When you think of the USA/Mexico border, bass-pumping electronic music probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But Nortec Collective — a group of musicians and visual artists with legendary status in Tijuana — is dropping hot electro norteño in spite of (and because of) the issues there.

These electronic masterminds gained massive popularity at the start of this millennium. The collective is really a group of friends, with each member bringing their own music and art to the project. The musical members consist of Bostich (Ramon Amezcua), Fussible (Pepe Mogt), Clorofila (Jorge Verdín) and Hiperboreal (PG Beas). Together they not only invented the nortec genre (a folk norteño and techno mash-up), but they capture perfectly Tijuana’s border identity.

Recently, the members have split up only to form new configurations, like the Grammy-nominated Bostich + Fussible, who recently dropped a border-centric LP Bulevar 2000.

The sounds of traditional norteño music – brass, accordion, and sonorous bajo sexto – fused with electronic elements. Folk rhythms overlap with modern beats, creating energetic compositions that are at once futuristic and heavy with nostalgia.