Nortec Collective’s electro-acoustic songs and striking visuals filled the little-known Exdo Event Center on Sunday. Photos by .
Tell me how many of you have ever heard of the ? Yeah, I didn’t think so. When I first read that had Denver on its radar with a visit to the , my head immediately started to spin. Time passed and I noticed that the date changed (by one day) and the venue had changed from Museo to the Exdo Event Center.
Why am I harping on this minute detail of venue change? The location of any given show dictates the crowd, the ambiance (or lack thereof), sound, drinks, etc. My apprehension turned to delight upon entering the cavernous warehouse-looking building off the part of Larimer that nobody ever really frequents. The venue proved to be an oasis in an area that has the makings of a smaller version of Commerce City written all over it.
Enormous disco balls dangled from the ceiling over the room, which hosted an auction that I wasn’t able to attend. The evening consisted of the Fourth annual Rojo! Gala that had the majority of the crowd elegantly dressed and noticeably jolly when the guys from Nortec hit the stage.
I don’t play instruments or make music, but I enjoy listening to it tremendously. To create music and have an entire genre named after your style must be the ultimate flattery. Nortec Collective are responsible for the genre of music known to the Spanish speaking world as Nortec — Norteño music and techno music bound together in musical harmony. Other groups that emulate this sound are Kinky, Monareta and Mexican Institute of Sound.
The group not only creates music, but an experience for the senses. Music, film and graphic design is what Nortec is primarily known for. The visuals use everything from pictures of Tijuana, computer images of Cheros (Mexican Cowboys) on a keyboard mimicking the three members from Kraftwerk, donkeys striped in black and white like a zebra, and my favorite at the concert, the low riders thumping across multiple flat screens.
The bulk of the material played during the Sunday set at Exdo took from the most recent Bostich + Fussible effort from two of the artists from Nortec. The bliss flowed from their horn player, guitarist and sometimes, but not always, a clarinet player.
The near-perfect set would have been flawless had it not been for the noticeably missing accordion on the dance floor two-step burner, “The Clap.” The lone horn player nailed every note on “Norteña del Sur” with every body thumping-beat that was slung his way. I have a feeling that 60 percent of the crowd there had no clue who the random guys on stage were doing with their fancy Apple laptops and sharp looking boots.
The crowd had no idea what to expect, and if they did anticipate something, it would have been along the lines of some Norteño music. In the end, it didn’t matter because everybody was having a ball despite the ever-so-cool demeanor from the new sound makers from Tijuana. Sorry, Herb Alpert.
Reverb contributor Julio Enriquez edits the blog.
See more of Reverb photographer Laurie Scavo’s work at .
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