The Trip Out Tour- THE CRYSTAL METHOD

Fri Oct 22 2021 at 10:00 pm to Sat Oct 23 2021 at 02:30 am

SERJ | Charlotte

SERJ
Publisher/HostSERJ
The Trip Out Tour- THE CRYSTAL METHOD
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#SERJLIFE presents THE TRIP OUT TOUR featuring THE CRYSTAL METHOD
About this Event

THE CRYSTAL METHOD---https://www.facebook.com/thecrystalmethod

For more than two decades, The Crystal Method has remained at the forefront of the worldwide dance music industry as pioneers of the big beat genre, innovators of the‘90s electronica movement and current-day global ambassadors of the American electronic sound. Originally formed as a duo, alongside now-retired founding member Ken Jordan, The Crystal Method today lives and breathes as a solo act, with co-founder and originator Scott Kirkland at the helm. And with the artistic reboot comes the next chapter in The Crystal Method timeline: The Trip Home, out September 14 on the band’s own Tiny E Records. As the sixth full-length The Crystal Method album and Kirkland’s first as a newfound solo act, The Trip Home serves as the creative rebirth of the brand. An artistic manifesto and love letter to the electronic world, The Trip Home welcomes Kirkland at the driver’s seat with full control of the reins.The Trip Home is co-produced with veteran producer/remixer/composer Glen Nicholls,who has worked with legendary artists like The Prodigy, Nine Inch Nails, Sia andUNKLE, among many others, in addition to scoring several of his own feature films.For the new album, Kirkland dove deep into the decades-spanning discography of TheCrystal Method. The result is a sound that revisits the roots of the classic CrystalMethod aesthetic, while pushing its possibilities into the future. Equal parts throwback and dynamic futurism, The Trip Home expands Kirkland’s unrestrained curiosity into new realms and new sounds.To perfect this fine balance, Kirkland took a back-to-basics approach, which saw him firing up his arsenal of analog synths and reconnecting with his collection of vintage gear. The lead single “Holy Arp” captures this calculated formula perfectly: A brooding intro of darkly tinged bleeps and bloops slowly builds the song’s tension before it pours into a bed of chunky synths, distorted reverb and alien sounds. Its minimal, vocal-lessmelody allows space for the synths to expand and reach a high peak before disintegrating into the ether.

It was “Holy Arp” that gave Kirkland the first flashes of the cohesive sound that would shape The Trip Home.“As soon as I got that track going, I knew I had found the direction for the new album,”Kirkland says. “It reverberates with the sound of Crystal Method classics like ‘Name of the Game’ and has some of the gnarliness of ‘Vapor Trail.’ It’s an angry, ballsy,bombastic trip down the inner workings of the vintage ARP 2600 synth.”Elsewhere, the emotional ballad “Ghost in the City”—co-produced with electronic artist/producer Le Castle Vania—is a narrative-driven electronic dream that floats through dark clouds and shredding guitars, while singer-songwriter Amy Kirkpatrick delivers an angelic and touching vocal performance. “The Raze,” also produced alongside Le Castle Vania, is a mind trip through thick and heavy synths that unfurls with cinematic, dark drama.“It was great to have the opportunity to collaborate with Dylan (Le Castle Vania) again on two tracks from the new album,” Kirkland says.“There’s a Difference,” a reimagining of the track “Difference” off The Crystal Method’s 2014 self-titled album, is a full-on alt rock hybrid that mixes melodic electronics, pulsing bass via Tony Buchen (The Griswolds, Boyzone), punching live drums from Grammy winner Matt Chamberlain (Pearl Jam, The Wallflowers, Fiona Apple) and riveting vocals from singer Franky Perez (Apocalyptica, Slash). “Distance” is both cinematic and theatrical as it reaches toward progressive crossover territory in its delivery of chainsaw guitars, electronic atmospherics and operatic vocals care of Delila Paz and Gavin McDevitt of Teflon Sega.Collectively, The Trip Home pieces together the fundamentals of The Crystal Method’s storied past while adding new, unexplored elements for a cohesive, unique sonic experience that’s as diverse in sound and style as it is anthemic and driving.“I wanted to create a concept album of sorts,” Kirkland says, “a project that speaks to what’s going on in my life right now and a vision that also brings The Crystal Method sound forward and shapes it in a new way. I’ve been enjoying the idea of making an album like our debut album Vegas, where every song is different. Every song has a different BPM, every song has different emotions, every song has different elements.”The Trip Home also serves as Kirkland’s message and reaction to the grandiose excess of today’s EDM scene. Where the genre constantly offers tired and recycled noise,Kirkland answers with an album built on organic sounds, a wide emotional range and,ultimately, real music.Forged from analog synths, recorded through vintage Moog and Electro-Harmonix pedals and mixed through Sound City’s Neve console—not the same one used on Nevermind; Dave Grohl has that one—The Trip Home is a warm embrace of organic electronic music. The natural noise of analog gear is part of the sound. “I’m always looking for just the right amount of wrong,” Kirkland says. “I’m really proud of all the collaborations and incredibly talented artists who contributed to The Trip Home. I wanted to make a timeless album that sounded great and that conveyed an emotional narrative and a strong appreciation of the album format.”The Trip Home will be released as The Crystal Method celebrates two massive milestones in 2018: 25 years on the music scene and the 21st anniversary of Vegas,the band’s debut studio album. Released in the pivotal year of 1997, Vegas has since become one of the essential building blocks of the American electronic music canon. As the second-ever platinum electronic album in the US, Vegas is one of the top-selling albums worldwide by an American electronic artist ever; it can be found on iTunes’ electronic music album top 20 chart to this day.The Trip Home is the latest installment in The Crystal Method’s lauded discography,which also includes Tweekend (2001); Legion of Boom (2004) and Divided by Night(2009), both of which received Grammy nominations in the Best Electronic/Dance Album category; and The Crystal Method (2014). The Crystal Method has also released two mix albums under the Community Service banner, in 2002 and 2005, and was the first group to participate in Nike’s music series specifically designed for running and working out via their Drive: Nike + Original Run mix compilation in 2006. As The Crystal Method, Kirkland’s music and creative output also extends into film and TV, where his credits include: the theme song for hit Fox TV show Bones; the score for indie film London; and composing all of the music for the J. J.-Abrams-executive-produced Fox TV drama Almost Human. Most recently, Kirkland wrote his first-ever original film score for the 2017 documentary Hired Gun: Out of the Shadows, Into the Spotlight and wrote the theme song for 3 Below, an upcoming TV series from Academy Award winner Guillermo del Toro, which debuts on Netflix this fall.With The Trip Home in tow, Kirkland is also exploring new waters as a solo-performing artist, which now sees him re-envisioning The Crystal Method live and DJ shows as a one-man band. He’s kept a busy touring schedule since 2017, which saw him clock in over 60 shows across the US, Asia and Canada, including several support slots withTOOL. In 2018, he headlined his own solo tours across North America and performed at the 20th anniversary of the globally renowned Ultra Music Festival in Miami. Last November, he also performed at the League of Legends Live concert in Beijing, China,in front of tens of thousands of die-hard attendees and millions more online via the event’s official livestream.“The Trip Home refers to my long journey: all these places where I’ve been able to go,the experiences that come with it, the distances I’ve traveled,” Kirkland reflects. “It’s the journey back to all the things that got me here—the touring, the music, the fans—and keep me here. But there’s always home. At the end of it, I go home to my family, I go home to my studio, and then I go back out. It’s a circle. I tried to capture all this in an album.”


DIRECT SUPPORT FROM---

AARON SIGMON

DJ VB

Patio vibes with---

DJ PHAT RABBIT

MAC

DJ MAD MONK

18+ with valid ID (under 21 subject to $5 surcharge at the door)

10pm-2:30am

$20 advance tickets-NO REFUNDS

FREE PARKING!

SERJ

2906 Central Ave

Charlotte, NC 28205

#serjlife

***Where underground doesn't have to be underwhelming***


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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

SERJ, 2900-2906 Central Avenue, Charlotte, United States

Tickets

USD 20.00

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