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Nortec Collective mashes its electronic music with classical In the spirit of connection, Bostich and Fussible send mash notes. By Reed Johnson January 10, 2010 Reporting from Tijuana - On a Pacific Ocean-cooled Sunday night last October, a crowd of 25000 people thronged the streets outside the Tijuana Cultural Center to witness a startling musical experiment. Packed two- and three-deep on the outdoor stage near the Avenue of Heroes, several members of the Baja California Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Ivan del Prado, conjured lush melodies more suited to a concert hall than a gritty urban thoroughfare. Overhead, a jumbo screen flashed Pop Art graphics ("BANG!") and images of border fences, billiard halls, scowling tough guys in cowboy hats and other Tijuana emblems. Standing directly behind the violinists and woodwind players, Ramon Amezcua and Pepe Mogt -- better known as Bostich and Fussible of the electronic music ensemble Nortec Collective -- tapped out metronomic tempos on hand-held computers, alternately merging and body-slamming their beats with the rich orchestral harmonies. Punctuating the complex rhythmic pulse, an accordionist, trumpeter and tuba player pumped out shotgun blasts of banda and norteño chords, while the moshing multitudes below snapped cellphone pics and roared their approval. The free, open-air concert was a welcome diversion for this sprawling border city of 1.5 million, which has suffered a months-long spate of brutal drug-related ...