Crystal Method formed in a grocery store. It was the early 1990s, and Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland both had more than a casual interest in music.
Kirkland’s interest stemmed from the music that had been played by his parents around the clock in the family home, which varied from Pink Floyd to Donna Summer. He had an interest in harder guitar rock, but it was hearing a Depeche Mode album that sparked an interest in electronic sounds. He had a drum machine, a synthesizer and a sequencer, and Jordan had a small home studio, and when they met in the break room of that grocery store, the earliest version of The Crystal Method was born.
The Crystal Method will perform at Animas City Theatre tonight, along with Cosmic Trigger and Spark Madden.
If you go
WHAT: Crystal Methdod, Cosmic Trigger, Spark Madden.
WHEN: Doors open at 8 p.m. Friday.
WHERE: Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Drive.
TICKETS: $40.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.animascitytheatre.com.
“I just loved the idea of making music. I had ideas, so then when I went with Ken, he was working with a singer and had a little studio of his own, so once he and I pooled our gear together and started pulling in the right direction, I became fascinated with making electronic music, sequencing and all that,” Kirkland said. “And then we just continued to forge forward, trying to make music that we enjoyed, pooling all of our different interests and different tastes, and then eventually we came together as the Crystal Method.”
They hit it hard from the get go, moving to Los Angeles from Las Vegas, building a studio and immediately recording and releasing music, which included full-length albums along with cuts for film and video game soundtracks.
While they were making music a record store would file under “EDM,” they were broadening the genre by recruiting musicians like Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Stone Temple Pilot’s Scott Weiland or Kyuss’ John Garcia to play on their records. It’s electronic music with a rock band mindset.
“We were always album based,” Kirkland said. “All the bands that I grew up listening to, they’d put out an album, they’d do a tour and go back to the studio and put out an album – it’s a cyclical thing. The release schedule is now different, with everything sort of being distributed to the entire universe at one time, I think that there is a different mindset. You’d release a song every three or four months, that keeps the cycle fresh and keeps the streaming services happy, keeps your fans happy. I’m still falling into the album concept, because I enjoy the process.”
Jordan retired from the duo in 2017, and Kirkland has carried on as The Crystal Method, continuing to push the boundaries of electronic music thanks to the load of influences that are going into music production; those influences come from having every genre of music available via streaming services that exist at your fingertips.
“As time has gone on, the influences from different artists have expanded,” he said. “Now you still have people that are locked into their genres, love their favorite bands, but I think there’s a lot more that will not only dip their toe, but will go for a swim in the different genres.”
After decades in the music business, there’s still a solid appreciation of being able to do what he does. He’s got a studio loaded with equipment, and the drive and imagination to get into that studio and make sounds from the ground up.
“I’m very fortunate to have the gear that I have and the career that I have,” Kirkland said. “You just got to get in here and turn everything on and see what happens, and more likely than not there is going to be something that comes from that that’s positive.”
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
