Nortec Collective: Tijuana Sessions Vol. 3 : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Many acts combine indigenous ethnic music with international electronic beats, but few do it with as much cojones as Nortec Collective of Tijuana, Mexico. The group samples and loops snippets of mostly local musicians playing trumpet, tuba, clarinet, accordion, guitar and various Latin percussion instruments, then digitally stirs the spicy results. Like Paris' twenty-first-century-tango Gotan Project, Nortec create updated lounge sounds for both dancing and chilling. On the sequel to their 2001 debut, Tijuana Sessions Vol. 1 (because of some inside joke, Vol. 2 doesn't exist), Nortec lean heavily on organic, acoustic sounds: The frolicsome vocal cut "Tijuana Makes Me Happy" is as much indie pop as Beck, a kindred fusionist whom the Nortec folks have previously remixed. The mostly instrumental tracks throughout have less hipster cool than before but more summery, south-of-the-border appeal, and you don't need a passport or even your name on the guest list.