By: Jake Krzeczowski (Originally Appeared At TheUntz.com)

As the culture of electronic music has pushed its way into mainstream miasma, artists from far and wide have found new and interesting ways to incorporate the intricacies of largely computer-generated tunes with live instruments to create a wholly new sound. One of the most refreshing instances to hit the scene during this time is the Denver, Colo., trio, The Malah, who blend the aesthetics of a jam band seamlessly with throbbing bass and synth lines into a trance-like euphoria on their latest album, Light Forms.

The Malah open up their newest offering since 2010’s Live From Earth by allowing the listener to ease into the funky, grooving texture on the first track, “Lights” which employs a rolling rhythm section accompanied by light electronic aesthetics. The aptly-named song offers a light glimpse into what the album has to offer from there on out.

With criticism beginning to run rampant in the DJ game these days for a perceived lack of live-performance ability (see Swedish House Mafia), a premium has been placed on the ability to create the electronic sound on cue with live instrumentation. The Malah find themselves poised to strike on the rising popularity that acts similar to them have only begun to find.

As seems to be par for the course on Light Forms, each track gets increasingly different from the one before. “As Above So Below” features a series of rocking piano solos that feel like an amped-up Billy Joel sample which is paired with light synth work and the ever-present guitar rhythm that is the obvious trademark for the group.

“Rectangle” also switches things up a bit by providing anything but straight lines as grooving bass lines drive an interesting blend of jam-rock and moaning synth with a rasta-inspired wah-wah guitar to boot. The resulting sound is reminiscent of an upbeat Radiohead tune, minus the wailing of Thom Yorke.

The Malah produce a refreshing aesthetic sound that is both experimental and poignant to today’s burgeoning music culture. At a time when festivals like Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Camp Bisco are offering a smattering of both jam bands and electronic artists, this trio appears poised to raise the bar to another level through their incorporation of both into a live-performance dynamic.

By Jake Krzeczowski

In the past decade or so, electronic dance music has exploded as the advent of low-cost software and marketing have allowed for a sea of artists to emerge from local bedrooms and studios alike.

While the explosion has brought about both good and bad, the latest to rise from the waters and make a mark on the scene, Los Angeles electro duo Cold Blank, has sought to do things the right way.

The Agenda is the debut offering from the team, released via their own independent label Burn The Fire.

At a time when a distinct sound is hard to find, the album features a smattering of EDM variety from drum n’ bass to house, with a healthy dose of dubstep thrown in for good measure.

Seemingly trying to find themselves on their first full-length foray into the public consciousness, Cold Blank spreads it around, opting to try many different sounds rather than focus on a specific lane.

On the house-rocker “Los Angeles” a popping synth line is accompanied by robotic vocals declaring “we are from Los Angeles, this is where the party is,” in case anyone forgot. In a nod to early successes, Tiësto featured the track on his Club Life podcast.

A sure gem from The Agenda is the first single, “Onslaught” featuring original Duran Duran member Andy Taylor lending a smooth distorted guitar brilliantly paired with a bumping bass line and synth structure that builds to crescendos throughout.

Leaning away from the house feel, Cold Blank opts for a trance-like vibe that carries you into the sky before pummeling you into a full-fledged drop complete with grinding dubstep basslines and punching synth hits on “Louder Than Bombs.” The track debuted on MTV Hive and reached #2 on the Beatport Top 100 Dubstep Chart.

The album also features some help from notable acts such as Veela and Blake Miller of Moving Units.

Currently nominated in the Top 100 DJs in America by DJ Times, Cold Blank will be touring across Australia and New Zealand before settling back into the states with a show in Oklahoma City on September 19.

If this duo set out to distance themselves from the competition they did so not as much on the strength of individual songs as much as the complete body of work which sets the stage for a wide open future by demonstrating their ability to craftily handle a wide range of sounds.

For Cold Blank, the future looks as open as the toolbox from which they constructed The Agenda.

By: Jake Krzeczowski

In July, Wesley Pentz, better known as Diplo, will be on a long train ride through Canada with fellow EDM mainstays Pretty Lights, Grimes, and Skrillex as they headline the Full Flex Tour.

Perhaps inspired by the solo success of those three as well as his own skyrocketing reputation, Pentz is putting out Express Yourself, an EP expected to be released at the end of 2012, and his first meaningful individual work since his debut, Florida, in 2004.

On his newest offering, Diplo keeps the party rocking and the backsides bouncing with his particular blend of electro house.

With nearly a decade in the game, the Tupelo, Mississippi-born Pentz proves his hunger to continue to develop a sound he helped popularize.

Mixing his special blend of loops, heavy bass lines and quick synths, Diplo weaves together consistently-progressing lines of sound that easily open into an all out ear assault.

The title track of the EP builds slowly, evolving itself from a trance-like introduction before quickly building the beat into his signature moombahton sound.

The Philadelphia DJ achieves this through a mix of squirreling synth lines and reggae inspired sample loops that take you on a journey of sound that finally dumps you off three and a half minutes later feeling as though you’ve explored the full catalogue of your music library.

Always one for experimentation, Diplo doesn’t shy away from trying something new on his latest EP. While maintaining his signature dancehall influenced rhythm he weaves in throughout.

Each track on the record sounds blindingly similar at times, which works within the context of keeping people moving and the party hopping.

Not to be mulled over, songs like “Butters Theme” and “Move Around” employ a host of guests from Elephant Man to Billy the Gent.

The bevy of features touch on genres from dancehall to moombahton and back again, demonstrating not only the DJ’s range of musical tastes, but also his ability to move seamlessly between them.

Express Yourself comes on the heels of a book, a TV show and a production credit on Usher’s newest single, and feels like a wave from the podium as he glances back on his rise over the past ten years.

If it is anything, the most recent digression by Diplo is more review of his career this far and only a small inkling of where he has to go from here.