An interview with: BALTHVS

Formed in 2019 in the countryside of Colombia during Covid, BALTHVS are a psychedelic funk trio based in Bogotá...

Known for their blissed out grooves, BALTHVS (pronounced "bal-thus") have carved a joyous sonic path, quickly making waves with their debut album Macrocosm (2020), a genre-defying journey that blended world rhythms and spaced-out psychedelia, followed up with Cause & Effect (2022), Third Vibration (2023) and Harvest (2024), further expanding their sound with instrumental storytelling, soothing vocals and hypnotic textures into the present day, with their most recent project 'Year of the Snake' released 21st March 2025.

balthvs.com

Their growing acclaim has led them to perform at major festivals, including Colombia's Rock al Parque and SXSW in Austin. But perhaps one of their most electrifying milestones came in 2024, when BALTHVS performed a live session on the iconic KEXP (watch below), Seattle’s legendary independent radio station known for spotlighting cutting-edge global music.

Whether you're seeking music to dance to, or simply drift away with, BALTHVS offer an uplifting sonic experience that's both spiritually grounding and otherworldly!

Read on below for our full interview with BALTHVS...

'Kilig' artwork (2024)

First of all, how's 2025 been for you so far and how's life lately?

Hi! 2025 has been a great and intense year so far. We've released 2 singles and have done a US tour and a Latin America tour so far, with several dozen more shows lined up through December. The biggest news is that our bass player, Johanna, is expecting a baby. This was a beautiful surprise, as Johanna always dreamt of being a mother, but it was also a tough call between canceling shows or finding someone to cover for her while she’s on leave. Miraculously, we found perhaps the only person in the world who could fill her shoes. We’ve been quietly rehearsing with our new band member as we get ready for the next leg of the tour (Year of the Snake Tour, May 2025). This new incarnation of BALTHVS will feature Vanessa Muñoz on bass. She’ll debut with us at Garcia's in Chicago on May 16 and 17.

Could you tell us about where your psychedelic influences stem from and what inspired you to create 'cosmic music for the psychedelic mind'?

It was all about finding the right set and setting. I consider us extremely fortunate to be born in an era of unlimited access to music from any place and time. I was also fortunate to be born in a country that's full of psychedelics. A young me, deeply rooted in rebellion against a materially oriented existence, found solace in Santana, The Dead, Fela Kuti, Eddie Hazel, Ravi Shankar, Erkin Koray, Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra and others whose music had some spiritually charged meaning. The older, present me has just been trying to adapt this to our very materially oriented world. With the band as busy as it is at the moment, the vision is now a very real thing.

Are there any particular re-occurring concepts or themes that arise within your music which you feel inspired to translate into your songs?

Letting go, feminine energy, alchemy, love, nature, trance, improvisation, intuition.

Have you had a mystical or hallucinogenic experience in particular you would like to share that changed the way you look at the world, and what did it teach you?

Even though we barely touch psychedelics nowadays, with the exception of microdoses, there is one that comes to mind. I was on an ayahuasca trip and started seeing how every person around had a little glowing ball of light in their chest. I noticed the balls were all tethered by a narrow strip of gold energy. What surprised me even more was that a small spider on the ground also had its own little ball, as did the plants around us. It felt like an infinite energy web and revealed how deeply all living things are connected to one another. I never really forgot that.

We love the quote on your website: "The lips of Wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding". Could you explain what that phrase represents to you?

They are the words from an old teacher. He knows, knows. He who searches shall find!

What does the word 'spirituality' mean to you?

 I believe anything on this plane has to manifest spiritually first. Isn't a bridge imagined before it gets built? Without the intangible creative thought, there would be no bridge, or anything for that matter. Therefore, spirituality is to me that which we cannot see, but is the essence of all tangible existence.  

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Discover more BALTHVS via their Website, Instagram, Spotify & Apple Music.

- Astral Magazine