Khruangbin | Artist

Khruangbin is an American band formed 2009 in Houston, Texas, by Laura "Leezy" Lee (bass), Mark Speer (guitar), and Donald Ray "DJ" Johnson Jr. (drums). The band is known for blending global music influences, such as classic soul, dub, rock and psychedelia. Speer and Johnson met in 2004 while playing in a church gospel band in Houston, Texas, with Speer as the guitarist and Johnson as the organist. Once she became proficient on the bass, Lee joined Speer and Johnson and the trio developed the bass-heavy, psychedelic sound that became the basis of the band's aesthetic. The band started off touring with electronic musician Bonobo, who featured Khruangbin's song, "Calf Born in Winter" on his 2014 Late Night Tales compilation. The song became one of the most popular tracks on the record, helping create an initial audience for the band's first EP, History of Flight, and debut record, The Universe Smiles Upon You, in 2015. To-date they have released two further albums: Con Todo el Mundo (2018), and Mordechai (2020), plus the remix album Hasta el Cielo (2019), plus two EP's in collaboration with nu-soul singer Leon Bridges, Texas Sun (2020) and Texas Moon (2022). In 2022 the band released an album entitled Ali which is a collaboration with Malian musician Vieux Farka Touré, the son of Ali Farka Touré. Stylistically, the bands's music has been described as quintessential "chill music" with melodic, meaty basslines, tight drumming, and pseudo-surf acid-rock lines on top. The band has been quoted as saying their diverse range of musical influences come primarily from the Middle East. Shortly before the release of Con Todo el Mundo, they also covered Ma Beham Nemiresim by Googoosh, a popular Iranian songstress, for the Artists Rise Against Islamophobia compilation, and created a Tehran-specific playlist on Spotify. Guitarist Mark Speer, who DJ Johnson calls "a music encyclopedia" revealed his extensive knowledge of world music began as a child when he was obsessed with the Microsoft Encarta CD-ROM's catalog of music samples from around the globe. The band's name came about when Lee, who was learning to speak Thai at the time, decided they should use her favourite Thai word "khruangbin" which means "aeroplane" as their name. Leezy and Mark Speer both wear black wigs for photos and when performing.

Artist Website: khruangbin.bandcamp.com

Featured Albums: Khruangbin

Related Artists: Vieux Farka Toure, Leon Bridges

Collections: Movers Shakers