Khruangbin

Exactly what kind of music does this on-the-rise Houston trio play? Guitarist Mark Speer takes you under the wig!

- By Richard Bienstock

"A lot of folks just assume I’m a rock dude because I play guitar,” says Khruangbin’s Mark Speer. “But that’s not really where I come from.”

Indeed it’s not. In fact, since debuting in 2014 with the hazy, exotica-tinged instrumental, “A Calf Born in Winter,” his band — which includes bassist Laura Lee and drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson — has made a name for itself as one of the foremost purveyors of, well… what style of music does Khruangbin play, exactly? Over the course of two full-length albums and a handful of EPs, the band has explored everything from Thai funk to Middle Eastern disco and myriad other regional styles, and infused these sounds with splashes of psychedelia, dub, roots and more.