Twenty years is a long time for a band to survive, especially when it’s a big one like Ozomatli, currently a septet. It may be that having a greater number of musicians creates more of a clan- or tribelike feel, and this sense of belonging to a whole community helps to prevent the ego collisions smaller groups are prone to.

The members of the L.A. band and its entourage have become such close friends and family that they’re able to relax and take risks with their eclectic mix of Latin and world music, hip-hop, jazz, funk, and rock—safe in the knowledge that they will always find support from their colleagues.

Ozomatli’s eighth album, Place in the Sun, which came out in March, reflects the confidence and maturity of a band with a strong identity and a playful character. “We released a kids’ record—Ozomatli Presents Ozokidz—in 2012, which was somewhat liberating in that, in the subject matter and music, the vibe was very free,” says Ulises Bella, Ozomatli’s saxophonist, reached at his home in L.A. “There wasn’t that much judgment going on—we’re very hard on ourselves, especially when it comes to our records. With Place in the Sun the vibe was one of fun—we’re enjoying our place in the sun as some kind of elder statesmen of the scene here.”

The band earned that reward after many years of championing social causes in the L.A. area, and touring as U.S. Cultural Ambassadors in Poland, India, Nepal, Tunisia, Jordan, Egypt, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand. Its members have refined their ability to pool their diverse creative resources, and make richly textured, compulsive, and gritty party music.

“We dip into a lot of different traditions from all around the world, and we pride ourselves in our live performance,” says Bella. “We come to entertain, and it’s a priority for us to get people dancing.”

The carnival-esque aspect of Ozomatli is evident from the start of its gigs. The band works hard to break down the barriers between performer and audience in very tangible ways, and its signature is for the musicians to begin the show playing in a conga-style line that weaves through the crowd and onto the stage. At the end they step down into the audience again and go on a brief walkabout before forming a circle and continuing to make music, without any mikes, for as long as they want or are allowed to.

This simple ritual visually reinforces the awareness that Ozomatli meets fans quite literally on the same level. The musicians are accessible and vulnerable, buoyed by the sense of community formed. “We have a multicultural, multigenerational audience,” says Bella. “You get people coming with their kids, bringing their grandparents, the whole range of ethnicities represented in our audience, and I think there is a ‘new tribe’ feeling. It’s obviously beyond the music scenes. I guess it’s what the world might look like in the future.”

Ozomatli plays the Vancouver Folk Music Festival main stage on Sunday (July 20).