louisgray.com: live

If you are an avid electronic music fan, then there is no question you are familiar with The Crystal Method, the duo behind hits including "Born Too Slow", "Busy Child", and "Trip Like I Do". Their 1997 album, Vegas, put them on the map in a big way, and 2004's "Legion of Boom" kept the beats pumping.

As previously noted on the site, my wife and I attended a concert in San Francisco featuring The Crystal Method and Paul Oakenfold, and though the two of us weren't the standard hard core, thrashing fans common at their concerts, we came away very impressed, even more than we had been with Oakenfold's set, which followed. In the time since then, we continue to hear The Crystal Method's efforts, on the show CSI, on commercials, and elsewhere.

But most recently, The Crystal Method was recruited to provide Nike a 45-minute continuous mix for iTunes, intended as background music for a fleet of runners (wearing Nike apparel, allegedly), and they delivered. The piece, titled "Drive: Nike+ Original Run" aims to give energy to exercising and "goal-oriented activity that goes along with working out," according to the digital booklet which accompanies the download.

In fact, the 45-minute piece varies in intensity along the lines of an anticipated workout, building gradually, offering the runner time to "warm up and find a steady rhythm", before accelerating through peak, and eventually cooling. This is an interesting salvo from the Nike and Apple partnership, one that should find its way to iTunes libraries everywhere, even if your idea of exercising, like mine, involves moving the computer mouse or lugging a laptop.

Listening to ''Drive: Nike+ Original Run", by The Crystal Method (Play Count: 1)