Crystal's clear on beat, from Gap ad to Grammy nod

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Last here in 1998, The Crystal Method duo of Scott Kirkland, left, and Ken Jordan returns for a couple of late-night DJ sets this weekend. Ralf Strathmann THE CRYSTAL METHOD 10 p.m. Saturday Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park $20 pre-sale, $25 at the door 18 and older 550-8457; honoluluboxoffice.com 9 p.m. Sunday The O Lounge, 1349 Kapi'olani Blvd. $10 pre-sale, $15 at the door 18 and older groovetickets.com, 591-3500

That was the warm season the Los Angeles-based techno duo — headed for Honolulu this weekend — took home some presumably sweet change from Gap in exchange for rights to use its hypnotic club track "Busy Child" to shill mass amounts of khakis.

Surely you remember the ad campaign. Louis Prima's "Jump, Jive, An' Wail" famously backed motion-capture enhanced swing kids. The ever-soulful Bill Withers' "Lovely Day" was paired with limber freestyle dancers.

"Busy Child," for its part, provided the soundtrack for khaki-clad b-boys and skateboarders working stalls and grinds. Uh-huh ... khaki-clad skateboarders working stalls and grinds.

Millions saw the ad. Thousands sought out "Vegas," the Crystal Method major label debut CD "Busy Child" came from.

The then-surprising result for the raised-on-the-L.A.-rave-scene duo of Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland? Hardly anyone from the underground that first embraced them screamed, "Sellout!"

The reality was less of a surprise. Techno music's popularity was just beginning to peak with music buyers and Madison Avenue in 1998. And front-loaded with the kind of late-1990s big beats already embraced by British techno-ists Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim and the Prodigy, the Method's "Vegas" also displayed an unabashedly mainstream-leaning affection for American-style hip-hop, rock, soul and pop.

Plus, Gap khakis or no Gap khakis, "Busy Child," with its heady blend of crescendoing beats, kicky vocal loops and acid rock and hip-hop accents, was simply too groovily infectious for the sole ownership of club crawlers.

The method of Crystal Method's big-beat madness has changed very little over subsequent full-length discs "Tweekend" (2001) and "Legion of Boom" (2004). Guests such as Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, Stone Temple Pilot's Scott Weiland, Limp Bizkit's Wes Borland and The Roots' Rahzel occasionally stop by the ongoing warehouse party to add some pleasurable enough noise.

But the Method's impeccable production work, energetic instrumental flow and deep bass lines, while oh so familiar, at least remain as crazy danceable as ever.

Jordan and Kirkland's Hono-lulu stop will be their first on a two-and-a-half month DJ tour supporting their latest mix CD, "Community Service II." Fresh off a "Legion of Boom" nomination for the first best electronic/dance album Grammy (which ultimately went to Basement Jaxx's "Kish Kash"), Crystal Method will spin at Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park on Saturday and The O Lounge on Sunday.

Like its 2002 predecessor, "II" features a scattering of remixes of the already familiar (New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle," The Doors "Roadhouse Blues") and original work (the Elite Force remix of "Legion of Boom's" cold funky "Starting Over"). Jordan and Kirkland even share faves out of their iPod breakbeat playlists from the likes of UNKLE, Uberzone and Evil Nine.

Nostalgic for a good 'ol rave-reminiscent late-night soundtrack? Leave the khakis in the closet and get busy, child.

ESSENTIAL CRYSTAL METHOD

• "Keep Hope Alive" (1995/1998)
• "Busy Child" (1998)
• "Comin' Back" (1998)
• "High Roller" (1998)
• "Name of the Game" (2001)
• "Weapons of Mass Distortion" (2004)
• "Born Too Slow" (2004)
• "Starting Over" (2004)

Reach Derek Paiva at 525-8005 or dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com.