Khruangbin formed in Houston, Texas in 2009 — Mark Speer, Laura Lee Ochoa, and DJ Johnson — building instrumental grooves from Thai funk, dub, and surf rock. Con Todo el Mundo (2018) and Mordechai (2020) are the go-to records, and the Texas Sun EP with Leon Bridges is a treat. Dig into Khruangbin vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Khruangbin formed in Houston, Texas in 2009 around Mark Speer, Laura Lee Ochoa, and DJ Johnson. Mark Speer's interest in 1960s and 1970s Thai funk launched the band's distinctive globe-trotting instrumental approach (the band name khruangbin literally means flying engine or airplane in Thai). Their work has progressively expanded across multiple decades - drawing on Thai funk (debut), West African (Con Todo el Mundo), Persian (Mordechai), and Texas country traditions (more recent material) alongside their consistent dub, soul, and surf rock influences. They have released collaborative EPs with Leon Bridges (Texas Sun, 2020; Texas Moon, 2022) and Men I Trust as well as Ali (2022) with Vieux Farka Touré of Mali.
Khruangbin's sound combines instrumental, psychedelic soul, funk, Thai funk, world music, dub, surf rock, and jazz with extensive instrumental arrangements (sparse Laura Lee bass lines, Mark Speer's melodic guitar work, DJ Johnson's hip hop-influenced drumming), and global music influences. Their work has been a defining template for contemporary instrumental crossover music.
Dead Oceans and Night Time Stories pressings of the Khruangbin catalog have been issued in extensive color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings, with collector demand.
Listeners new to Khruangbin typically start with Con Todo el Mundo (2018) or Mordechai (2020).
