The Crystal Method is an American electronic music act formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1993 by Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan. Associated primarily with the breakbeat and big beat genres, the act has released several studio albums, including "Vegas" (1997), "Tweekend" (2001), "Legion of Boom" (2004), "Divided by Night" (2009), "The Crystal Method" (2014), "The Trip Home" (2018), and "The Trip Out" (2022). Their music has been featured in television programmes, films, video games, and advertising. "Vegas" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2007. Following Jordan's retirement from music in 2017, Kirkland continued The Crystal Method as a solo project.

Before forming The Crystal Method, Kirkland and Jordan worked together at a grocery store. Jordan was also a DJ in Las Vegas and programme director for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas college radio station. After teaching Kirkland to DJ, Jordan moved to Los Angeles to work for a producer, with Kirkland later following him there. The pair formed The Crystal Method in 1993.

The group's name originated while Kirkland and Jordan were working as a production duo for a rapper. A member of the production team named Crystal handled transport arrangements, which the rapper repeatedly referred to as "The Crystal Method". Kirkland and Jordan adopted the phrase as the name of the act.

In the early 1990s, the duo lived in La Crescenta, California, where they established a home recording studio known as The Bomb Shelter. The property was featured in the documentary film "Better Living Through Circuitry". A demo recording reached British DJ Justin King, who co-founded the City of Angels label with Steve Melrose to promote American electronic dance music. The Crystal Method released their debut single, "Now Is the Time", through the label before signing with Outpost Recordings in 1996.

The group's debut studio album, "Vegas", was released on 26 August 1997. It reached number 92 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA in 1998 before receiving platinum certification in 2007. Singles from the album included "Keep Hope Alive", "Trip Like I Do", "Busy Child", and "Comin' Back". Eight tracks from the album appeared in the video game "N2O", and the game's publisher, Fox Interactive, sponsored the group's 1998 tour. A collaborative reworking of "Trip Like I Do", titled "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do", featuring Filter, appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 film "Spawn" and on the soundtrack to "Tedd Can".

The Crystal Method recorded their second studio album, "Tweekend", in 1999. Released in July 2001, it reached number 32 on the Billboard 200, the highest chart position of the act's career. Guest performers included Tom Morello, Scott Weiland, Doug Grean, DJ Swamp, Ryan "Ryu" Maginn, and Julie Gallios. Singles released from the album included "Wild, Sweet and Cool", "Murder", "Blowout", and "Name of the Game".

Kirkland and Jordan also hosted the radio programme "Community Service" on Indie 103.1 in California. In 2002 they released "Community Service", a continuous DJ mix album based on the programme. It consisted primarily of remixes by other artists and remixes of tracks from "Tweekend". Their remix of P.O.D.'s "Boom" also appeared in the video game "Amplitude". The album reached number 160 on the Billboard 200, number five on the Top Electronic Albums chart, and number 15 on the Top Independent Albums chart.

The group's third studio album, "Legion of Boom", was released on 13 January 2004 and peaked at number 36 on the Billboard 200. Its lead single, "Born Too Slow", featured John Garcia on vocals and Wes Borland on guitar, and was included in the video game "Need for Speed: Underground". The second single, "Starting Over", featured Rahzel. Other tracks from the album appeared in films and television programmes, while "I Know It's You", featuring Milla Jovovich, was used in promotional material for the film "Resident Evil: Extinction". "Legion of Boom" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album in 2005.

During this period, Kirkland and Jordan founded the record label Tiny E Records. They also composed the theme music for the television series "Bones", which was used for the programme's first seven seasons before being remixed for the eighth season. In 2004, they collaborated with Alan Parsons on the track "We Play the Game", which appeared on his album "A Valid Path".

In April 2005, The Crystal Method released "Community Service II", a second continuous mix album featuring electronic music and remixes by various artists. It reached number 31 on the Top Independent Albums chart and number eight on the Top Electronic Albums chart. A digital EP, "Community Service II Exclusives", followed later that year and included the new track "Badass".

The Crystal Method composed and performed the score for the 2006 film "London". The accompanying soundtrack included excerpts from the score, the songs "Smoked" and "Glass Breaker", and tracks by several other artists. The same year, the act produced "Drive: Nike + Original Run" for Nike's running music series. Released initially as a digital album, it later received a physical release and reached number 23 on the Top Electronic Albums chart. The track "Robogirl" appeared in the video game "Dance Dance Revolution: SuperNOVA".

In 2007, "Vegas" was certified platinum by the RIAA. A tenth-anniversary edition of the album, featuring a second disc of remixes and video content, was released later that year. In 2008, the act issued the "Vote '08 Remix" of "Now Is the Time", replacing samples of Jesse Jackson from the original recording with samples of Barack Obama.

Following "Legion of Boom", the duo built a new recording studio in Los Angeles named Crystalwerks, where they recorded their fourth studio album, "Divided by Night". The singles "Drown in the Now" and "Black Rainbows" preceded the album's release in May 2009. The album reached number 38 on the Billboard 200, number two on the Top Electronic Albums chart, and number four on the Top Independent Albums chart, and received a Grammy Award nomination. Guest performers included LMFAO, Peter Hook, Matisyahu, Meiko, Justin Warfield, Emily Haines, and Jason Lytle. Music by The Crystal Method also featured in the 2009 film "X Games 3D: The Movie".

The group's self-titled fifth studio album, "The Crystal Method", was originally scheduled for release in 2013 but was delayed after Scott Kirkland underwent surgery to remove a benign arachnoid cyst. The album was released on 14 January 2014. Later in 2013, the duo composed the score and opening theme for the television series "Almost Human". Their songs "Play for Real" and "Over It" appeared in the video game "Asphalt 8: Airborne", while "Single Barrel (Sling the Decks)" was featured in the 2014 film "Lucy".

In early 2017, Ken Jordan retired from music and left The Crystal Method. Kirkland continued to record and perform under the name as a solo project. Later that year, he toured with Tool and collaborated with the band's bassist Justin Chancellor on the project Bandwidth.

Kirkland released "The Trip Home" on 28 September 2018. The album was preceded by the singles "Holy Arp" and "There's a Difference", the latter featuring Franky Perez. In November 2018, Kirkland and Jean-Michel Jarre announced a collaboration for Jarre's subsequent electronica album.

On 18 February 2022, The Crystal Method announced the album "The Trip Out" and released its lead single, "Post Punk", featuring DJ Hyper and Iggy Pop. A second single, "Watch Me Now", featuring Koda & VAAAL, debuted on NBC's "American Song Contest" and was later included on the soundtrack to the video game "MLB The Show 23". "The Trip Out" was released on Ultra Records on 15 April 2022.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crystal_Method

Studio albums Vegas (1997) Tweekend (2001) Legion of Boom (2004) Divided by Night (2009) The Crystal Method (2014) The Trip Home (2018) The Trip Out (2022)