Khruangbin

International flavors mingle naturally throughout Khruangbin’s supple, free-flowing jams. Named after the Thai word for “airplane,” the trio formed in 2010 in Houston, Texas after guitarist Mark Speer and drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson met while playing in a local church’s gospel ensemble. After recruiting bassist Laura Lee Ochoa, the band set out to explore funk, soul, psych, surf, and dub from all around the world. Being largely instrumental has given Khruangbin the freedom to incorporate diverse stylistic cues, though the selective use of vocals eventually introduced another expressive color to the trio’s palette. Soul revivalist Leon Bridges led the band through warmly mingled country and R&B elements on 2020’s Texas Sun EP, while the same year’s Mordechai saw Ochoa add her own vibe-steeped vocals to some of the more self-reflective tunes. A series of live albums highlighted the players’ improvisational chops, while team-ups with Malian singer/guitarist Vieux Farka Touré and British-born DJ/producer Quantic further widened Khruangbin’s heady horizons.