INTERVIEW WITH CUBIC ZIRCONIA
Finally got to catch up with Cubic Zirconia. Burt Fox remixed the infamous ‘Hoes Come Out At Night’ track, which Nick Hook kindly gave away - see end of interview. Interview can be found after the jump. Big ups.
Cubic Zirconia Twitter
AO-AO: Hello Cubic Zirconia. How are you?
Well thanks, you?
AO-AO: How would you describe the music you make? Do you have a particular aim when producing?
We joke around and call it ethnic disco, but really we just try to keep things fun and inspiring for ourselves. Mostly the aim is to try and release some kind of feelings into sound.
AO-AO: Which one of you came up with the band name?
I (Nick Hook) grew up in St. Louis, and when I was young we only had 4 TV channels. One of them was the home shopping network and they were always selling cubic zirconias. For some reason it always stuck with me, the dynamic of what it really meant deep down inside, how it looked on the outside. I always kept that name in the back of my head for a band and I think for this one it really works well.
AO-AO: Strange question, but how many band members are there? I hear it ranges from 2-8?
The core of the band is Tiombe, Daud and myself, but since the inception we have been fortunate enough to have various cats come thru and play/ dance with us. Right now we are 4 and Justin Tyson is playing drums with us. He is a beast to be reckoned with.
AO-AO: Who’s been major inspirations for your musical advances over time?
It various far and wide, speaking for myself, I think if I had to side with a few it would be stuff that really formulated me in my youth.. Dr. Dre/ Jimi Hendrix/ Led Zeppelin/ Portishead/ Rush/ Prince.. classic stuff.
AO-AO: If you could have one artist remix a tune, who would it be, which tune, and why?
Depends what song… I think I would try and get John Zorn or Phillip Glass or someone that would reinterpret a composition in a completely different way that I could listen too when I’m 93.
AO-AO: Biggest success of 2010?
Finishing our LP.
AO-AO: Plans for next year?
Release the LP. tour like a mufucker and make records.
AO-AO: Your debut LP is dropping on LuckyMe early next year. Can you tell us a bit about this release?
Record drops February 8th. We spent about 4 weeks in california in a beautiful studio connected to a house and made a record with no distractions. It was a beautiful experience that was very important to our growth and friendships. The record is really a record in a classic sense to us. It takes you on a journey. We we’re lucky enough to have some of our biggest inspirations a part of it, Jamire Williams on drums, Lenny Castro on percussion, Drop The Lime, Dam Funk and Bilal on guests. For the most part I generally never listen back to things im a part of, but I can listen to this and it feels incredible. I think we also captured some sort of fire and time in our lives.
AO-AO: What’s the best thing you’ve experienced while on tour?
Throwing furniture in pools and trashing hotel rooms is cool and all, but making friendships that last forever is the best thing that happens on tour.
AO-AO: Which artists do you feel we should look out for? Why?
Egyptrixx, Rockwell Knuckles, Yak Ballz, Lunice, L-Vis 1990, Daryl Palumbo, El P, Danny Weed, Wilder Zoby, Bok Bok, Ikonika, Optimum, Jam City, Shadz, Dam Funk, Jacques Greene… Why? Cuz we all don’t give a fuck about nothing else but making music.
AO-AO: Do hoes really come out at night?
Depends on where you at.
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