Biography
Comprised of a tight-knit group of producers blending regional Mexican traditions with modern electronic sounds, the Nortec Collective first appeared in 2002 via Nacional Records and quickly built a solid audience, particularly among reviewers. The movement known as nortec originated in the late 1990s primarily in Tijuana—the largest city in Baja California and situated directly across from San Diego—where producer Pepe Mogt initiated experiments merging cutting-edge electronic beats with local styles such as norteño and banda. The term nortec itself derives from norteño and techno. While producers elsewhere had long mixed genres, such combinations remained uncommon in Mexico during that era, when electronic music maintained only a marginal foothold. Tijuana’s vibrant club environment proved especially conducive, drawing techno-oriented young Californians who regularly crossed the border for nightlife and supporting numerous DJs who served that cross-border crowd.
These nortec artists eventually united as the Nortec Collective and combined efforts on their first album, The Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 1, issued by Nacional Records in 2002. Subsequent projects included The Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 3 in 2005, with no corresponding Vol. 2 released. Pepe Mogt, the collective’s central figure, also created the title track for the soundtrack of Dylan Verrechia’s 2005 film Tijuana Makes Me Happy; that same track later appeared on the 2006 FIFA World Cup video game soundtrack as well as on The Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 3. Past and present collaborators encompass Bostich, Clorofila, Fussible, Hiperboreal, Panoptica, Terrestre, and Plankton Man. In 2006 the Nortec Collective received its initial Latin Grammy nomination in the Best Alternative Music Album category, though Julieta Venegas’ Limón y Sal ultimately claimed the honor. Two years afterward, the group was referenced in Alejandro L. Madrid’s book Nor-tec Rifa! Electronic Dance Music from Tijuana to the World. The collective issued Tijuana Sound Machine in May 2008.
These nortec artists eventually united as the Nortec Collective and combined efforts on their first album, The Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 1, issued by Nacional Records in 2002. Subsequent projects included The Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 3 in 2005, with no corresponding Vol. 2 released. Pepe Mogt, the collective’s central figure, also created the title track for the soundtrack of Dylan Verrechia’s 2005 film Tijuana Makes Me Happy; that same track later appeared on the 2006 FIFA World Cup video game soundtrack as well as on The Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 3. Past and present collaborators encompass Bostich, Clorofila, Fussible, Hiperboreal, Panoptica, Terrestre, and Plankton Man. In 2006 the Nortec Collective received its initial Latin Grammy nomination in the Best Alternative Music Album category, though Julieta Venegas’ Limón y Sal ultimately claimed the honor. Two years afterward, the group was referenced in Alejandro L. Madrid’s book Nor-tec Rifa! Electronic Dance Music from Tijuana to the World. The collective issued Tijuana Sound Machine in May 2008.
Albums
Singles
