The crystal method born too slow
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Crystal Method
Crystal Method are two keyboardists (Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland) who in 1992 moved from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and started writing electronic pop for soundtracks and commercials. There is no substance on Vegas (Outpost, 1997), but a lot of fun. Now Is The Time, Keep Hope Alive and Busy Child are the old hits that gave them a cult status in the dance underground. Comin' Back is the new single, that continues along that path.
After a four-year hiatus, the duo (augmented with Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine and a turntablist) returns with Tweekend (Interscope, 2001), an album heavily influence by the fad of rap-funk-metal (Name Of The Game). Except for the single High Roller, the guests and the production and the publicity effort are wasted.
Legion of Boom (V2, 2004) is one of the least exciting techno parties you'll ever attend, unless you are a rapidly ageing raver in which case the boring midtempo numbers (Starting Over, Broken Glass, Weapons of Mass Distortion) may go well wi
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From pulsating synths to thrashing drums, Scott Kirkland has spent the past three decades carving out a sonic niche as The Crystal Method.
Ahead of his show at Auckland's Powerstation, RNZ's Rangi Powick talks to Kirkland about the creative process behind his electrifying music, from the early days of rave to their latest studio albums.
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The Crystal Method sound (until 2017 crafted in conjunction with Ken Jordan) is an explosive cocktail of industrial fury and dancefloor euphoria that can make the listener feel as if their life is a high-stakes action flick.
Speaking with Rangi Powick for RNZ's Summer 101, Kirkland breaks down the origins of their sound:
"My dad would listen to a lot of progressive rock, Pink Floyd, Zeppelin and heavy stuff. He got into some of those Switched on Bach albums; he loved classical music as well. He was listening to music all the time.
"My mom loved disco, she got into The Clash... they were really young when I was born so when they were in their early twent
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The Crystal Method
Electronica group
For the Record …
Selected discography
Sources
When the Crystal Method arrived on the music scene, the popularity of electronic music, also called electronica, was gaining popularity. Groups such as Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers had brought the genre to mainstream popularity in the United States from Britain, but the Crystal Method was the first American electronica group to reach success in the mid-1990s. Hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada, the duo of Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland moved to Los Angeles, where their music rose up through the underground scene into national notoriety.
Kirkland and Jordan met at KUNV, the college radio station for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where Jordan was a deejay and later music director. At the time, the radio station frequently played such artists as Depeche Mode and New Order. The two friends developed an interest in music production and recorded some low-fidelity demos with a female lead vocalist. From there, the duo’s interest in music blossomed, and Kirkland took guitar les
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