Biography
In the early 1990s, American DJs Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland created the Crystal Method group. Along with The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim and The Prodigy, they are considered pioneers of the Big Bit genre. The guys started triumphantly - their debut album "Vegas" became platinum. Over time, the duo has turned into a solo project of Kirkland, and now DJ alone continues to storm charts confidently.The history of creation and composition
The Crystal Method is unusual in part of the team: from the moment of founding and until 2017, the music was made only two - Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland. Therefore, it is difficult to call them a group, The Crystal Method is a duet, this is an electronic brand, these are legislators of the big bits.
The guys met at Las Vegas's grocery store, Nevada, in which both worked. Only Jordan had the skill of the tracks of the tracks. He worked as a DJ on the local radio, the director of the radio program at the University of Nevada, twisted the discs in the club.
Jordan taught Kirkland to handle the remote control and, when he moved to Los Angeles, California to build a producer career, recommended a comrade to his position in the club. Soon Kirkeland followed Geordan. Here, in Los Angeles, in 1993 and originates the history of the creation of The Crystal Method.
Friends bought a house in the suburb of Los Angeles - Glendale. There was a small shelter under the building, in which Jordan and Kirkland initially intended to build a studio. The idea turned out to be impracticable, so the equipment had to be located in one of the rooms. The studio was called "Bomb shelter" (Eng. The Bomb Shelter).
Immediately after the construction of "bomb shelter", the future of the Crystal Method got acquainted with the British DJ Justin King. He dreamed of to establish a record label, which would show the full potential of electronic music.
Together with Steve Melrose DJ, the Label City of Angels was created, the first participants of which were the Crystal Method, the first track "Now Is the Time" came out on it, which was famous thanks to the mention of the game "Gran Turismo 2".
In 1996, thanks to King's relations, The Crystal Method signed a contract with Outpost Recordings and immediately began work on a debut album.
Music
VEGAS saw the light on August 26, 1997. All 10 tracks of Jordan and Kirkland wrote themselves, and in the composition "COMIN 'BACK" and "JADED" helped Trixi Rass. Her voice sounds in both compositions.The release of the album was accompanied by four singles, each of which became famous in world culture. For example, "BUSY CHILD" was used as a soundtrack of "without feelings" films (1998), "Lost in Cosmos" (1998) and "sob in 60 seconds" (2000). Keep Hope Alive can be heard in the picture of the "replacement murderers" (1998) and as the title topic of the series "Third shift" (1999-2005). Several songs from the album are used in the game "FIFA '98: Road to World Cup".
VEGAS debuted at the 92nd place in Billboard 200, a year after the release became gold, and by 2007, in a 10-year anniversary, - platinum. Such a loud success has become a novelty in world music, because before the charts conquered only rockers and punks.
In 1999, Jordan and Kirkland began recording the album "Tweekend", the release of which was held in July 2001. Result: 32nd place in Billboard 200, that is, the highest line The Crystal Method in the charts today. By this album, the duet stated that Rave on the west coast is in a state of decline.
To the record "Tweekend" attracted much more third-party performers than to VEGAS: Guitarist from Rage Against The Machine Tom Morello, Vocalist Stone Temple Pilots Scott Weiland, Raper Ryan Maggina, DJ Swamp.
Name of the Game has become the most famous track from the album. Despite popularity, The Crystal Method almost never play it live. In the records of the song, Toma Morello Tools, Vocal Ryan Maggin, Sound DJ Swamp and Samples from Tina Dickson "Calling All Freaks" (1974).
Music video on "Name of the Game" talks about the character named Nousi (English. Nosey). It is called that, because the face takes only a gigantic nose. Nouses - a talented break Danser, he is good in any sport, and even the opposite sex he likes. After an unsuccessful date with the girl, he returns to friends on a break-platform, but here Nusui is arrested for unknown reasons. The roller is completed by the phrase "the continuation should", however, while the story of Nusuzy never received a junction.
"Name of the Game" is perhaps the most frequently used song as a soundtrack: it can be heard in films "Resident Evil" (2002), "Blade II" (2002) and "Blade: Trinity" (2004), " nor dead "(2002)," Soldiers of failure "(2008)," Adrenaline-2: high voltage "(2009) and many others.
Jordan and Kirkland became popular simultaneously with their music. Once the guys were invited by leading Indie 103.1 to California radio station. In the live show of Community Service The Crystal Method twisted their and someone else's music, talked with guests, including Death in Vegas and Unkle.
In 2002, DJs released a mixture "Community Service". It contained not a new studio material, and remixes groups p.o.d., Rage Against The Machine, Garbage and their own songs with "Tweekend". The collection reached the 160th place in the Billboard 200, 5th - in the Chart Top Electronic Albums and the 15th - in the Top Independent Albums ranking.
The third album "Legion of Boom" The Crystal Method was recorded in "Bombader". Its exit was preceded by the single "Born Too Slow", recorded with the support of Vocalist John Garcia and Guitarist Wesz Bordanda. It was actively operated in a computer game Need for Speed: Underground.
"Legion of Boom" came out in January 2004. He reached the 36th place in Billboard 200 and in the first week there was a circulation of 25 thousand copies. A year later, the planing was nominated at the Grammy as the best electronic / dance album, but won the Kish Kash from Basement Jaxx.
In 2005, DJs created an original topic for the television series "Bones". The melody was used 7 seasons, and for the 8th Jordan and Kirkland it was remixed. At the same time, the light saw the second part of the "Community Service", which, like the first, included only remixes. Under the "Alteration" hit The Doors, Unkle, New Order and Smashing Pumpkins. The mixture climbed the 31st place in the Top Independent Albums chart and on the 8th - in the Top Electronic Albums ranking.
After the release of LEGION OF BOOM, The Crystal Method began the construction of a full-sized recording studio in Los Angeles - Crystalwerks. In it, the guys recorded the fourth album "Divided by Night" (2009). He climbed the 38th place in Billboard 200 and was again nominated for Grammy.
The release of the fifth album "The Crystal Method" was planned for June 2013, but it had to be postponed due to difficulties in the biography of Scott Kirkland - DJ, the operation was to remove the brain cyst. The disease became known about halfway the creation of the plate. Later Kirkland wrote:
"The operation was not as terrible as an infection that led me to the separation of intensive therapy for 10 days.""The Crystal Method" saw the light only on January 14, 2014. Difficulties hardened Kirkland, and when in 2017 Ken Jordan decided to leave music, he continued to bear the banner The Crystal Method alone. In July 2018, DJ announced the release of the sixth album "The Trip Home". The record was ready for September. It includes 12 hits.
The Crystal Method now
In 2019, Scott Kirkland continued to run around the world as part of The Trip Home tour. On the official website of The Crystal Method plates the dates of concerts. In geography not only solo concerts, but also participation in electronic music festivals, for example, Louder Than Life. Photos from the speeches regularly appear in the "Instagram" project.
News that soon it is to wait for replenishment in the discography The Crystal Method, no. It is probably at first Kirkland will complete the tour and then go to the studio.
Discography
- 1997 - "Vegas"
- 2001 - "Tweekend"
- 2004 - "Legion of Boom"
- 2009 - "Divided by Night"
- 2014 - "The Crystal Method"
- 2018 - "The Trip Home"
Clips
- 1997 - "Keep Hope Alive"
- 1997 - "(Can't You) Trip Like i do"
- 1997 - "BUSY CHILD" (Original Version)
- 1998 - "BUSY CHILD" (LOST IN SPACE VERSION)
- 1998 - "COMIN 'BACK"
- 2001 - "Name of the Game"
- 2001 - "Murder" / "You Know IT's Hard"
- 2004 - "Born Too Slow"
- 2009 - "Drown in the Now"
- 2009 - "Come Back Clean"
- 2010 - "Sine Language"
- 2013 - "OVER IT"