Scenestar

ARTICLE BY MICHELLE OBERG
PHOTO FROM <a href="DIE ANTWOORD

OCT. 17 | HOLLYWOOD—Last night Los Angeles welcomed Die Antwoord (Afrikaans for “The Answer”) at The Music Box, which was surprisingly packed with an audience of almost every demographic. Prior to Feb. 3, this phantasmagorical, continuously inappropriate, beastly trio was rendered non-existent anywhere other than the slums of Cape Town, South Africa. Following Interscope Records’ support and their U.S. debut at Coachella earlier this year, however, Die Antwoord brought their “Zef” style to the streets of Hollywood, with enough energy that you could feel the floor beneath you shaking like a 5.0-magnitude earthquake.

Ninja (lead vocalist), Yo-Landi Vi$$er, and DJ Hi-Tek make up this team of rave-rap lyricists, who spit rhymes in English and Afrikaans, with heart-racing beats to match. YL claims, “You can swear more powerfully in Afrikaans than in any other language. The vowels are so harsh it comes off as far dirtier and filthier than English can ever translate.” Our response? Let’s see what you got; we’re listening.

Ninja recalls the Feb. 3 date as the day the group went viral. This is phenomenally true. Their first single, “Enter the Ninja,” off the debut album $O$, is currently clocking in at over a million hits…and counting. Their first music video for the self-genre-promoting title “Zef Side” has had 4 million views.

Referenced in every other hook, “Zef,” for those who are unaware of this new style of rage, represents, as Yo-Landi describes, “You’re poor, but you’re fancy. You’re poor, but you’re sexy. You’ve got style.” Americans might find Die Antwoord a bit ’90s, as the members are clad with gold chains and teeth, bad hair, ill-fitting clothes and costumes, and Ninja’s signature no shirt and boxers. But they bring an almost futuristic vibe to their rave, hip hop style. You can’t help but give them credit for the alter egos they’ve created for themselves. They have become their characters, and this is as real as they are going to get.

Die Antwoord’s music has a bubble gum, acid techno feel, in which, regardless of the lyrical bad taste, it’s the flow, confusion, and artistic talent that will suck you into the vortex. It’s like a catastrophic event: You’re terrified, but still love it. You will barely acknowledge a good deed when it happens, but it’s the car crash that you will stand and watch.

As the curtains opened last night to the long, drawn-out beat of their first song, the crowd went wild in anticipation to meet their Internet admirees. I could hear some fans still wondering aloud if Die Antwoord were in fact the real deal or just some hoax looking to get a rise out of people. Though I still wonder the same question even after seeing the show, I can undoubtedly vouch that regardless of the hoax conspiracy, these are true performers whose talent cannot be replicated.

Yo-Landi steals the show; you hear a lot more of her live than in the videos. Her fast rhythm and energy keeps all eyes on her, as she bounces around the stage with her miniature frame like an ecstasy-riddled raver. She rarely stops to take a sip of water, which mostly gets wasted on spraying the crowd via the bottle or her mouth. Ninja, who is supposed to be the foreman, puts on a far weaker performance, and at times, he looks like he’s struggling to keep his energy up. But his psychotic persona keeps him in a good standing; you’re curious for more. And then there’s DJ Hi-Tek, hidden behind the grotesque mutated mask and cape from the video “Wat Pomp.” Strategically positioned in the back center stage in a drummer-like attempt, he offers the same energy as Tommy Lee does when he’s bashing his kit to shreds. DJ Hi-Tek shares just as much solo time as his fellow counterparts, worth every strobe-light second. Never before had I experienced the magnitude of techno and hip hop beats infused together in such consistent flow. He is the master of his trade, yet he is virtually unknown, and his face is never classified with any description. The curiosity of what just happened and what I just saw is a feeling I just can’t shake. Perhaps it’s the aftershocks of the quake-like crowd effects.

Die Antwoord will wrap up their U.S. tour in early November. Check out their website at www.dieantwoord.com for remaining dates and album info.