Nortec Collective

Hailing from Tijuana in Northern Mexico, the Nortec Collective caused quite a stir on both sides of the border with their 2001 debut, The Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 1. The album was a daring fusion of traditional norteño and banda sounds filtered through a cutting-edge electronica and DJ aesthetic; rewiring "border music" for the 21st century. The group takes its name from the combination of norteño and techno music that marks their sound.

The group itself is a less a traditional band than a loose-kit collaboration of like-minded artists sharing a similar aesthetic, and gimmicky nommes de guerre. The five main players call themselves Fussible (Pepe Mogt), Bostich (Ramón Amezcua), Panóptica (Roberto Mendoza), Clorofila (Jorge Verdín) and Hiperboreal (PG Beas), and collectively create a multimedia mashup of contemporary border cultural in all its funky, post-Millennial glory. The collective also emerged as a fertile platform for video, art and other multmedia production— putting both the alternative music and art scenes of Mexico City on notice that Tijuana was a creative force to be reckoned with.

With the international success of Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 1, Nortec became something of a critical darling in the US—garnering rave reviews everywhere from the music press to Time magazine. The group has toured sporadically both in North America and farther afield, and various members of the collective have released solo albums, to varying degrees of success (most notably Panóptica).

In 2005, Nortec released their long-awaited follow-up album, Tijuana Sessions, Vol 3. (there was no Volume 2) to a receptive public. Driven by bouncy, tongue-in-cheek tracks such as "Tijuana Makes Me Happy," the album was a favorite in Latin Alternative circles, and found a home on both college and satellite radio in the US—though it failed to crack the terrestrial Latin pop or Mexican regional charts. —Tom Pryor