Baths (musician)


Will Wiesenfeld, better known by his stage name Baths, is an American electronic musician. He was born in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles and was raised in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. He currently resides in Culver City, Los Angeles, California. Southern California Public Radio described him as "LA's big new electronica musician" in 2010. Previously signed with Anticon, he now releases music through his own label Basement's Basement.

History

Will Wiesenfeld is a classically trained musician, and began learning the piano at the age of four "to compete with his brother". By twelve he had "completely abandoned it," but continual musical experimenting led him to record his first piece of music at age fourteen. He released a few projects, including an album entitled The Fabric, as his previous moniker, . He also ventured into a more ambient style with side-project Geotic, which Irish magazine State.ie called "gorgeous".
Will Wiesenfeld derives his current alias from his childhood memory of taking in art and music by dwelling on it in his bathtub, which he claims he was very fond of. Baths released the debut album Cerulean under Anticon in 2010. He recorded the entire album in two months from his bedroom. It was listed by The A.V. Club as the 21st best album of 2010. It also made Pitchforks "Album of the Year: Honorable Mention" list.
His third album, Obsidian, was released in May 2013.
On March 6, 2014, during a concert in Hong Kong, Wiesenfeld unveiled one of his latest tracks from his EP "Ocean Death", released on May 6, 2014.
On November 16, 2017, Baths released his fourth album, Romaplasm.
On May 29, 2020, Baths released his fifth album, "Pop Music/ False B-Sides II.".

Style

The BBC's Mike Diver claims Baths' nearest musical soundalike is chillwave musician Toro y Moi. Drowned in Sound noted Baths' use of "unorthodox" sounds layered in and around the electronics, in particular "clicking pens, vocal samples, rustling blankets and scissor snaps". British newspaper The Guardians Paul Lester commented he was reminded of "J Dilla playing around with the Pavement and Prince catalogues" while listening to Cerulean.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

Singles and EPs

As Baths