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2009–2012 · band

Cubic Zirconia

the grimy techno-soul of nyc. nick on keys + beats. with tiombe lockhart, downtown new york scene.

THE STORY

Cubic Zirconia. The grimy techno-soul of downtown NYC, late-2000s into the 2010s — Nick on keys + beats, Tiombe Lockhart out front, Todd Weinstock back from the MWC days. A real band, six-piece live, four-person crew.

The scene was Drop The Lime + Trouble & Bass on one side, the Lucky Me crew across the Atlantic on the other. Cubic Zirconia lived in the middle of all of it.

First record dropped April 2009 — Fuck Work, SVG003 on The Savant Guard. 12-inch black vinyl, 130-gram, four-color label, full-color sleeve. Boutique launch — physical at Turntable Lab and Other Music, digital across Beatport, Traxsource, Bleep. Aggressive $2.99 digital point so it'd land on every DSP.

Promo run out of London by Your Army — James Pitt, head of Virgin Dance promo for a decade, hand-delivering 175+ promo CDs to the most relevant DJs in the world. Plus Music2Mix (Pete Tong's former manager) and Release Promo for chart contributors. Long-lead press serviced to URB, XLR8R, Mixmag, DJ Mag, Filter, The Fader, Vice, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, Pitchfork, iheartcomix, Daytrotter, KEXP.

First UK run kicked off February 2009 — Cargo, the Notting Hill Arts Club, the kind of small-room dates that turn into the actual fanbase.

March 2010 — Carniville SXSW. Mexican American Cultural Center, outdoor stage, 12:15 PM slot. The crew rented a two-bedroom house on 13th and Concho for the festival run.

34 confirmed shows 2009–2012. Sónar, Boiler Room, Low End Theory, Pitchfork Festival, BPM.

El-P sat in for live sets. "First time we met Flying Lotus, Gaslamp Killer, Ras G" was a Cubic Zirconia show at Low End Theory.

Catalog moved over time — Savant Guard first, then Lucky Me + RBMA, then the whole thing landed at Lockhart Dynasty × Calm + Collect for the long haul. Six releases under LDCC: Josephine (LDCC001), Black & Blue f/ Spoek Mathambo (LDCC002), Hoes Come Out At Night (LDCC003), Follow Your Heart (LDCC004), Take Me High (LDCC005), Darko (LDCC006).

All six live at /releases under the LDCC imprint.

MEMBERS
Tiombe Lockhart →Todd Weinstock →Rick Penzone →Nick Hook →
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
2009 · tour
First UK run — Cargo + Notting Hill Arts Club
London, February. The American duo plays its first international shows two months after forming.
2009 · moment
Low End Theory — Los Angeles
Onstage with Flying Lotus, Gaslamp Killer, Ras G. The LA beat scene's home turf.
2010 · festival
SXSW Carniville
Headline-tier slot at Diplo's marquee Austin party. Mainstream-press visibility year.
2011 · moment
Boiler Room
Streamed sets through the early Boiler Room era — both sides of the Atlantic.
2011 · festival
Sónar Festival — Barcelona
Europe's biggest electronic festival.
2011 · festival
Pitchfork Music Festival
Chicago. Indie crossover slot.
2012 · festival
BPM Festival — Mexico
Underground house/techno destination festival.
RELEASES
Josephine
Josephine
2010
Black & Blue
Black & Blue
2010
Hoes Come Out at Night
Hoes Come Out at Night
2010
Follow Your Heart
Follow Your Heart
2011
Take Me High
Take Me High
2011
Darko
Darko
2012
TIMELINE
  1. 2009
    Form as the duo of Tiombe Lockhart and Nick Hook — out of Brooklyn into the global club circuit.
  2. April 2009
    Debut release "Fuck Work" lands on Speakers Don't Vibrate (SVG003). The track that opened every door.
  3. February 2009
    First UK run — Cargo + Notting Hill Arts Club, London.
  4. March 2010
    SXSW Carniville with Diplo. Begins the year of mainstream-press visibility.
  5. 2011
    "Lucid In The Sky" project arc — multi-format release across Calm + Collect's pipeline.
  6. 2012
    Lockhart Dynasty × Calm + Collect catalog launches as the joint platform for the duo's later output.
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