musical production of Planet of the Apes, in the course of which the Charlton Heston character sings 'I hate every monkey that I see, from chimpan A to chimpan Zee'.
- Given the provenance of the name, you might expect the songs on ChimpanA's eponymous debut album (released on F2 Music) to be cheeky, broadly satirical and swaggering but nothing could be further from the truth, it is, in fact, an earnest, thoughtful and quietly epic undertaking - a clear attempt at producing an album with the same cohesion and emotional resonance as Dark Side of the Moon.
- I should point out straight away that, despite the fact that it's all a bit slick for my tastes, there's no denying the thought and craft that has gone into this and I found it easy to get agreeably lost among the smooth and welcoming surfaces. The ChimpanA project, birthed by songwriters Rob Reed, Steve Balsamo and Rob Thompson, draws influences not only from the aforementioned Floyd and Peter Gabriel but also more contemporary bods such as Zero 7, Moby and Faithless, so you can perhaps understand any listener's tendency to 'chill out', to coin that dread term.
- This is no flimsy 'new age' artefact, though. There is an appealingly sombre gravity to the whole thing, a sense of wonder that seems sincere and entirely unforced. It even features occasional voiceovers courtesy of London/Jamaican storyteller Tony Dallas, that call to mind the solemn portent of The Moody Blues, and these are done with no sense of irony whatsoever, which I love.
- Selby Times - 3 June 2007
- Powys County Times & Express - 1 June 2007
-
- Great Yarmouth Advertiser - 31 May 2007
-
- Classic Rock Society - March 2007
links
myspace.com/chimpanAThe Chimp joins the My Space revolution...
youtube.com/chimpanAukThe Chimp on You Tube...
magenta-web.comWhen Rob Reed released “Revolutions” in 2001 under the banner “Magenta” little did he realise that he had started something that would take on a life of its own…
thestorys.co.ukWith 4 singer-songwriters all taking lead vocals on different songs, their sound is both fragile and intense, underpinned by a dark lyrical edge...
progrock.co.ukThe home of all things prog...
februaryfilms.comFilm-makers Abner & Kamma Pastoll...
thepopfactory.comThe Pop Factory is a unique venue with comprehensive studio and post-production facilities, set in the former home of a soft drinks factory, offering new, creative and innovative productions to the world of entertainment...