'Mo Music: Witch House Halloween

Lets get into the Halloween spirit with the relatively new genre of drag aka witch house or haunted house. Think of it as a candy corn: a chopped and screwed rap base with a dense shoegaze center and a noise tip. Come little children, I'll take thee away…

A bunch of scattered artists with similar influences – gangster rap, dubstep, goth – under a couple of labels are responsible for this burgeoning sound. Disaro, based in Houston, home of DJ Screw, the pioneer of the chopped and screwed sound, are home to my favorite haunted house act, White Ring, composed of the duo of Bryan Kurkimilis and Kendra Malia.

They're icy, creepy, but fun at the same time. If Crystal Castles had any swagger or charm, you'd have White Ring. Their song ICX999 is my favorite, but I'll like anything with gunshots really. Watch the volume as they are loud as hell.

The real poster band for this emerging genre is Michigan trio Salem, due to having the perfect band name and the most output. While most witch house acts barely even have an EP to their name, Salem have had several, and have just released their new album King Night. Stereogum has a free mp3 of my favorite track, the brutal "Asia".

Another Houston label, Tri Angle is home to some popular drag acts. My personal favorite is Balam Acab. With a sound that borders on nightmarish and dreamy, 19-year-old college student Alec Koone doesn't try to destroy your eardrums, but instead, slowly creeps up on you to get you.

If you're thinking of starting a witch house group, or are still stuck in the glo-fi haze, go to the Witch House /Chill Wave Name Generator for some band name ideas. Mine was Teardrop Cauldron. What was yours?

Until next time this is Fauxrrissey stealing Elvira's line: "Unpleasant dreams!"