The Crystal Method

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The Crystal Method
Crystal Method (2006)
Crystal Method (2006)
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
US US
1997 Vegas US92 (43 weeks)
US
First published: August 26, 1997
2001 Tweekend US32 (10 weeks)
US
First published: July 31, 2001
2004 Legion of Boom US36 (5 weeks)
US
First published: January 13, 2004
2009 Divided by night US38 (2 weeks)
US
First published: May 12, 2009
2014 The Crystal Method US56 (1 week)
US
First published: January 14, 2014
2018 The Trip Home US- (- week)
US
First release: September 28th, 2018. The first solo album by Scott Kirkland.

Remix albums / mix albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US
2002 Community Service US160 (1 week)
US
First published: July 23, 2002.
2005 Community Service II US- (- week)
US
First published: April 5, 2005.
2006 Drive: Nike + Original Run US- (- week)
US
First published: June 28, 2006.

Soundtracks

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US
1998 N2O: Nitrous Oxide US- (- week)
US
First published: June 30, 1998.
2006 London US- (- week)
US
First published: April 5, 2006.
2009 X Games 3D: The Movie US- (- week)
US
First published: August 21, 2009

Singles

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
UK UK
1996 Keep Hope Alive
Vegas 		UK71 (1 week)
UK
First published: October 1996
1997 Busy Child
Vegas 		UK81 (1 week)
UK
First published: August 1997
(Can't You) Trip Like I Do
Spawn (OST) 		UK39 (2 weeks)
UK
First published: October 1997
(with filter )
1998 Comin 'back
Vegas 		UK73 (2 weeks)
UK
First published: August 1998
2003 Born Too Slow
Legion Of Boom 		UK76 (1 week)
UK
First published: November 2003

Computer games

Web links

Commons : The Crystal Method  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Drive Inside: An Interview with the Crystal Method. In: popmatters.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b c The Crystal Method Announces New Album The Trip Home for September 2018 Release. In: mxdwn.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020 .
  3. ↑ This Transmission is Coming to You ... In: dropd.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020 .
  4. ^ Envision Festival Sets New Standard for Festivals with a Wave of Sustainable Initiatives. In: edm.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020 .
  5. ↑ a b c The Crystal Method in the US Billboard charts
  6. ↑ The Crystal Method in the Official UK Charts (English)