By Mandela Wells
Special to The Chronicle

The electronic dance music, or EDM, movement has become a worldwide craze for radio stations, clubs and especially colleges. Names like David Guetta, Tiesto,  Steve Aoki and Nervo have all risen to prominence, helping bring EDM from its underground beginnings to the top of the music charts.

Tim Berling is just one of these artists who has recently contributed to EDM’s success. Adopting the name Avicii, the Swedish producer dropped his debut album “True” last Tuesday.

On “True,” Avicii manages to pulls off quite the amazing feat of mixing a number of southern-American music styles with fast-paced EDM beats. This is most apparent on the album’s hit single “Wake Me Up,” featuring Aloe Blacc, which is tearing up the charts.

“Hey Brother” is another standout, as well as the powerfully sung “Addicted To You” courtesy of Oklahoma songbird Audra Mae.

Although Aviccii adds some country flavor to the album, he doesn’t shy away from his usual eclectic synths as heard on “Liar Liar” and “Lay Me Down” featuring Adam Lambert.

At one time, I used to hate EDM, but its rise in recent years has made me an immense fan and Avicii is no exception. This album is definitely a huge progression from his past joints such as “Levels,” “Silhouettes” and “Fade Into Darkness.”

Avicii is not afraid to mix genres and take EDM to new heights. It’s hard to imagine this album not getting a Grammy nod in the electronic music category.

If you’re looking for some dance party music with a nice dosage of originality, “True” is for you.