Khruangbin (Bassist Laura Lee Ochoa, Drummer Donald Johnson Jr., and Guitarist Mark Speer)

Khruangbin — bassist Laura Lee Ochoa, drummer Donald Johnson and guitarist Mark Speer — create music unlike anything else on earth, making their sound both iconic and captivating.

Music from Thailand spans decades and continents; from 60s-70s Thai funk (which gave rise to their name, “Engine Fly”) through dub, psychedelic, R&B and dub influences to create their timeless sound.

A Calf Born in Winter

Khruangbin stands out in an age when music genres are increasingly defined, by forging their own path in their sound and style. Their music draws influence from diverse sources: Serbian guitar virtuoso Branko Matja to Iranian benju player Ustad Mohammad Reza Shafaati to Ethiopian jazz legend Mulatu Astatke and beyond.

Their music spans multiple genres and scenes, yet its songs remain accessible and universal. Their concerts attract diverse crowds; tech bros can often be found dancing alongside Teva-wearing hippie folk on one dance floor!

DJ Johnson and bassist Laura Lee Ochoa first came together as members of a local gospel band, but their chemistry inspired them to explore further musical avenues together. Soon enough they were invited on tour with Bonobo where their tour experience helped them explore and push past self-imposed limits — such as length of guitar cable or sounds such as birds or crickets or space between drum beats.

History of Flight

The trio’s name reflects their international influences that have contributed to its music. Additionally, its name plays off Thai for airplane and their interest in flying machines.

Houston natives Laura Lee Ochoa and Mark Speer came of age amid Texas’ worldly influences, where they were exposed to music from across the world. Through a shared love for Afghan music, Laura Lee Ochoa and Speer came together in 2007 through guitar; after recruiting drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson into their lineup.

The band began by amassing ideas originally recorded off-hand (during sound checks, long journeys or as fleeting epiphanies) before fitting them together on the studio floor. From there they massaged and stretched these elements to find new rhythms, sections and musical interactions; seeding sessions with field recordings also gave this album an airy quality and scale that few records could match.

Con Todo El Mundo

Khruangbin (bassist Laura Lee, guitarist Mark Speer and drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson) are a pleasant relief in an age when every album release can be taken as an opportunity for social or political commentary. On their sophomore effort Con Todo El Mundo – Spanish for “With all the world”- they expand upon 2015’s The Universe Smiles Upon You with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern sounds adding depth and color. Still beautifully dreamy yet relaxed sounding.

Sound of their music resembles an endless jam session, with hypnotic grooves that gently drift your thoughts down a lazy river. Channeling 1960s Thai rock and funk or outsider strains of psychedelic jazz music from any source possible is more life-affirming than any protest album released this year; at its heart lies an affirmation of global connection and shared creativity than ever.

A La Sala

Since their 2016 album release, 2020’s Mordechai, Khruangbin have taken their unique style of groove music all around the globe with them, providing audiences with universal language of groove flavors. But while their tours may have expanded their presence around the globe, their Houston power trio of bassist Laura Lee Ochoa, drummer Donald Johnson Jr and guitarist Mark Speer has maintained its home base.

As its title indicates, A La Sala (“To The Room” in Spanish) marks a return for the band to their roots. As their most stripped-back record to date, this record finds them celebrating the instrumental grooves that set them apart from competitors.

From May Ninth’s mesmeric soundscapes and Pon Pon’s humid funk, all the way through Les Petits Gris’ yearning balladry, this album never lets up; each piece ebbs and flows as though the music were an undulating river that draws you deeper with every passing wave.