The crowd may have been small but nevertheless the members of Nortec Collective were determined to play for their audience. It's only a matter of time before their music casts a wider net.
It's a rare treat to hear such a spirited sound that's still in a nascent stage. The possibilities are so rich. By fusing seemingly opposite sounds, a hypnotic affinity has been created: both familiar and futuristic, moving forward and backward, while steady percussion keeps the pace going.
Reaching across two worlds and having Tijuana as a birthplace certainly means familiarity with the best and worst of the borderland. It also means the unlikely has more of a chance. Instead of American pop music cramming the airwaves, this time it's the reverse.
Taking turns onstage to show what they're about, O.C. got a taste of something sweet. To hear the percussion heavy norteno sounds of Bostich was a regalo. The brassy "Polaris" and the moody "El Vergel" live were a surreal experience. To top that with the clubby "Synkathon" was icing on the cake. Terrestre's "El lado oscuro de mi compadre" and Fussible also created a Tech-Mex stomping ground. AND, they got everybody dancing instead of the usual self-conscious toe-tapping in such a small circle. Only "Tijuana for dummies" by Hiperboreal was missing, and we could really use the training up here.
Bostich was there. Fussible was there. Terrestre too. You too should have been there.
