The Crystal Method

Method men Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland have angled for the mainstream with each of their full-length releases, so it's good to see a mix album from them. It's doubly good, too, when they call on quality breaks brethren from overseas -- Plump DJs, Koma & Bones, ILS, Dylan Rhymes, Hybrid -- for productions. Just like any quality dance mix worth its salt, Community Service starts out a bit slow, but begins cranking it up by track five, with the Plump DJs' remix of Orbital's "Funny Break (One Is Enough)." Squelchy effects and breakbeat techno by Elite Force and Dastrix lead into a mini-set of Crystal Method remixes, beginning with Hybrid's mix of their own "Name of the Game" and continuing through Crystal Method post-productions of mainstream tracks from P.O.D., Rage Against the Machine, and Garbage. All that crossover material makes it just slightly less exciting than leading breaks DJs like Adam Freeland, Plump DJs, or Stanton Warriors, but it's an imaginative, responsive mix nonetheless. ~ John Bush, Rovi