For over a decade, Houston-based psychedelic trio Khruangbin have been crafting an infectiously intercontinental blend of genres, incorporating elements spanning from '60s Thai psych to indie disco funk.
The group's singer and bassist, Laura 'Leezy' Lee is remarkably care-free when she picks up the phone to promote their new album 'Ali', kicking things off by discussing her signature bass technique."My approach is just really naïve, I think. I'm not very technically sound, or savvy, and I didn't really grow up playing. I came to it later. I tend to play bass the same way I draw or cook – it's sort of, just what feels good," she says.
'Ali' centres around the band's collaboration with Malian singer and guitarist Vieux Farka Touré. The album is a tribute to Vieux's late father Ali Farka Touré, world-renowned Malian multi-instrumentalist and composer.
Laura spoke on the unique process of this project compared to their other collaborations. "Well, it varies per project. In comparison to Leon [Bridges], this was a completely different project altogether.
"There was nothing similar about the way we wrote the songs. With 'Ali', the songs were already written – they were [Vieux's] dad's songs. We didn't know what songs we were playing until we were in the studio with him. He would start playing and singing, and then we joined him.
"It was a very raw recording. For certain songs, we wrote our parts to make it sound a little bit more like Khruangbin. His songs tended to be very, very long.
"I don't think they are unstructured, but in our minds, they felt a lot more ambiguous. They're a selection of Ali's songs – there are songs about Ali, songs about Mali, and about their culture."
'Ali' integrates distinctly Malian musical devices with Khruangbin's unmistakable atmospheres and instrumentation. Cuts from 'Ali' such as 'Tongo Barra' feature percussion and bass-driven grooves dripping with Vieux's colourful Malian guitar lines, anchored by Khruangbin guitarist Mark Speers' funked-up rhythm parts.
On balancing the sounds of two highly distinctive guitarists in the studio, Laura had this to say. "It was very difficult. In the actual recording process, Mark just tended to play rhythm and support Vieux.
"But Vieux is playing rhythm, and melody, and percussion, and singing – all at the same time. So, for DJ [Khruangbin drummer] and I, there were more obvious paths for us to, you know, find a way in. Mark had a much bigger challenge.
"So, it took some time and space to figure out where he fit in, and we spent many, many days watching him go through the process. A couple of times he wanted to just give up and play keys instead, but he found it eventually."
The result is a lush concoction of diverse instrumentation, the two guitarists finding the perfect fusion of textures amid organs, vivid vocals, and eclectic percussion.
"We have like, boxes of random percussion that we've found over the years. We also did a lot of recording of our feet, just like stomping around and clapping – just trying to create a 'place' for it to live."
2022 also saw Khruangbin featured as part of another new genre, this time integrated into a song with acclaimed house music producer Ron Trent on the groovy 'Flos Potentia (Sugar, Cotton, Tabacco)'.
“We're long-time Ron Trent fans. We found out he was a Khruangbin fan from early days and had been coming to our shows in Chicago, just as a punter.
"We didn't know he was buying tickets to our shows and coming. We were really excited, because the shows that he came to we actually did a Chicago house medley! We were like, 'Oh, Ron Trent saw it!'.
"We reached out to him to do a remix on the 'Mordechai' remixes. That started a conversation between us, and he asked us to kind of return the favour and collaborate with him back. So, we were honoured."
Khruangbin are no strangers to collaboration. Previously, the group have worked with the likes of Leon Bridges on their 'Texas Sun' and 'Texas Moon' EPs. Khruangbin also contributed to Paul McCartney's 'McCartney III Imagined', reworking a version of the record's 'Pretty Boys'.
When asked about her personal dream collaborator, Laura answered without hesitation. "Sade. That's my forever answer to that question. Until Sade calls and asks me to play a song with her, I'm going to keep saying her name.
"She can do whatever she wants, I know it's a long shot. . . but, you know. Sade – we are here."
Khruangbin are currently at the beginning of a world tour accompanying the release of 'Ali'. In her spare time, Laura enjoys creating across a range of mediums. "I play bass, I cook, I draw. I like sort of, making spaces. I admire people that just do one thing a lot.
"I've been listening to some very weird things today. I don't even know how to explain. I have a friend whose dad was a world music DJ years ago, so he just has a treasure trove of samples.
"I found a box of stuff that's from the Texan-Mexican border. It's like, 'Music From The Border Volume 12', haha. I just did some intentional listening today just to be inspired by things I'd never heard before.
"It's crazy. I live in a tiny town in Upstate New York, and I don't know how I found this up here, but I did, and I'm very excited."
For anybody lucky enough to catch the band at one their (mostly sold out) upcoming Australian shows, Laura had this to say. "Thank you for listening, and if you're coming to the show – I hope you enjoy it very much."
Khruangbin 2022 Tour Dates
Wed 23 Nov - Fremantle Arts Centre* sold outSun 27 Nov - Sydney Opera House Concert Hall* sold out
Mon 28 Nov - Sydney Opera House Concert Hall* sold out
Wed 30 Nov - The Fortitude Music Hall (Brisbane)* sold out
Thu 1 Dec - Princess Theatre (Brisbane)* sold out
Sat 3 Dec - Sidney Myer Music Bowl (Melbourne)* final tickets
Khruangbin also play Harvest Rock Festival in Adelaide, which runs 19-20 November.
Harvest Rock 2022 Line-up
Jack White (only Aus show)Crowded House
The Black Crowes
Khruangbin
Groove Armada
Sam Fender
The Lumineers
Tones And I
The Avalanches
Courtney Barnett
Kurt Vile (only Aus show)
Angus & Julia Stone
The Teskey Brothers
Hot Chip
Goanna
Genesis Owusu
The Living End
Cat Power
You Am I
Meg Mac
Marlon Williams
Holy Holy
Alex Cameron
Ruby Fields
Allen Stone
Electric Fields
Towns
Slowmango
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