KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic is featuring throwback live sessions every Thursday. This week, lean into the hypnotic grooves of Khruangbin with this essential 2018 performance.
When I first heard about Khruangbin, there was quite a bit of mystery attached to the trio. Word was they were from Thailand or maybe the desert. Either way, they definitely had some buzz, but not a lot of info was known about them. I finally got to crack the code at SXSW 2017, when I watched the Houston band (they love repping Texas) hold the entire audience in the palm of their hand with their mellow grooves and entrancing drum patterns. You could close your eyes and the sounds would take you on a trip to many places – Thailand, the desert, or even the plains of Texas.
When they were invited to the KCRW studios in 2018, I was excited to witness their maturation of Thai-funk, gospel and H-Town sounds. This particular session was in advance of their album release Con Todo El Mundo, but they played tracks from their full catalogue. They absolutely blew us away and it seemed like a tipping point for the band. More recently, they’ve collaborated with Leon Bridges on an EP, Jay Electronica and Jay Z.
Let Khruangbin take you on a trip with these highlights from their MBE session from 2018. Enjoy and stay healthy!