Band Members Sofy Encanto, Buffalo Brown, David Burgos, Andres Ponce

This week I was fortunate to again stumble upon an act that’s successfully re-writing the rules on how we define music by genres. The result? An eclectic sound that’s garnering rave reviews and winning over fans from all walks of life – including me.
While most commonly labeled as and Alternative Latin band, I think one listen to Elastic Bond’s debut album, Real, will quickly demonstrate the cross pollination that is shaping their sound. The Miami-based quartet is smoothly blending a combination of soul, funk, rock, disco, electronica and R &B, with the influencing power of their Latin/tropical roots and their affinity for retro grooves.
Although many attributes can be credited for placing Real on my personal playlist, the sultry voice of lead singer Sofy Encanto certainly stands out. Whether she’s singing in Spanish or English, she’ll pull you in and keep you glued. The musicianship is also stellar, with Andres Ponce serving as creative director and keyboard player, Buffalo Brown on guitar and David Burgos on trumpet.
Encanto and Ponce recently sat down and provided me some insight into Elastic Bond, which you can find in the interview that follows this official video for their song Find A Way:

Tod Hardin: How would you define your sound for Don Draper if he were asked to create an advertising campaign?
Sofy Encanto: A vibration from Caribe waters that can be perceived as psychedelic quantum flourishing futuristic swirls of funk. A sound that can make you think of two words … Tropical Soul.
TH: “Alternative Latin” – that seems to be the most common genre I hear you associated to. Is that a proper classification? 
SE: Latin is only one of the many vibes contained in our music. We like to stay in touch with our roots but also our experience with multiple cultures we have been exposed to musically and otherwise. Our music is alternative and it’s Latin, so it’s a good genre for people to find us. We like to think that we are making songs that are universal beyond classification to the ear and heart of the listener.
TH: Originally, you two collaborated with no intention of forming a band. Obviously something changed. How did you get from there to where you are now?
Andres Poncé: At first it was a bit calculated, we had just met and treated it like we were doing an exchange, but little by little we developed a great chemistry and the songs started to flow naturally. We just wanted to keep making music together.  We complement each other well and are really happy to work as a team.
TH: The backgrounds of your members seem as eclectic as your sound. Tell us something about each person that we can’t find on Google.
SE: Andres is allergic to seafood, Buffalo is allergic to beer, I’m allergic to perfume and David had an FBI case at 13.
TH: I love the fact that at times you have a tinge of 1960s and 1970s retro to your sound. If the band could re-make any album from either of those decades, which one and why?
AP & SE: Thank you, we really love those sounds. We would probably do a dub/lover’s rock version of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On.
TH: How did you come up with the band’s name?

AP: We were brainstorming putting together words that we liked and Elastic Bond rang a bell, especially when we pictured it as a reflection of the sound we were creating and it’s also a physics term that relates to our concept.
TH: On Real, some songs are in English and some are in Spanish. How do you decide which language to use?
AP: It’s a natural process. It mostly depends on what comes as the inspiration for the vocal melodies at that given moment.

TH: If Elastic Bond was a fruit smoothie, what flavor or combo of flavors would you be and why?
AP & SE: Pineapple, ginger and berries with some good rum. Refreshing, Energetic and with a kick to it.
TH: What’s next for Elastic Bond?

AP: Some touring in support of our new album Real; writing more songs. We are also working on a movie soundtrack.