Source: Nick Andrews
The Crystal Method is Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, an electronic/rock music duo from Las Vegas who showed up in the boom time for electronic dance rock and big beat in the mid-nineties. I’ve often thought of them as the USA’s equivalent of The Prodigy, just without the stage presence of guys like Keith Flint and Maxim.
The Crystal Method have released three “studio” albums Vegas (1997), Tweekend (2001) and Legion of Boom (one Grammy nomination, 2004), three video game soundtracks and one film soundtrack (London, 2005) which by the reviews I read was a very missable movie. They have completed two mix albums, Community Service (2002) and Community Service II (2005), these albums take their name from the radio show Jordan and Kirkland host in Los Angeles on Indie 103.1 FM. They have produced, collaborated and remixed many, many tracks over their career and inevitably these make their way into their live shows.
Most recently the Method have put together a 45-minute mix of 10 songs called The Crystal Method Drive: Nike+ Original Run for Nike which is only available from the iTunes online store (The Crystal Method Drive: Nike+ Original Run on iTunes, requires iTunes to be installed). Being a Nike project, the mix has a warm-up section, it builds and then has a warm-down section and is considered by The Crystal Method as “an official new album” (pe.com).
It is no surprise to see The Crystal Method getting involved with this kind of project, as they have admitted themselves, people seem to really like working out to their music. I can personally attest to this, just listening to ‘High Roller’ reminds me of running laps around my high school soccer field. Good times.
Sometimes commenting a band’s sound has remained consistent over their career can be a slight, suggesting they have not progressed their sound and remained stuck in a style or era. I think in The Crystal Method’s case their heavy electronic beats infused with synths and vocals has become their signature and remains their passion. Their progression is evident, moving into genres and formats that are electronic music’s natural home and continued involvement in the scene. They foster the next generation through their radio show and have worked with the Grammy Awards to publicise electronic music.
In 2004 Ken Jordan said:
I like the concept of the Grammys, artists and people in the industry recognizing each others’ work. But we’ve started this electronic music advisory panel because basically electronic music is a big part of music in America. There’s a Billboard chart for it. But there’s no Grammy for it. They have a Grammy for f—–g polka music. They have a Grammy for American Indian music. They have Grammys for the most smallest, tiny, zero-fraction of music. But at the same time they’re not recognizing the music I make, and that’s really upsetting at this point. So I’m trying to get involved and change it. But it’s going slow.
Source: internetdj.com
In 2005 The Crystal Method were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Electronica/Dance Album.
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