Elastic Bond is the latest Miami band to get some well-deserved time in the national spotlight.
For years, the crew's smooth and melodious global rhythms have flowed through the nights and mornings of the city's clubs, bars, festivals, and parties, luring a legion of local fans that's set to grow exponentially with the new album, Real, on Nacional Records.
We caught up with singer-songwriter Sofy Encanto about the new deal, inspirations, and debuting at No. 1 on iTunes.
See also:
-Juanes on Good Music, God, and Exile Enmity Toward Cuba: "That Mentality Is Changing"
Crossfade: Yo, congratulations on your new album and label deal...
Sofy Encanto: It's good, it's good stuff, we're very happy to have the opportunity to promote the music outside of Miami and to have more opportunities to do it.
How'd the label thing come about?
We had heard about the label for many years and we really liked the artists they signed so we kind of stayed in tune with what they were doing, and one was the Latin Alternative Music Conference in NYC. We went out there for the past 3 years every year just networking. A mutual friend who's also a musician signed with them put in the word for us and we were also in some compilations that one of their artists DJ Afro from Los Amigos Invisibles put together. We were asked to be in a few comps from New York also. We found out who to contact, told them that we had a album coming out almost ready to go, sent it over, and they loved it.
What's the album called?
Real, we pronounce it in Spanish, like Rrrrrreal.
Where'd you do it?
It was recorded by our producer Andres Ponce in our home studio.
What's the next step?
We're gonna be celebrating with the CD release party at PAX on July 5th. Right after the CD release party we go on the road to play 3 shows in NYC and then the week after that we have another, a mini summer tour, 3 shows in upstate New York. And then we're working on tour dates for LA in the fall.
Who did the writing and what was the process for Real?
Andres and I, we formed the band because we been writing together for a lot of years, we start writing the song and then jam it out for the other two band members. I write most of the lyrics and melodies and Andres makes the chords and arrangements
What do you write about?
A lot of songs are about places we traveled, people we met, and experiences we had in everyday life. Each has a unique style and a unique story. It took us about 3 years in the making to do this album, pouring our hearts out every time a song idea came. Then we brought the polish and arrangements, and experimenting with sounds, textures, and rhythms to it, so it's a lot.
What the style of it?
It has reggae, Brazilian, hip hop, funk, and soul. And of course the Latin stuff. It's very varied in cultures and genres. It's a fusion
It drops officially tomorrow, but it's already out on the internet right?
It's out on iTunes and people can get it on there. Last week it debuted as #1 Latin Alternative on iTunes and it went #9 in Latino charts alongside Pitbull and Shakira and we're really happy and appreciate all the love and the new fans hearing Elastic Bond for the first time.
Elastic Bond's Real Album-Release Party. Friday, July 5. PAX, 337 SW Eighth St., Miami. The show starts at 10 p.m. and tickets cost $15 plus fees via ticketfly.com. Call 305-640-5847 or visit paxmiami.com.
Follow Crossfade on Facebook and Twitter @Crossfade_SFL.
