Artists to Watch: Seven Acts Who Are Defining Rock, Soul and Hip-Hop in 2008

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The British dance-rock act Does It Offend You, Yeah? — whose sound is an obnoxious, dizzying, perfectly of-the-moment blend of Daft Punk, Justice and a little Rage Against the Machine — weren't an overnight success: It took them at least a few weeks. One weekend in 2006, friends Dan Coop and James Rushent created their first song together, a throbbing, distortion-heavy dance anthem called "Battle Royale."

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On a whim, they made a MySpace page — grabbing the band name from a Ricky Gervais line in an episode of The Office that happened to be on TV at that moment — and posted the song online. "It was purely for our friends," says Rushent. But their online friends liked the track so much that by the next weekend, the duo were hard at work on more tunes. And when record labels came calling, Coop and Rushent became more than just two dudes with laptops: They recruited two members and formed a group.

"I liked how Prodigy could get away with playing with rock bands," says Rushent. "That's why we went down this road: We didn't want to be in the DJ tent at 4 a.m. — we wanted to be on the main stage." Their debut, You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into, mixes electronics and live instruments. And their raucous concerts are inspired by a love of Rage: "It's the only band where the audience has to compose themselves before they clap," says Rushent. "That's what we aspire to: 'Don't come too close. It's a bit dangerous.' " BRIAN HIATT

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Photograph by Timothy Cochrane

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