The Crystal Method
The Crystal Method | |
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Crystal Method (2006) |
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General information | |
origin | Las Vegas , Nevada , US |
Genre (s) | Electronica (music) , big beat , trip-hop , breakbeat , electronic rock |
founding | 1993 |
Website | thecrystalmethod.com |
Current occupation | |
Scott Kirkland | |
former members | |
Ken Jordan |
The Crystal Method is a project by producer and DJ Scott Kirkland. The second founding member Ken Jordan left the project in 2016. The music ranges from big beat to breaks and is often referred to as the American answer to The Chemical Brothers or The Prodigy .
Band history
As one of the few big beat groups from the USA, The Crystal Method has built a big name for itself . Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland originally met at school radio and only came through a few hurdles to the style for which they are world famous today. Strongly influenced by the Los Angeles - Rave scene and heavy metal they founded in 1993 The Crystal Method .
The name supposedly refers to the 'method of transportation' used by Jordan and Kirkland at the time. Since the two cars were regularly in workshops, they were often driven around by a mutual friend (Crystal). A musician in the studio jokingly called this type of transport "The Crystal Method". They were well aware of the ambiguity of the name with the drug crystal meth at the time, because the second studio album was called Tweekend ( English to tweek is an expression of the consumption of crystal meth). The first release from the jointly founded Bomb Shelter Studio was Now Is The Time , the follow-up release Keep Hope Alive made it world-famous within a very short time.
In 2016, Ken Jordan left the project and runs a permaculture farm with his wife in Costa Rica .
Album history
After the album Vegas was released in 1997 , the scene was turned upside down. Since all electronic sound in the USA is simply referred to as techno , it was initially hard to gain a foothold. Nevertheless, Scott and Ken soon reached Europe and Australia with the album, where their productions were received with open arms. Almost every track from Vegas was featured at least once for a movie ( The Replacement Killers , Romeo Must Die , Zoolander , Just 60 Seconds , Spawn , Blade: Trinity , Driven , Stigmata etc.), video game ( Need for Speed , Splinter Cell , FIFA Soccer, etc.), trailer ( The Matrix , Crazy / Beautiful ) or television production ( Third Watch - use at the limit , CSI: On the trail of the perpetrators, etc.).
In 2002 the creative break and the long waiting time of the fans should be rewarded with a tweekend . Collaborations with Scott Weiland from the Stone Temple Pilots , DJ Swamp from Beck , Fiona Apple and Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine should also provide variety. The album presented itself in a dark guise, groovy, funky, dirty and as usual thick. Name of the Game even earned them a Best Newcomer nomination at the 2002 MTV Music Awards .
The most commercially recognized album is Legion of Boom , which hit stores in 2004. Features with Rahzel from The Roots , ex- Kyuss singer John Garcia and Wes Borland from Limp Bizkit made the headlines, but the album was rather average with the fans. In keeping with the pop standard of the time, the work was heavily processed with compressors , so that there is hardly any dynamism . In terms of content, it is strongly reminiscent of earlier works.
Radio show and DJing
On the radio station Indie 103.1, Scott and Ken had a show until 2008 that was entirely dedicated to the big beat and above all tried to offer up-and-coming artists a platform that is also noticed. This was reflected in the DJ mix album Community Service , released in 2004 , which also found a successor in 2005 and is primarily dedicated to the British big beat scene.
The Crystal Method artists are sought after as DJs around the world and are usually fully booked at shows. The sound they play is mainly used for clubbing , fashion shows or product presentations (and subsequent aftershow parties).
Remixing
Compared to other artists of the genre , The Crystal Method is surprisingly cautious about remixing . Few remixes have been released to date. The most famous ones here are certainly Points of Authority by Linkin Park (this song available on the iTunes Deluxe version of Hybrid Theory ), Renegades of Funk by Rage Against the Machine, and Boom by POD, though Community Service and Community Service II were also heavily self-added Elements, there are unusually few remix releases on the public market.
Discography
Studio albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
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US | |||
1997 | Vegas |
US92 (43 weeks) US |
First published: August 26, 1997
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2001 | Tweekend |
US32 (10 weeks) US |
First published: July 31, 2001
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2004 | Legion of Boom |
US36 (5 weeks) US |
First published: January 13, 2004
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2009 | Divided by night |
US38 (2 weeks) US |
First published: May 12, 2009
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2014 | The Crystal Method |
US56 (1 week) US |
First published: January 14, 2014
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2018 | The Trip Home |
US- (- week) US |
First release: September 28th, 2018. The first solo album by Scott Kirkland.
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Remix albums / mix albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
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US | |||
2002 | Community Service |
US160 (1 week) US |
First published: July 23, 2002.
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2005 | Community Service II |
US- (- week) US |
First published: April 5, 2005.
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2006 | Drive: Nike + Original Run |
US- (- week) US |
First published: June 28, 2006.
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Soundtracks
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
US | |||
1998 | N2O: Nitrous Oxide |
US- (- week) US |
First published: June 30, 1998.
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2006 | London |
US- (- week) US |
First published: April 5, 2006.
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2009 | X Games 3D: The Movie |
US- (- week) US |
First published: August 21, 2009
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Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
UK | |||
1996 | Keep Hope Alive Vegas |
UK71 (1 week) UK |
First published: October 1996
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1997 | Busy Child Vegas |
UK81 (1 week) UK |
First published: August 1997
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(Can't You) Trip Like I Do Spawn (OST) |
UK39 (2 weeks) UK |
First published: October 1997
(with filter ) |
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1998 | Comin 'back Vegas |
UK73 (2 weeks) UK |
First published: August 1998
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2003 | Born Too Slow Legion Of Boom |
UK76 (1 week) UK |
First published: November 2003
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Computer games
- 1997: FIFA 98 - Busy Child, Keep Hope Alive, Now Is The Time
- 2002: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - Name Of The Game
- 2003: Need for Speed: Underground - Born Too Slow
- 2009: Need for Speed: Nitro - Sine Language ( feat.LMFAO )
- 2009: WipEout HD Fury - Acetone
- 2010: Blur (computer game) - Smile
- 2013: League of Legends - Lucian (Champion Theme Song)
- 2015: League of Legends - DJ Sona (Ultimate Skin Song)
Web links
- Official website (English)
- The Crystal Method at Discogs (English)
- The Crystal Method at laut.de
- Lucian Champion Theme Song at Soundcloud
Individual evidence
- ^ The Drive Inside: An Interview with the Crystal Method. In: popmatters.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020 .
- ↑ a b c The Crystal Method Announces New Album The Trip Home for September 2018 Release. In: mxdwn.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020 .
- ↑ This Transmission is Coming to You ... In: dropd.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020 .
- ^ Envision Festival Sets New Standard for Festivals with a Wave of Sustainable Initiatives. In: edm.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020 .
- ↑ a b c The Crystal Method in the US Billboard charts
- ↑ The Crystal Method in the Official UK Charts (English)