The Colombian musicians of the Bomba Estereo group don't deny the pride they feel about their association with the Canadian band Arcade Fire, which they identify with a growing worldwide presence of the tropical and Caribbean sounds that catapulted them to fame.

"Maybe it sounds pretentious, but look what an influence the sounds from this part of the world have on the new music of Arcade Fire - I'm hearing sounds that are completely tropical and Caribbean. I guess that shows how strong our music is," Bomba Estereo's Simon Mejia told EFE during an interview in Bogota together with vocalist Liliana "Li" Saumet.

According to the founders of Bomba Estereo, who are debuting a new disc in August, the two bands crossed paths at a small festival in Montreal, in which the Colombians took part.

"Arcade Fire's singer Win Butler was at that concert, and he loved it: he was enraptured with our band and became like a fan. Later we had the chance to open a couple of concerts for him in Europe and we ended up best friends," Mejia said, adding that an alliance like this is a chance to attract large combined audiences of fans of both bands.

"It's going to be a great opportunity for us in Europe and the United States, and also for them here in Latin America," he said.

Bomba Estereo belongs to a generation of Colombian bands, like Systema Solar and Chocquibtown, which over the past 10 years have managed to break across their national borders and become part of a more global artistic panorama, thanks to their success on the Internet and at international music festivals before massive audiences.

Bomba Estereo singer Li Saumet said it's important that a Latino band, with vocals in Spanish, tour with another that performs in English.

Both members of the group said proudly that they put no limits on their creative hopes and dreams, though always keeping in mind that dancing and female voices will always be the "common denominator" of the Caribbean sounds that have managed to shake dance floors around the world with hits like "Soy Yo" and "Fiesta."