From genres as diverse as desert blues, surf, Thai funk, dub, psych-rock and soul, the trio distils a kind of world music with no fixed place of origin. In any case, their songs would be just as difficult to pin down in their home town of Houston, Texas, as the band's name (which is Thai and means airplane). Khruangbin will be playing at Halle 622 in Zurich on November 12.
For just over ten years, Khruangbin have been perfecting their minimalist sound concept, which is mostly limited to guitar, bass and drums. The occasional vocals are just another melodic instrument. The multilingual lyrics are so insignificant that it is often difficult to understand them. The band has also experimented with synthesizers, but then deleted most of the tracks at the end of the sessions.
Their fourth studio album "A La Sala" was released in April. In contrast to its three predecessors, it was not recorded in the band's own barn in the middle of nowhere for the first time and sounds more intimate and reduced. The band has deliberately dispensed with additional collaborations and concentrated on its core line-up.
Guitarist Mark Speer, known for his soaring, cross-genre guitar runs, bassist Laura Lee Ochoa and drummer Donald "DJ" Johnson Jr. have focused on what they do best: Creating hypnotic grooves and atmospheric soundscapes.
The title "A La Sala" (Spanish for "into the living room") already hints at where the journey is heading. Bassist Laura Lee explains: "When I was a little girl, I used to shout this around our house to bring my family together. That's how I felt when I was recording the new album. It's a return to the beginning, an attempt to get back to the essence of what Khruangbin is all about."
Despite their growing popularity, Khruangbin remain true to their DIY ethos. For the album, the band gathered ideas from voice memos, sound checks and spontaneous inspiration and put these pieces of the puzzle together in the studio to form a coherent whole. The band returns to its roots without standing still, proving once again that it is one of the most innovative and fascinating acts of our time.
In recent years, Khruangbin have developed into one of the most fascinating bands on the alternative music scene and have become festival favorites.
Their fans are in for a treat: As part of their "A La Sala" tour, Khruangbin will be performing at Halle 622 in Zurich on November 12, 2024. It promises to be an evening full of musical world travel - and all from a living room in Texas.