Tijuana’s Nortec Collective To Make Bittersweet Appearance At Coachella

I AM TOM FUDGE. THE COACHELLA MUSIC FESTIVAL GETS UNDERWAY THIS FRIDAY. HEADLINERS THIS INCLUDE AC/DC, STEELY DAN, JACK WHITE AND DRAKE. FOR SAN DIEGO MUSIC LOVERS THAT WILL ALSO BE A BITTERSWEET APPEARANCE BY T-1 IS NORTEC -- TIJUANA'S NORTEC COLLECTIVE. IN GRAMMY NOMINATED ARTIST TO THE MUSIC SCENE MORE THAN A DECADE AGO IN THEIR UNIQUE MIX OF MEXICO NORTEC MUSIC AND ELECTRONIC UP. KPBS PRODUCER MARISSA RECENTLY CAUGHT UP WITH PEPE MOGT AND RAMON AMEZCUA . TO BEGIN BY TALKING ABOUT THEIR LATEST AND FINAL ALBUM WHICH IS CALLED MOTEL BAJA. HERE IS THE INTERVIEW. MOTEL BAJA AS PART OF THE TRILOGY OF WHEN WE -- THE ALBUM TO TIJUANA WHICH WAS IN 2007. EVERY ALBUM WE REPRESENT IN SOME WAY THE REALITY TO TIJUANA. AT THAT TIME TIJUANA WAS A VERY VIOLENT CD AND -- ALL THE SONGS TELL STORIES ABOUT THE SECURITY STOPS THERE OR EVEN THE RESTAURANT THAT LISTENS TO THIS MUSIC. THAT WAS THE ALBUM. WE -- 2000 WAS VERY IMPORTANT AVENUE IN TIJUANA THAT CLICKS THE CD. AT THE END THAT WROTE A VERY VIOLENT WROTE. WE WERE TRAVELING A LOT WHEN WE DID THE ALBUM. THAT IS WHY SOUNDS A LITTLE NOSTALGIC. WE COME BACK WITH OUR CD MOTEL BAJA WE REALIZE PRESS THAT TIJUANA WAS A HUGE MATHILDE, A HOTEL THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT CAME TO OUR CD, THEY -- GOING TO BE A FEW MINUTES OR JUST ACROSS THE BORDER TO DO A BUSINESS OR TO CONNECT WITH -- AT THE END MOST OF THE PEOPLE AND UP ON THE CD. THAT IS WHY WE PUT THIS HAS THE NAME OF THE RECORD. THE NAME IS MOTEL BAJA. RAMON TELLS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG TEMPORARY PARADISE. WHEN I DID THAT SONG I DID IT WITH A FRIEND FROM A SAN FRANCISCO BAND. HIS HISTORY, WHEN I DID IT A LOT OF PEOPLE, A LOT OF FAMILIES MOVED FROM TIJUANA TO OTHER CITIES WITH LESS VIOLENCE. MOST OF THE PEOPLE -- IT WAS A LITTLE PARADISE, BUT AT THE END PEOPLE MISSED THEIR CITIES, FAMILIES, FRIENDS. FORTUNATELY NOW TIJUANA WHERE LEAVENING A VERY GOOD TIMES. MOST HAVE RETURNED TO THEIR CITY.'S BACK -- PEPE I JUST LISTEN TO THE VIDEO, YOU ARE WEARING A MASK IN THE VIDEO. US ABOUT THE CONCEPT BEHIND THAT. IT HAS TO DO WITH IDENTITY. IT IS LIKE WHEN YOU ARE AT HOME YOU CAN BE ONE PERSON AND WHEN YOU ARE OUTSIDE YOU HAVE A MASK OF YOURSELF. I THINK IT IS LIKE THAT. ALSO IT WAS -- IN TIJUANA. IT WAS ONE OF THE DANGEROUS NEIGHBORHOODS IN OUR CITY. IT WAS REALLY SAD BECAUSE ALL OF THE KIDS THAT WERE THERE, THEY ENTER TO VIOLENCE BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE ANY OTHER OPTION. A FEW YEARS AGO, AND A LOT OF FRIENDS, THEY STARTED TO PUT A COMMEMORATIVE BUILDING THERE AND FRIENDS THAT I KNOW, THAT ARE ARTIST THEY WERE GOING THERE TO TEACH THE KIDS ARTS, PAINTINGS, COMPUTERS. THESE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE GETTING VERY WELL AND IT WAS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER. IT WAS BECAUSE EVERYBODY WAS UNITED AND EVERYBODY GOT TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD CHANGE IN A POSITIVE WAY. THE VIDEO, THEY WERE FOLLOWING THESE TWO GUYS WITH THE MASK, IT CAN BE ANYONE. THAT IS WHY IN THE VIDEO EVERYONE WAS WEARING THE MASK. AT THE END OF OTHER PEOPLE WERE FOLLOWING US, SO WHEN YOU ARE UNITED WITH EVERYBODY TOGETHER YOU CAN CHANGE THINGS IN A POSITIVE WAY. WHAT YOU THINK IT IS GOING TO TAKE TO SUSTAIN TIJUANA'S REVIVAL? THE STORY OF TIJUANA WE HAVE A REALLY TIGHT STORY, CULTURALLY WITH SAN DIEGO. EVEN BACK IN THE DAY WHEN THE PROVISION OF THE ALCOHOL AND ALL OF THE CASINOS, ALL OF THESE -- A LOT OF PEOPLE WENT THERE TO TIJUANA AND THERE WAS A LOT OF TOURISM. IT WAS REALLY NICE BUT AFTER SEPTEMBER 11, THE BORDER WAS A HASSLE TO CROSS. NOT FOR -- NOT EVEN FOR MEXICANS BUT AMERICANS AS WELL. THE CITY BECAME REALLY , A PLACE FOR TOURS AND BECAME DEAD. I THINK PART OF THE VIOLENCE THAT HAPPENS THERE HAS TO DO THAT BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS THERE , EVERYTHING WAS A GHOST TOWN. IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE VIOLENCE TO GET THERE BUT RIGHT NOW IT SEEMS LIKE PEOPLE WERE TIRED AND THERE WERE MANIFESTATIONS TO END THE VIOLENCE, CITIZENS FOR TIJUANA THEY WENT TO THE STREETS DRESSED AS WHITE. NOW THE PEOPLE GOT TO THE STREET AGAIN AND NOW THERE WAS TOO MANY PEOPLE FOR CULTURE INDEPENDENT GALLERIES, THERE WAS TOO MANY GOOD RESTAURANTS EVEN -- WAS THERE. IT WAS GOOD FOOD. NOW I HAVE A FRIEND I THINK HE'S TEACHING HERE, HE'S DOING PROJECT THAT BRINGS -- IS A REALLY GOOD FRIEND. CROSSED PEOPLE FROM HERE, THE NEW -- GETS IN SAN DIEGO THEY THOUGHT T-1 IS A DANGEROUS PLACE SO HE IS AN AMERICAN GUY, HE SAID NO , YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT JUST FOLLOW ME AND HE PUT A SCHOOL BUS AND THEY WENT TO TIJUANA ENDERLIN SAID IT IS A NEW REVIVAL. I THINK IT IS GROWING AND GROWING BUT I THINK IT CAN LAST IF WE STILL HAVE THESE KINDS OF PEOPLE, MUSICIANS ARE ARTIST THAT WERE ENTHUSIASTIC TO DO SOMETHING. TRINITY WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT THIS YOU'RE AT COACHELLA? WE JUST DID A VERY HUGE CONCERT IN EXPO CITY LAST WEEK, 60,000 PEOPLE AND WE CLOSE THE FESTIVAL , IT WAS A HUGE MASSIVE ONE. WE PREPARED OURSELVES TO CREATE A NEW STAGE. WE BUILD A STATE-RUN THE 1920S. IT IS BASED ON SQUARE BOXES WITH HORNS SO THAT IS CALLED -- FROM 1914. WE PUT THAT IN A MODERN TWIST REPORT SOME NEW MACHINES -- WE PUT SOME NEW MACHINES INTO THAT WITH COMPUTERS. IT LOOKS REALLY NICE. WE LIKE HOW THE INTEGRATION OF THE INSTRUMENT TRANSIT -- YOU SEE THE ACCORDION, TUBA, TRUMPET, 12 STRING GUITAR. ALTOGETHER , ALL OF THESE THINGS WERE GOING TO PUT INTO COACHELLA. WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS ON HER OFFSTAGE? THERE ARE TOO MANY. TOO MANY EXPERIENCES THAT WE HAVE. MOST OF THEM HAVE TO DO WITH OUR PERFORMANCE. WHEN WE EXPERIENCE THIS FUNNY THING WE DO A HAT -- MASSIVE EVENT. IN ONE SONG, WE INVITE ONE OF THE MEMBERS, ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL DANCERS IN THE WORLD. JOINED US TO SING THIS SONG. AT THE BEGINNING WE PUT A BRIGHT LIT SONG AND AN OLD BREAKDANCE 80s SOUND. MYSELF AND RAMON DISAPPEAR ON THE STAGE AND THERE WERE TWO GUYS DRESSED UP LIKE US AND THEY HAVE OUR MASK. THEY LOOK LIKE US SO THAT THEY WERE IN FRONT OF THE STAGE SO EVERYBODY THOUGHT THAT WE WERE THERE. THEN THEY STARTED TO BREAKDANCE THEY WERE REALLY GREAT DANCERS. EVERYBODY WAS LIKE WHAT? I DIDN'T KNOW THEY COULD DANCE LIKE THAT. IT WAS SOMETHING FUNNY LIKE SOMEONE, LIKE RIGHT NOW WITH SOCIAL MEDIA, PEOPLE GOT DIFFERENT PICTURES FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES. THEY SAID I SAW PEPE. WAS IN THE BACK. THIS IS NOT THE REAL RAMON. WE DO NOT CARE. WE LIKE TO MAKE FUN OF US. WE HAD A GREAT TIME. IT LOOKED GREAT AND EVERYBODY WAS ENJOYING IT. FOR US IT WAS SOMETHING FUNNY. THE DANCERS WERE NOT PEPE AND RAMON. WE ARE REALLY BAD DANCERS. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE DID FOR A MINUTE OR SOMETHING. THAT WAS THE KIND OF EXPERIENCE WE ALWAYS HAVE. RAMON GIVE A FAVORITE SONG ON THIS ALBUM? THIS ALBUM IS A MIXTURE OF DIFFERENT SOUNDS. WE HAVE A VERY INFLUENCE OF EVEN SOME CLASSICAL ARRANGEMENTS. WE HAVE ONE SONG HERE CALLED --. IT HAS A LOT OF TO DO WITH OUR CD. THE MAIN STREET IN TIJUANA IN THE 80s OR EVEN EARLY 90s WAS A LOT OF BARS AND DANCE CLUBS. NOW YOU CAN SEE A LOT OF PHARMACIST SELLING LITTLE PILLS AND THAT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH OUR CD. WE TOOK THIS SOUND THAT WAS THE SOUND OF -- USING OLD VERY FROM MACHINES, -- MYRTLE DRUM MACHINES, I THINK THIS SONG HAS THESE ELEMENTS, VERY ROOT SOUNDS. WATTAGE IF IT WAS TIME TO SAY FAREWELL TO NORTEC? THIS ALBUM WAS THE RIGHT MOMENT TO SAY GOODBYE BECAUSE PEPE AND I WHEN WE STARTED THE SOUNDS , WE SAW THIS SOUND AS A CULTURAL THING, NOT AS A LIFESTYLE. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH NORDIC, WE DO NOT WANT -- THE SAME MACHINE OR THE SAME SONGS IN 20 MORE YEARS AND THEN STOP EVOLUTION OF THE SOUND. THIS IS THE RIGHT MOMENT. THAT IS WHY WE DECIDE TO FINISH THEIR. NORTEC WAS A UNIQUE THING. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT APPEARED. WE DID NOT EXPECT IT, WHEN THE IDEA APPEARED. I THINK IT WAS LIKE A MAGICAL MOMENT BACK IN THE DAY. RIGHT NOW WE ARE VERY -- WE TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD, WILL PARTY BEEN IN THE MOST IMPORTANT FESTIVALS RIGHT NOW. FROM HERE WERE GOING TO COACHELLA WILL PLAY WITH THE FIRST ALBUM. NOW WE ARE -- NOW WHERE VERY CONCENTRATED AND SYNTHESIZERS AND VERY EXPERIMENTAL AND SOME THINGS LIKE CLASSICAL MUSIC SOUNDS IN WORKING WITH THAT SO I THINK IT IS VERY PREMATURE RIGHT NOW TO SAY WHAT IS COMING BUT I THINK YOU'LL BE SOMETHING CREATIVE, SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT. MAYBE WILL NOT BE AS BIG AS NORTEC MAYBE CAN BE -- WE'RE JUST HAPPY TO SAY GOODBYE TO NORTEC MR. ABOUT NORTEC COLLECTIVE WAS HOSTED BY MARISSA, THE AUDIO WAS MIXED BY OUR TECHNICAL DIRECTOR. DIRT EMILY JANKOWSKI. TO DEFEND CLOCK P.M. TO SEE THE WORK OF OUR NEWSROOM ON EVENING EDITION. I AM TOM FUDGE IN FOR MAUREEN CAVANAUGH. THIS HAS BEEN KPBS MIDDAY EDITION.