About

— The Analog Vault // Essential Listening —

The Universe Smiles Upon You is the dreamy, soulful and groovy jam of an album that introduced the cosmic magic of Khruangbin to the world. Made up of Laura Lee (bass and vocals), Mark Speer (guitar, percussion and vocals) and Donald Johnson (drums) - this trio’s wondrous blend of 1960s Luk thung (Thai funk) alongside 1970s surf and psychedelic rock first came into prominence with their acclaimed 2015 debut LP on Night Time Stories.

Grounded as much in the wide-open plains of Texas as it is in the neon bustle of Thailand, this record is a vivid and serene flourish that’s ideal for long car rides or hillside hikes. Buoyed by mesmerising standouts such as "Two Fish and an Elephant" and “Dern Kala”, The Universe Smiles Upon You is a seamless and distinctive listen from start to finish. — The Analog Vault

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Taking influence from 1960's Thai funk - their name literally translates to "Engine Fly" in Thai - Khruangbin’s debut album The Universe Smiles Upon You is steeped in the bass heavy, psychedelic sound of their inspiration, Tarantino soundtracks and surf-rock cool. The Texan trio is formed of Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar, and Donald “DJ” Johnson on drums.

The Universe Smiles Upon You was recorded at their spiritual home, a remote barn deep in the Texas countryside where their first rehearsals took place. The band listened to a lot of different types of music on the long drives out to the country but their favourites were 60s and 70s Thai cassettes gleaned from the cult Monrakplengthai blog and compilations of southeast Asian pop, rock and funk. This had a heavy impact on the direction of the band, the scales they used and the inflection of the melodies; which coupled with the spaciousness of the Texan countryside culminated in Khruangbin forming their exotic, individual sound.

Although the band was conceived as an instrumental outfit, The Universe Smiles Upon You features the first Khruangbin recordings with vocals. Tracks ‘People Everywhere (Still Alive)’, ‘Balls and Pins’ and recent single ‘White Gloves’ show a new dimension to the band.

“We never really thought of ourselves as having a “singer” but we knew that we wanted a voice for Khruangbin. We decided to write about something close to us, tell a story as simply as possible, and sing it together.”

The seeds of Khruangbin were sown when 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, with DJ - he and Mark have played in the same gospel band for years - the natural choice for drums.

Sharing their first recordings, Bonobo included Khruangbin's ‘A Calf Born In Winter’ on his 2013 Late Night Tales compilation. Subsequently signed to Late Night Tales offshoot Night Time Stories, ‘A Calf Born In Winter’ was released as a single in May 2014, four track EP ‘The Infamous Bill’ followed in October, with covers EP ‘History Of Flight’ on Record Store Day 2015.

“We feel like there is an ease that comes from being immersed in a space, away from the distractions of the city and everyday life. We make our music in a barn, in the Texas hill country, because it makes sense to us. Being there allows us to make music that comes naturally, and that’s what we wanted this album to be. We wanted to make a record that just let the music happen, and we hope that’s what you can hear.”  — (via Label)

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Label: Night Time Stories
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Repress, 180g
Released: 2015
Genre: Funk / Soul, Rock, Folk
Style: Psychedelic, Global Sounds, Funk

File under: TAV Essential Listening
File under: Funk / Soul
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