| DJ Sets ::The Crystal Method (Scott
Kirkland/Ken Jordan)
Ever since they started making their
first singles in the mid 90’s out of the Bomb Shelter--their
congested home studio in Los Angeles, California--Ken Jordan
and Scott Kirkland of The Crystal Method have held strong
as forerunners of the electronic music revolution in America.
A Grammy nomination; a slot on Linkin Park’s recent
monster benefit for their Music For Relief fund; catwalk DJ’s
for Rock ‘N Republic’s Fall 2004 Los Angeles Fashion
Week show; and “Community Service,” their popular
Friday night weekly radio show on Indie 103.1 FM--these are
all small parts of what makes up The Crystal Method’s
overall recent presence.
For spring 2005 The Crystal Method take to the road to support
their new work, the follow-up mix album for the brand the
duo have developed that’s dedicated to bringing fans
the freshest and most exciting selections in what they love
most: break-beat music. Community Service II, released on
ULTRA Records/3 AM, offers exclusive remixes by The Crystal
Method of songs by The Doors (“Roadhouse Blues”)
and New Order (“Bizarre Love Triangle”), plus
some of their own original productions (“Kalifornia”
featuring Kevin Beber, “Starting Over” [Elite
Force remix], “Bound Too Long” [Hyper remix])
and tracks from the duo’s favorite break-beat producers
like UNKLE (“Reign”), Evil Nine (“We Have
the Energy”), Uberzone (“Octopus”). The
New Originals mix of and Smashing Pumpkins (“1979”)
is also a highlight.
The Crystal Method's full-length major label debut Vegas
in 1997 spawned the hits "Keep Hope Alive" and "Busy
Child," followed by a flurry of remix projects for the
likes of Rage Against the Machine and Garbage. Meanwhile,
the pair steadily divided its time between a long line of
live appearances and DJ dates, including the first Community
Service Tour (live) with Orbital in 1998 and the Family Values
Tour with a variety of bands that included Limp Bizkit, Filter
and Staind in 1999.
For 2001's Tweekend, the band pulled together all its diverse
influences to create an album that not only reflected its
dance music roots but its lingering passion for hard rock
and soul. The disc featured collaborations with Stone Temple
Pilots' Scott Weiland, Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello
and Beck turntablist DJ Swamp.
Following these two groundbreaking albums came Kirkland and
Jordan’s first ever mix CD, Community Service (ULTRA
Records/3 AM) which seamlessly captured the kinetic spirit
of their popular club sets. It included The Crystal Method's
distinctive remixes for artists like Rage Against The Machine,
Garbage and P.O.D.; underground twists on some of their own
hits; and blistering, forward-looking tracks that only the
most dedicated crate-digger could excavate like Orbital's
"Funny Break," Force Mass Motion vs. Dylan Rhymes'
"Hold Back," Scratch D vs. H Bomb's "The Red
Pill" and Stir Fry's breakbeat masterpiece "Breakin'
On The Streets (False Prophet Remix)."
Their next release, 2004’s Legion of Boom (V2 Records)
earned The Crystal Method their first ever Grammy nomination
in the newly-instated “Best Electronic/Dance Album”
category and encompassed eclectic collaborations with former
Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland, rapper Rahzel of The Roots,
San Francisco poet Hanifah Walidah (aka Shä-key) and
Lisa Kekaula, singer for Los Angeles’ indie stalwarts
The Bell Rays. One of the most recognizable collaborations
however was the single "Born Too Slow," a ravishing
track that mashes up heavy metal bluster with a roaring bassline
featuring the vocals of John Garcia, one-time frontman for
California desert rockers Kyuss,.
Today, The Crystal Method have distinguished themselves as
two of the most recognizable faces in the American electronic
music landscape, boasting over a million-and-a-half in album
sales combined between all their releases.
The duo has recently scored their first feature film, London,
which stars Chris Evans, Jason Statham and Jessica Biel. The
film’s soundtrack, which was released on the band’s
own Tiny E Records, features nine brand new recordings by
The Crystal Method. Additionally, they composed the title
theme for the popular FOX series Bones. Ken and Scott were
also the first artists to create music for Nike’s Original
Run project. The resulting 45 minutes of original music, titled
Drive, which originally sold exclusively via the ITunes music
store, was a continuous mix designed to mirror a runner’s
workout. An exclusive release of Drive, featuring 4 bonus
full-length tracks, was released in Best Buy stores only,
on June 26, 2007.
The Crystal Method recently released Vegas (Deluxe Edition),
a two-disc deluxe set marking the 10-year anniversary of the
original album. It offers a fresh mastering of the original
ten songs on the first CD. The second CD highlights a selection
of rare and live recordings plus new mixes of classic Vegas
tracks from remixers personally chosen by the duo such as
Paul Oakenfold, MSTRKRFT, Hyper, Sta, Deadmau5, Koma &
Bones, Tom Real vs. The Rogue Element and Myagi. Also included
is the original 1993 version of the Vegas single “Comin’
Back” with the video for the album version along with
the video for “Busy Child.” This anniversary release
officially brought the album Vegas to platinum status.
The Crystal Method are settling in to their newly designed
state of the art studio and beginning work on their fourth
full-length album, which they will support with an extensive
live tour.