The Tijuana Sessions Vol. 1
Mexican electronic music, yes. But which Mexico? The capital city and its panorama sprawl of concrete, or the interior's jungle promise of Mayan premodernity? Well, how about Tijuana, which depending on your trajectory might mean economic promise or B-movie titillation? In other words, exactly the sort of high-traffic, low-rent zone that breeds artists--for example the various acts that comprise the Nortec Collective, all young, pop-minded, tech-enabled musicians who want to build a bridge (and verse and chorus) to the 21st century.Amon Tobin's digitizations of Brazilian percussion have prepared listeners for this blend of indigenous sounds and globetrotting club culture. There's something for everyone here: Fussible's hard 4/4 dance sounds, Terrestre's encompassing collages, Hiperboreal's eerie street recordings--and, most of all, the general funhouse-mirror thrill of hearing the familiar (Norteño's tuba and accordion, techno's ethereal ambience and studio sheen) in entirely new ways.--Marc Weidenbaum