Biography
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Years Active
2004 – present (20 years)
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Members
- Donald Johnson, Jr.
- Laura Lee
- Mark Speer
Khruangbin (IPA: /ˈkɹʌŋbɪn/) is an American three-piece band from Houston, Texas, formed of Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar, and Donald Johnson on drums. The trio's first single 'A Calf Born In Winter' was released in May 2014 by Late Night Tales offshoot Night Time Stories, and saw support from DJs Zane Lowe, Cerys Matthews, Tom Ravenscroft, Gideon Coe and magazines as musically diverse as Test Pressing, For Folks Sake, i-D, The 405 and Ransom Note. 'The Infamous Bill' is an expanded offering of Khruangbin's exotic, individual sound. The EP's four tracks were recorded at their spritual home, a remote barn deep in the Texas countryside where Khruangbin's first rehearsals took place. Taking influence from 1960's Thai funk - Khruangbin literally translates to "Engine Fly" in Thai - the EP is steeped in the bass heavy, psychedelic sound of their inspiration, Tarantino soundtracks and surf-rock cool.
Mark and DJ's roots are in R&B, hip hop and gospel having played within the same gospel band for years. Both professional musicians, Mark began teaching Laura how to play bass in the summer of 2009. As such, Laura quickly developed a huge passion for the instrument and the aesthetic it brought to music she loved. Having worked studiously on developing her skills, both Mark and Laura were invited to tour with Ninja Tune's YPPAH supporting Bonobo across his 2010 American tour. The tour galvanised the two of them to start making music together more seriously, sowing the first seeds of Khruangbin, with DJ the natural go to for drums. Having kept in touch, Bonobo included Khruangbin's 'A Calf Born In Winter' on his 2013 'Late Night Tales' compilation. In addition to increasing the Stateside following the band has built, the release has helped Khruangbin in topping both the US & UK 'Last FM' fastest growing artists whilst 'A Calf Born In Winter' continues to be one of the most popular single downloads from the compilation.
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