Late Night Tales: Khruangbin (2LP)

Format: 2x12".

Hot on the heels of ‘Mordechai’, the acclaimed third album from American psychedelic rock groovers Khruangbin, the Texan trio are set to become the latest act to curate their very own ‘LateNightTales’ in the popular and long-running series of artist-curated albums.

Having first come to prominence in 2013 when producer and DJ Bonobo included Khruangbin’s ‘A Calf Born in Winter’ on his own collection of songs for the series, the then little known Houstonian trio were yet to even release an album, but have since gone on to become international superstars, forging their own exotic and individual sound. “The LateNightTales series is so special to be a part of because we wouldn’t have made it had it not been for Bonobo’s LateNightTales, because that’s how we got brought into the LNT family and got a leg up.”

With a stunning selection of tracks that cross borders and cultures, Khruangbin’s deep love of global grooves – from their Asian pop to Nigerian reggae – Japanese smooth groove to Latin flavours – is steeped in eclecticism; Nazia Hassan’s ‘Khushi’ produced by Indian-British legend Biddu, South Korean rock band Sanullim contributing ‘Don’t Go’, a couple of African belters from Maxwell Udoh from Nigeria and Roha Band from Ethiopia; a detour to Belarus for Песняры and then to Madrid for Paloma San Basilio’s rousing vocal performance with ‘Contigo’ before heading back to Texas at breakneck speed.

Elsewhere, the lone star state is proudly represented, with David Marez and Kelly Doyle, plus, in LateNightTales tradition, the band deliver an exclusive and brilliantly chilled-out cover of Kool & The Gang’s ‘Summer Madness’ whilst the mix concludes with a spoken word piece by Tierney Malone, accompanied by fellow Houstonian Geoffrey Muller’s atmospheric banjo in interpretation of Erik Satie’s ‘Gnossienne’.

“It’s cool to think of what you would listen to late at night, as a band together, lighting up a joint, that type of vibe. We definitely wanted to cover as much global ground as possible; so it was the globe and then home. We wanted to show off our hometown treasures, or people from our hometown that the rest of the world probably doesn’t know. That’s what makes Khruangbin, Khruangbin. The stubbornness of being so hometown-centric but what makes Houston is this constant international influence. That’s the gulf stream, pulling it right into Houston. So I guess that’s kind of the theme.”

The LateNightTales series was established in 2001 with Fila Brazilia taking the controls and mixing the first of what was to continue to be the first choice of music connoisseurs worldwide. Since then, the series has seen releases by artists including The Flaming Lips, Hot Chip, Floating Points, David Holmes, Bonobo, Jon Hopkins, Röyksopp and many more.