Totally singular

“This band regularly draws crowds of 25 thousand plus people, so I don’t think we’ll have a problem filling up the space,” says Daniel Atkinson, director of public programs at UC San Diego, referring to the first foray by the new downtown facility UC San Diego Urban into concert production, an appearance by the cross-cultural Tijuana band Nortec Collective, set for August 25 at 7 pm... I thought ‘What better way to do that than to present one of the biggest bands to hail from Tijuana?’” Atkinson said. “They tour internationally, they have Grammy nominations, and the way they bridge electronica with the popular music of Northern Mexico is totally singular.”

This concert will represent the last chance for fans of the band to celebrate their music for the next year or more. “They let me know they were taking the whole year off to record a new album, and everyone was up for it.”

There’s another special connection, according to Atkinson. “This marks the 10th anniversary of the release of Nortec’s album Tijuana Sound Machine, which they will be re-releasing on vinyl. They are really sonic innovators of our border community, combining laptops, drum-machines, and traditional Norteño instruments like trumpet, tuba and accordion.”

The building doesn’t open until 2021, so “We’re holding the event in the courtyard of this new apartment complex called Idea One, which is just one block away from where the new building is currently under construction,” says Atkinson.

There will be Baja-inspired food by eight chefs for the concert. Tickets run $25 a head.