about this story

Norteño musicians litter the streets of Tijuana, where it is common to see a man in a cowboy hat lugging an upright bass across the street with an accordion player following a few paces behind. Their polka-flavored rhythms and rich voices are Tijuana's plaintive soundtrack and also - because of its lyrics often celebrate drug lords - synonymous with 'narco culture.' This was the norteño music that Pepe Mogt grew up hearing, and he is quick to admit that he didn't like it that much.

Mogt, a Tijuana native and the co-founder of a group of musicians called Nortec Collective, grew up with norteño, though he is quick to admit he didn't like it that much. Instead, he tuned his dial to an English-language station, 91X, which broadcast electronic music from a radio tower high on a Tijuana hillside. At the time, many San Diego stations were moving their transmitters to Mexico, where the costs are lower and Federal Communications Commission rules do not apply.

In 1999, Pepe was playing clubs near the border in Tijuana along the Avenida Revolucîon. The audiences attending the shows were a mix of local kids and those who had crossed from California for a night in TJ (Tijuana). Pepe started to notice that the brand of electronic music they were playing didn't differentiate itself much from music being produced in the U.S. or Europe. He dedicated himself to creating a sound that could represent his hometown, and out came "nortec".

"Nortec", as a genre of electronic music, is a musical melange of norteño and electronica that gets audiences on their feet and dancing. In this story, Pepe Mogt takes a break from promoting his new album, Tijuana Sound Machine, to talk about Nortec as a border phenomenon.

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