Tijuana Sessions 1

It had to happen, Tijuana the swinging gate of Mexican culture, has exported a sound that has been burning up the club scene there for years. Nortec is more than a musical trend as it is a whole collective of border artists working with various media. The sound of Nortec is distinctivly south of the border electronica that apppeals to those high energy, charged up hormones that cut loose on the dance floor. What makes this different from some of the other electronic music pulsating out of the clubs is that this is local. The music is a hybrid sound reflecting Tijuana. A blend of electronica/folklorica, Nortec fuses acid jazz with elements of nortena. Nortena is that style of Mexican music that uses accordian and guitars that is very similar to Tex-Mex found along the southwest border. Couple this with Ranchera guitar and Banda Sinolense horns, and soulful wailing guitar riffs, syncopated beats, dropping beats ala dub, jazzy samba and electronic wizadry that has depth and you have a...Read more

I saw the Nortec Collective perform at the DNA Lounge in SF, and ran out to buy this CD the day after. I am not familiar with traditional norteno music, but I am a big fan of cool 'twists' on traditional techno, and these artists deliver that, in spades! This disc for me is a varied and refreshing take on techno that succeeds in not sounding 'gimmicky' in it's execution. Some people might buy this expecting another salsa-techno CD, but they will be surprised by the variety of the music contained within. While the music here has very strong mexican/latino music influences, you won't find many salsa melodies attached to a thumping house drum line. Instead, you get a wonderful panache of sounds. A few of the songs reflect a strong polka influence (like track 1), with thumping tubas and horns calling to mind rolling, happy big-beat tracks. Other tracks are more breakbeat influenced, but the infusion of horns, guitar riffs, and some spanish vocalizations keep things fresh.

While it's...Read more

Don't get me wrong, this is a good album. But the Tijuana-based DJ collective doesn't live up to the name 'Nortec' (a fusion of norteno and techno) on this 2001 debut. This album felt more like a regular electronica album made by some musicians who just happened to be Mexican. Thankfully, the boys took their time and came back with the downright genius "Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 3", which is far better. Vol. 3 far exceeds this album because you can really hear the norteno influence integrated with the electronica. In sum, skip this record and pick up the new one!