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Inspired by the cultural richness of Mexico, Cirque du Soleil’s upcoming Big Top production Luzia features original music written by Canadian composer Simon Carpentier. The Luzia album takes Carpentier’s original music written for a live acoustic setting and passes it through the filter of the electro-pop of Nortec Collective’s Bostich + Fussible, infused with brassy Mexican and Latin American sounds.

iTunes users in North America (U.S./Canada/Mexico) can enjoy an exclusive sneak peek of the Luzia album with a free download of the song “Así Es La Vida.” With every pre-order of the album on iTunes, customers will also receive an instant download of “Tiembla la Tierra.” The full Luzia album will be available exclusively on iTunes as of April 15th and on other sites globally as of April 22nd.

The Nortec Collective – An enlightened choice

With Luzia, Cirque du Soleil will, for the first time, release the live production’s music album at the same time as its first public performance, to be held on April 21st in Montreal. As the Luzia album was recorded while the production was in full creation process, Cirque du Soleil decided to work with an outside partner based in Mexico to truly capture the vibe of the local modern musical culture. After a compelling first contact in Tijuana between Carpentier and Nortec members Ramon Amezcua and Pepe Mogt – aka Bostich + Fussible –, the deal was sealed.

Simon Carpentier, who joined forces with Amezcua and Mogt to rework and record the album, explains: “Nortec, who are also producers, create music that we love in a very authentic way. Their music is 100% Tijuana and 100% Mexico.”

Alain Vinet and Rob Heaney (who have co-produced several albums for Cirque du Soleil) put the finishing touches on the 10 tracks to make sure the production reflects Cirque du Soleil’s signature sound. While the album was recorded in Mexico with local musicians who have appeared on several Nortec Collective albums, Luzia’s lead vocalist Majo Cornejo and trumperter Joenuel Lebron are featured on several tracks on the album.

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