KHRUANGBIN^US

The trio Khruangbin is truly a declaration of love for music and its ability to connect across borders and cultures. Since their 2015 debut album, The Universe Smiles Upon You, the band has taken listeners on a journey through psychedelic-sounding landscapes and bubbling grooves where American surf, soul and funk meet musical inspirations from Thailand, Afghanistan, Iran and a host of other places.

One of the major musical inspirations when Laura Lee (bass), Mark Speer (guitar) and Donald 'DJ' Johnson (drums) came together was the wave of Thai funk bands of the 60s and 70s, themselves inspired by the soul and funk of the USA where Khruangbin originated. The band name itself means airplane in Thai. A fitting name for the trio's cosmopolitan spirit.

With their distinctive sound and tight interplay, Khruangbin have captivated audiences around the world. Their live shows combine hypnotic and soulful dance grooves with psychedelic dreamscapes, electronic dub and cinematic surf guitar themes. And although the trio started out as a predominantly instrumental venture, on their acclaimed 2020 album Mordechai, they’ve expanded their universe with soulful vocals and poetic lyrics that had NME draw comparisons to Sade.

All in all, Khruangbin are always on the move. In 2022, they released an album with prominent Malian musician Vieux Farka Touré (interpreting songs by his father, the legendary Ali Farka Touré). A new album is on the way. Meanwhile, in 2023, the trio released five distinct live albums as a celebration of their reunion with a physical audience after lockdown. Seeing people come together around music, singing and dancing again has been described by the trio as a spiritual experience. You can expect the same when Khruangbin returns to Roskilde Festival.