The Crystal Method

U.S. groundbreakers who took cues from The Chemical Brothers. Born in Las Vegas, Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland moved to Los Angeles and revitalized the waning Southern California scene with their legendary 1995 debut single "Keep Hope Alive." Armed with an artillery of Acid, Funk, rock, hip-hop and Soul, The Crystal Method's Prodigy-style attack upon American audiences soon inflated into a worldwide conquest. Traces of this duo's aggressive big beat sound can be detected in endless numbers of international producers of both the bedroom and commercial types. A mind-jarring mix of ruthless breaks and basslines that quake like a building about to fall, this high-powered style is sewn together with threads of soulful vocal hooks and no-nonsense rap lyrics. Unavoidable.