Their music is like a much-needed hug at the end of a hard day. Two albums later — with Con Todo El Mundo that released earlier this year — Khruangbin today mellow, genre bending and atmospheric. At times it’s the lilt of ocean waves complementing the sounds, while in another instance, it’s a gentle inexplicable tingling that lulls you in a genuine sense of calm. Even as Mark Speer’s guitarwork climbs new heights, Laura Lee’s bass takes on the role of an anchor. Through it all, hip-hop producer Donald Johnson’s drums become the inimitable yet invisible glue binding the band together. Khruangbin — which translates to airplane in Thai — rarely have vocals on their tracks, instead allowing their tracks to subliminally embed themselves in your mind. The instruments then shine at the forefront. The Houston-based trio return to India, stopping by in the city this evening after playing at the Magnetic Fields festival last year. The Hindu pinned down the trio, to try and define their sound…
How did you meet? Was a band always something you wanted to form together?
Mark Speer (MS): I met DJ [Donald Johnson] many, many years ago when we were playing together at a church in Houston. We linked up over a common love of different kinds of music, delicious burgers and Mexican Coca Cola.
Laura Lee (LL) : I met Mark years later through his roommate. We went to their house for lunch and Mark was watching a documentary on Afghani music. I’d been working on my thesis in art history of the Ancient Near East at the time, so we instantly became friends. Then I started crashing Mark and DJ’s hangouts after church rehearsal and the three of us have been friends ever since.
MS: We got together to make Khruangbin after years of eating dinner together once a week. Laura Lee and I had been making some music in the barn and asked DJ if he wanted to play drums. There you have it.
You’re Texan, but your sound is Thai with funk and psychedelic rock. How did this evolution come about?
Khruangbin: Houston is a big melting pot of cultures from all over the world. We feel our music is truly reflective of the city where we come from, and we’re influenced by the music, the food, and the people that we knew growing up in Houston — Vietnamese, Indian, West African, Lebanese, Mexican and Louisiana Creole, and much more — it’s all part of our DNA.
Will there be a shift in your sound soon?
Khruangbin: As soon as one makes plans, they tend to go awry. Our sound will naturally progress with us. This album sounds different from the last because of new influences, new inspirations and new experiences. We think our music will grow with us.
Your music is mostly instrumental, is there a deliberate decision to eschew lyrics?
Khruangbin: The deliberate decision came from none of us wanting to sing and also because we liked the music the way it was, that is without lyrics. As time has gone on, we’ve challenged ourselves to incorporate more vocals — but they’ve remained relatively unconventional at the same time.
Laura Lee was in the UK, does the band still make music transatlantically?
Khruangbin: We’re all based in the USA now, however, our process is still the same. The way we write is a sort of relay race. We each make a part, hand it off to the next musician to do theirs, so on and so forth. Luckily now, there isn’t such a time difference between all of us.
Tell us more about what the band does in addition to Khruangbin?
MS: DJ is part of a production team called Beanz N Kornbread, where he produces music primarily for Houston hip-hop and R & B artists. Laura Lee and I started Air Khruang, which is a radio show featuring music from all around the world. We try to make each show focus on a specific part of the world, or be a journey from one part to another. Basically, no matter what any of us doing, it’s music-related.
Khruangbin will perform at FLYP@MTV Cafe this evening at 9 p.m. onwards; entry is priced at₹995
