Witch house, 'drag'

Flagged up as a sub genre by Pitchfork last year, witch house, or 'drag', is a deliberately opaque internet music trend based around artists recording mainly out of Houston's Disaro and New York's Tri Angle labels. The term's connect seemingly un geographically connected artists making murky, slow bpm electronic music which sounds like hip hop or mainstream r 'n' b / dance detourned to a variety of sub cultural purposes, ranging from strong elements of 80's industrial / goth stylisation to more reflective, muted music which sounds like club music turned to more reflective, introspective purpose, its sense of communion now something more mysterious, rather like Burial.

Of the latter, Creep, who record for Tri Angle, have just recorded a track with Romy Madely Croft from the XX, who have made music which also sounds like club music turned in on itself. Music for clubbers who don't get out much and with many witch house artists using names resembling esoteric symbols rather like the alphabet there's a sense they want to keep a coven to themselves. It all may prove just a passing fad but it's an interesting new texture for the likes of Xenomania to pilllage and also rather suggests that the shy, quiet minimalists may be about to hit big.