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The Crystal Method is an American electronic music act formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan in 1993. They were pioneers of the breakbeat genre and their m…
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Investigate this subjectThe Crystal Method is an American electronic music act formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan in 1993. They were pioneers of the breakbeat genre and their music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video games, and advertisements.
The Crystal Method is an American electronic music act formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan in 1993. They were pioneers of the breakbeat genre and their music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video games, and advertisements. Their 1997 debut studio album Vegas was certified platinum in 2007, and saw follow-ups Tweekend, Legion of Boom, Divided by Night, and The Crystal Method.
In 2017, Jordan retired from music and left the group, with Kirkland adopting The Crystal Method as a solo moniker.
The Crystal Method originally had two members, Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan. Before The Crystal Method was formed, Kirkland and Jordan started working on music while working at a grocery store. Jordan was also a local DJ in Las Vegas as well as the college radio program director at UNLV. Jordan taught Kirkland how to DJ, and when Jordan moved to Los Angeles to work for a producer, Kirkland took over his job DJing at the local club. Kirkland also moved out to Los Angeles, and they formed The Crystal Method in 1993.
While working as a production duo for a rapper, a person named Crystal would handle transportation needs. The rapper repeatedly referred to her method of transportation as "The Crystal Method." The pair adopted the name based on the layout of the three words and the sound of the name.
By the early 1990s, Jordan and Kirkland were renting a house together, in La Crescenta, Glendale, California, which had a small underground shelter beneath the front lawn. Originally intending to turn the shelter into a studio, it proved to be an unrealistic idea and the duo set up a studio in their house which was located near a Foothill (210) Freeway overpass. They subsequently named their studio The Bomb Shelter. They were interviewed on the front lawn of the house in the documentary Better Living Through Circuitry.
After The Bomb Shelter was built, a tape of The Crystal Method's music found its way to British DJ Justin King. King was interested in starting a record label that would showcase American electronic dance acts. Together with Steve Melrose, King formed the record label City of Angels. The first official release from the City of Angels label was The Crystal Method's "Now is the Time". The Crystal Method were signed to Outpost Recordings in 1996.
After the band signed with Outpost, they began working on their debut album. The group's final single on the City of Angels Record Label was "Keep Hope Alive". Their next single was "Come2gether", from the Mortal Kombat: More Kombat soundtrack.
On August 26, 1997, The Crystal Method released their debut studio album, Vegas. Vegas peaked at number 92 on the Billboard 200. It was certified gold by the RIAA in 1998, then platinum in 2007.
The album's release was supported by its four singles ("Keep Hope Alive", "Trip Like I Do", "Busy Child", and "Comin' Back") and by the inclusion of eight of its tracks on the soundtrack for the video game N2O. The game's publisher, Fox Interactive, sponsored The Crystal Method's 1998 tour. Jordan said that in live performances, "We definitely go for intensity. We're not interested in making our shows look like reality. We're interested in making the most intense and dynamic experience you've ever been through."
A reworking of "Trip Like I Do", called "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do", was also included as a collaborative effort with Filter on soundtrack to the film adaptation of Spawn in 1997 and on the soundtrack of Michael Benveniste's Tedd Can chronicles.
In 1999, the band recorded their second studio album, Tweekend, which featured more guest artists than Vegas. The album was released in July 2001, and peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200, which remains the group's highest album chart position to date.
Featured guests from the album include Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland, and others, like Doug Grean, DJ Swamp, Ryan "Ryu" Maginn, and Julie Gallios. Four singles were released from Tweekend: "Wild, Sweet and Cool", "Murder", "Blowout", "Name of the Game".
Jordan and Kirkland formerly ran a radio show called Community Service which aired Friday nights on radio station Indie 103.1, in California. They played music and hosted guests including Death in Vegas and Unkle.
A year after the release of Tweekend, The Crystal Method released a continuous mix album based on their radio show, titled Community Service. The album does not feature any new studio material from The Crystal Method, but is composed of remixes of bands like P.O.D., Rage Against the Machine, and Garbage, plus remixes of songs from Tweekend. Their remix of P.O.D.'s "Boom" from this album, also appeared in the video game Amplitude.
Community Service peaked at number 160 on the Billboard 200, number five on the Top Electronic Albums chart, and number 15 on the Top Independent Albums chart.
After the release of Community Service, The Crystal Method went back into the studio to record their third album, Legion of Boom. During the recording, they used the house as their recording studio instead of The Bomb Shelter.
In December 2003, the single "Born Too Slow", with vocals from John Garcia and guitar by Wes Borland was released. Legion of Boom was released on January 13, 2004, and peaked at number 36 on the Billboard 200. It sold over 25,000 copies in its first week. The track was also part of the soundtrack of the 2003 video game Need for Speed: Underground, used prominently in its demo.
The other single released from Legion of Boom, "Starting Over", featured vocals from Rahzel. No other singles were released but other songs, including "Weapons of Mass Distortion", "Bound Too Long" and "Realizer", appeared in various movies and TV shows. "I Know It's You" appeared in the trailer for the film Resident Evil: Extinction, and includes vocals from Milla Jovovich.
In 2005, the album was nominated for the Best Electronic/Dance Album Grammy, the first year that category existed. It lost to
Source: The Crystal Method (CC BY-SA)
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