Nortec Collective does reflect life lived at the border. The band is also a reflection, fusion, and mix of influences growing up during the 70s and 80's in Tiijuana and being exposed to cultures from both sides of the Mexican-American border. The band members talk about their roots, not in the cultural sense, but the musical fragments that beat, pump, and ooze with a calming rhythm. Think northern Mexico's various musical elements rerouted through electronic equipment, something they started doing in 1999. That is not to say the band doesn't have much to say with the fused style. There has to be a reason for musical evolution. In their song 'The Big Failire', the band members explain the feeling of 'nostalgia' and 'fading love' (paraphrasing here) despite the upbeat nature of the music. The voices they represent are not only human voices, but musical instruments as well.
The band recognizes how the world views Tijuana as an infested city, creeping with ugliness. It has its beauty too, and both sides reflect in their music. It's living in Tijuana in the 21st century. As it turns out, being a Tijuana native is, after all, a blessing. It's easier to get Visas to come to the States, not so for Mexicans from other parts of the country, and the border radios broadcast great music.
The piece provides a good history of the band and its musical style. For a new listener, it might not sound so foreign, after all. (S)he might sense a familiarity in those tunes.