The Crystal Method

Serving as America’s answer to English acts like The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method—composed of Las Vegas natives Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland—managed to cash in on the already waning big-beat vibe before the public’s taste for it dissipated completely. And from there, the music evolved into a similar, if slightly more underground-focused, nu-skool breaks sound—a big, stompy, rock-inflected breakbeat style that lacks subtlety but packs a wallop and is accessible enough to appeal to mainstream, rock-focused audiences.

In other words, it sounds exactly like what the ignorant masses think dance music should sound like, rather than what dance music actually sounds like. Which also accounts for why Crystal Method tracks have been used in videogames and, most recently, movies.