Le BAHO has released his new single titled ‘Next To Me (3:15am)’. That lucid mix of serenity and soul all within the span of a few minutes, done entirely with a single song. That is what an artist is supposed to do. Make something personal. That is how an artist on the real captures his/her/their heart. Soulful vocals embedded within layers of subtle instrumentation, all conveying something personal. You may not hear it, but you feel it.
About Le BAHO
Le BAHO is the work of Bastien Horisberger. Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, he was always fascinated by the musical environments that surrounded him growing up. Through this medium, he started to hone his craft on many instruments, he is now an artist, songwriter and producer with the unique and pleasurable multi-faceted approach of overseeing every aspect of the recording process.
Giving himself full creative control, Le BAHO has been portraying a narrative to explore and unleash his notion of experiences with sound and poetry. After many years of perfecting his practice, he arrived with his debut single ‘Window’ in 2021, which caught the attention of many on Spotify.
Giving listeners the perfect introduction to his sound, his Instagram following and engagement has grown and been seen by many, performing neo-soul jams in his homeland with other musicians, further highlighting his talents. With the neo-soul and R&B genre now becoming arguably more popular than it ever has been, especially in the modern world, Le BAHO now has picked the perfect time to break through the mould.
Inspired by neo-soul and jazz pioneers such as Jordan Rakei, Daniel Caesar and FKJ, Le BAHO now arrives with his sumptuous sophomore release ‘Next To Me’. Crisp and clean from the first second, BAHO has a clean and delicate vocal that is highly reminiscent of Rakei, and he gives a fresh take on the ever expanding genres aforementioned.
‘Next To Me’ is beautifully produced and finely tuned, and also takes homage from other artists such as Tom Misch and Connor Albert, particularly with the dreamy guitar solo that breaks up the song so eloquently towards the end of the track. There’s plenty of soul and pop sensibilities in this one, and lovers of all these references will take a deep dive into Le BAHO’s sonics.
There is really so much to love about Le BAHO, and his unique approach to the lyricism and narrative makes him another artist that will stand out and demand your attention. A love song that will also appeal to the masses, there are also remnants of Shawn Mendes in his powerful yet understated vocal delivery.
BAHO seems to be the perfect hybrid and possesses all the tools to become one of the very best in his all encompassing field. If ‘Next To Me’ is just the second instalment of this project from Bastien Horisberger, then we are all in for a real treat.
Le BAHO says on the release, “Clock is ticking way too fast and alarm clock will ring, you wish you could stop the time to keep your partner in bed a little longer. I wrote this song for those who hate to see their lover walk out the door in the morning.” To write a song, I tend to take my time and spend months on it. But For “Next To Me”, Everything came together very naturally and surprisingly fast, from the first idea to the final product.”
Q&A
Your latest single, “Next to Me” has some jazzy feeling bass lines and piano grooves, that are, at moments, almost Bossa-Nova-like. What was the first line you wrote for the song?
When I first had the inspiration to write the track, I was at home and there were no instruments nearby except a toy nylon-guitar from my 2 year old son.
I borrowed it and recorded the open bossa chords with my iPhone. I decided to keep this same recording later in the production phase.
What kinds of musical environments did you discover in your hometown, Lausanne, Switzerland?
Not much to be honest but one I’ll always remember was the Song Workshop at school when I was 15. My musical tastes tended more toward Rap/Hiphop and I didn’t realize I could sing. My teacher told me I had something special and he really pushed me to dig deeper and invest in this gift. Which I did and that ended up being a great revelation.
How do you cultivate that color palette of tasty guitar tones?
Having played in big Christian churches in my hometown, guitar tones have always been really important and I developed a strong interest in it, buying all sorts of pedals and amps, I’ve been able to expand my gear and affirm my tastes. I also take great inspirations from Tom Misch sounds and also really like the Nylon guitar tones of Hope Tala.
“Window” is such a lushly orchestrated song (that simultaneously showcases your vocal ability!). How do you begin deciding on a new tune’s instrumentation, what guides you?
It usually starts with a melody in my head. Quite often it’s a verse or chorus top line. The most difficult part for me is finding the right chords to sustain that melody. Once I have that, I like to continue with a good drum foundation. From there anything can happen really. I don’t work with reference tracks as they tend to dampen my creativity.
How many instruments do you have in your home, and which one inspires you most often?
I have a bunch of guitars: 3 electric, 1 hollow body, 1 Nylon and 1 acoustic.
A Fender Jazz Bass, a drum kit, a midi keyboard and a Prophet Rev2 with I just acquired.
Keys will definitely inspire me the most as I’m not really comfortable with it, I tend to experiment more and often end up with good surprises.
Your Instagram cover of French songs such as “Avec Classe” have this magnifique je ne sais quoi. Do we have any full-length French tunes to look forward to in the future?
Definitely! I can see that people are getting very excited when it comes to include French singing in soulful tracks. There’s something to explore here for sure. I’m currently working on a new release which will be 100% French.
LINKS:
https://www.instagram.com/soundsofbaho/
https://www.facebook.com/le.baho/
https://www.tiktok.com/@soundsofbaho
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdE0kmWng7PdA0ywhuLNDGw