The Crystal Method’s Rail Jam 2012

Wednesday Feb. 1st, 2012

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.

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).”

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 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. The will be at Big Sky Resort as part of the Chamberlin Rail Jam on Friday, March 2. Try and Catch it if you can. For more information visit thecrysatlmethod.com or chamberlinrailjam.com