Tijuana Sessions

concert review: Nortec Collective w/ Mexican Institute of Sound @ Harbourfront Centre - CIBC Stage(Toronto, Ontario), July 22, 2006

By this past Saturday, the only thing left over from my nasty cold from the start of last week was a slightly nagging cough. Otherwise, it was so wonderful to finally be able to breathe freely and walk without getting winded. Saturday evening, I did some CD shopping at Sonic Boom[picked up a used copy of the Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man CD "Out of Season"], watched some breakdancing over at Yonge-Dundas Square, then headed over to Harbourfront to catch Nortec Collective w/ Mexican Institute of Sound as part of the Mexican-themed 'Ritmo Y Color' festival. Mexican Institute of Sound opened with a Latin-flavored brand of electronica which was definitely geared towards the dance crowd. I wasn't particulary impressed with any of the beats or sounds. I almost called it a night when they sampled "Macarena". Nortec Collective fared a lot better in my opinion, with a good dose of interesting tempos, beats, and Mexican influences, and the graphic design of the different screen projections on either side of the stage were attractive. It's a shame though that even on the faster rhythmic tracks, the three gents on stage could barely break a sweat behind their laptops/sequencers or whatever electronic do-dad they were working. When I'd read an article in NOW that Calexico had guest on Nortec Collective's album "Tijuana Sessions Vol. 3" and that Nortec Collective had worked on Beck's remix album "Guerolito", I'd had high hopes for them. Some mariachi samples perhaps? Well, I didn't hear any but then I only stuck around until ten o'clock or so before getting bored and leaving. While Nortec Collective seemed perfectly suited for the studio, they were a disappointing live act. I think they'd have fared better if they performed in Harbourfront Centre's smaller Brigantine Room.
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