Die Antwoord are the South African Zef (see wikipedia) collective whose obscure videos, lyrics and image have elevated them way beyond the status of being considered just a rap/electro entity. My first encounter with their darkly humorous world of grime was the ‘Enter the Ninja’ video some years back. The combination of that gnarly dude taking the opportunity to get back at his doubters on the “inter-the-web” and the peculiar girl professing to be his “butterfly” was too much to ignore. As I came to learn, these two were Ninja and Yolande Visser respectively. Backed up by DJ Hi-Tek, the trio are responsible for some of the most twisted, subversive and plain cool art ever to infect the mainstream consciousness. The fact they sing partially in Afrikaans helps convey their aggression all the more uniquely.
As I arrived at the venue, the volume of people lingering outside of it alone suggested that even on a cursed Sunday night, Die Antwoord could attract a fair number of ‘bourgers, not to mention the usual hordes from across the borders. (According to a local paper, the gig pulled in 4000.) Warming up the crowd – which had a tangible air of excitement about it from the get-go – was a Belgian DJ named Surfing Leons. One man, his record decks and his record collection being manipulated. Not my thing admittedly, but the odd track did lock in with a pleasingly heavy, relentless beat. As soon as he left the stage it seemed as if the main event was waiting in the wings to explode out at any moment. As it turned out, the masses were teased with half-an-hour of atmospheric blue-purple lights, obscure epic music – which wouldn’t be out of place in a mainstream ’70s horror film – and a touch of dry ice.
When at last the curtain dropped to reveal the band’s trademark scrawled stage set, it was a solitary DJ Hi-Tek who got us going. “DJ Hi-Tek will fuck you in the ass / DJ Hi-Tek will fuck you in the ass / DJ Hi-Tek will fuck you in the ass / Fuck you in the ass / Punk ass white boy etc.” Excellent! Shrouded in mystery, the man(?) himself started with his face covered in black, only for this guise to be exchanged for a twisted buck-toothed mask for the rest of the night. How he performs entire sets like this, it’s hard to know. Anyhow, as soon as ‘DJ Hi-Tek Rulez’ ended, out sprang Ninja and Yolandi rapping to the tune of ‘Fok Julie Naaiers’. Right away, the two faces of the band swapped places – stalking the front, sides and elevated DJ booth as they spat their lyrical bile. Adding a suitably bizarre flavour to the first track proper was the fact that the two of them resembled Smurfs in bright orange track suits. (Beyond this point, the Smurf look vanished, as too did the orange garb, which would be replaced by various outlandish outfits through the night.)
‘Wat Kyk Jy?’ brought the first dance/rave feel to proceedings with bass drum beats thundering out during the chorus. Better still, and one of the night’s highlights, was ‘Rat Trap 666’. On CD, the track grates against the senses in sinister fashion whereas live that symphony of rapid tapping sounds and accompanying beats blasts vibrations from your feet up to your skull. The likes of ‘Fatty Boom Boom’ and ‘Girl I Want to Eat You’ offered some lighter relief – although naturally the wall crumbling beats and assorted electronic sounds continued to be anything but light. The effect of these tracks was to inspire pools of spontaneous dance moves around the venue. Whilst a tad irritating when they continually bumped into me, at least the group of bulky hominids nearby were making a concert of this Sunday night in Luxembourg. Aside from the music, a few other factors also did their bit in getting the masses involved: from the sexualised antics of the band members/dancers to a loop of videos and even an inflatable ‘Evil Boy’.
Perhaps the only downside was the mere snippet of the Eminem-styled ‘Raging Zef Boner’ (about a guy with a willy so big it routinely scares the ladies) which was disappointingly brief. But still, it did the trick – as did a similarly brief foray into the awesome ‘$copie’ later in the set. The point at which things really got going however, was from ‘Cookie Thumper!’ onwards. Taking things to another level of incredible, the selection of tracks that followed was decidedly dance-heavy. In particular, ‘Pitbull Terrier’, ‘I Fink U Freeky’ and track of the night ‘Baby’s On Fire’ got everyone – aside from the terminally dull – moving. Another instance well worth a mention was the bit in ‘Happy Go Sucky Fucky’ where DJ Hi-Tek flexes his skill with that utterly head crushing stab of mechanised techno midway through. Following a brilliant, transcendental ‘Never Le Nkemise 2’, came the anthem ‘Enter the Ninja’ to bring this unforgettable night to a close.
Like The Prodigy, and indeed any great dance/hip-hop I suppose, Die Antwoord’s is the kind of music that utterly destroys in the live environment. If you haven’t checked them out (I would recommend any number of their videos on youtube) then quite frankly you’re missing out. The varied demographic here tonight testifies to the South Africans’ dark appeal and magnetic conceptualism – from electro fans, punks and metalheads, not to mention the ‘regular’ people who turned up. The presence of the latter hints at how much bigger Die Antwoord are surely destined to become. Irrespective of all that, Ninja & Co. are an act who defy simple genre classification and simply kick arse. Confrontational? Yes. But positive and totally life-affirming at the same time.
(Review by Jamie)
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