and you thought there were no good white techno grime rappers from south africa

Right, where to start? Let me firstly explain I love this and I cannot express how much. Die Antwoord sound like if West Coast Gangster Rap and Techno fucked and had a baby and Grime and German Hardcore fucked and had a baby and then both their baby's somehow got together and fucked and had a baby, Die Antwoord would be that baby. If you know what I mean?

This stuff is so hard to listen to if you like anything other than the most obnoxious bleepy-clicky-sweary-noise. Luckily I love a good obnoxious drone and as most people don't, listening to this will fulfill my two life criteria: make me happy & make others miserable.. and thus make me happier. Seriously though these guys are pretty good, their production is decent and their delivery is faultless.. perhaps I'll skirt around content and simply say it's no worse than most Grime, which makes their delivery even more commendable. I can't work out if they are being ironic though, I hope not but I fear they are, I mean surely they are? Sadly without knowing any proper South Africans I don't know if irony is a big thing over there, I feel maybe not, or at least hope. Either way they have a massive following of disgruntled youth in South Africa and a small following of obnoxious nob-heads in the UK (me), so collectively we all get the joke or we don't.

Their first video is for Enter The Ninja, which sadly and typically is their worst song so don't judge on that, Zef Side (posted above) is much better and genuinely hilarious plus there at least 5 other excellent tunes on their albumn $O$. 'Wat Pomp' and 'Beat Boy' are my highlights, the former sounding akin to Miami's own Clipse and the latter being a 10 minute garage marathon with several -excellent- tempo changes that leaves you gagging for more. Other notables are 'Super Evil' which sounds like MF Doom was there tinkering away behind the desk and the albumn title track '$O$' which is an instrumental and uncharacteristic but brilliantly atmospheric electro-tech number. I'd like to say there is something for everyone on this album, but I can't, my Mum would hate it. Nonetheless it's still pretty varied considering it's mostly bleeps clicks and swearing in Afrikaans and that makes it a rip-roaring good listen.

Music aside what I love most about Die Antwoord is their look. It's the best. Ninja's Pink Floyd boxers and ying yang t-shirt are awes. along with his tattoos and George Michael earring he looks somewhere between late 80's punk/grunge and new rave. As for Yo-Landi's Batista t-shirt I'm getting serious clothes envy, especially because I know I'll never find anything as genius as that the rest of my charity shop trawling life.

Please, please, please take my word for it and check out their website it's 10 times better than their video and has loads of pictures I couldn't be bothered to screen grab for this blog. Ha.

Die Antwoord