Salem (US)

Fusing delicate electronic atmospheres with the slow but hard-hitting beats of Southern rap, Salem is one of the pioneers of the style alternately called drag, witch house or haunted house. The group now consists of Northern Michigan’s John Holland and Chicago's Jack Donoghue, both of whom trade vocals over sometimes-blissful, sometimes-nightmarish tracks that borrow equally from DJ Screw and Dead Can Dance. The band’s first music was released on CD-R that year and in 2008 by Disaro Records without the band’s full permission; their first official release was the Yes I Smoke Crack EP, which arrived in 2008 via Acephale Records as a limited edition of 500 copies. This EP and the Water EP, which Merok Records released as another limited edition, cemented Salem's reputation as one of the underground’s fastest-rising acts. They were also one of the most prolific, issuing singles on Big Love and Audraglint Records, as well as a split single with Tanlines, several mixtapes and remixes of Gucci Mane songs (one of which was featured on Diplo's Free Gucci mixtape).