Black cats. White cats. All my zef cats.

May 21, 2014 4:29 AM

Everyone's favorite South African provocateur rap-ravers Die Antwoord are back with a new album in June and a new video right now: "Pitbull Terrier" (probably NSFW)
posted by griphus (44 comments total)

One of the things I like about Die Antwoord is it's impossible to tell when they've jumped the shark.
posted by dobbs at 4:43 AM on May 21, 2014 [20 favorites]

I caught the jokes about / references to Daft Punk, Pitbull, Calvin Harris, the Knife / Fever Ray but I'm not sure who the black woman towards the end of the video was supposed to be (Rihanna?)
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 5:03 AM on May 21, 2014 [1 favorite]

I was pumped to see them at the 9:30 Club this summer, but it seems they cancelled that date. Too bad- these guys kick ass and I'm sure the show would be bizarre.
posted by stinkfoot at 5:03 AM on May 21, 2014

If I'm not mistaken, the one before this was Cookie Thumper (yay), before which was Fatty Boom Boom (meh), before which was Baby's on Fire (yay), before which was Fok Julle Naaiers (not meh, but not as yay as the one before it).

That meh/yay pattern seems to be holding.
posted by postcommunism at 5:09 AM on May 21, 2014

Well, it's official. I'm too old for whatever the kids are into these days.
posted by DigDoug at 5:16 AM on May 21, 2014 [7 favorites]

I don't know the history of the song, but I first encountered it in the stupendous Black Cat, White Cat. Here is a tiny snippet of how the song is used in the movie (edited to not show the cocaine sniffing and other inappropriateness), and here is what I think is the music video by the artist (not totally sfw).

And of course Die Antwoord is as amazing as ever. I can't think of any band (or performance artists) that uses costumes and paint with such consistently deliberate effect.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:18 AM on May 21, 2014 [10 favorites]

If I'm not mistaken, the one before this was Cookie Thumper (yay), before which was Fatty Boom Boom (meh), before which was Baby's on Fire (yay), before which was Fok Julle Naaiers (not meh, but not as yay as the one before it).

You missed a few in there (in no particular order):
Evil Boy
I Fink U Freeky
Rich Bitch
Enter the Ninja
Wat Pomp
posted by griphus at 5:27 AM on May 21, 2014 [2 favorites]

These guys baffle me, which I suppose is the point. By never, ever breaking character, though, they manage to come across as legitimately bizarre, rather than people play-acting at being bizarre.

For a long time, I wasn't sure if I liked or hated their work, or whether that continuum even applied to it. I finally decided that I like it—but as media art, not as music. I watch all of their videos multiple times, but I can't imagine listening to their music by itself. (The music is perfect in the context of the videos. On its own, not so much.)
posted by escape from the potato planet at 5:31 AM on May 21, 2014 [6 favorites]

I agree, EftPP -- an incredibly short (~45m), fairly disappointing concert experience in which I felt somewhat antagonized by the performers did a lot to reinforce the idea that I prefer Die Antwoord mediated through a screen, which is kinda interesting.
posted by sibboleth at 5:37 AM on May 21, 2014

i don't think i've felt "meh" about any of the videos they've released. i get fatty boom boom stuck in my head on the regular. of course, i'll also just listen to them.

i suggest for people trying to figure out how much is them and how much is performance art to give a little watch&listen to some of the maxnormal.tv stuff, like total fuck up (where he seems to lay out the plan for die antwoord) and way of the dassie.
posted by nadawi at 5:56 AM on May 21, 2014 [3 favorites]

Hey! Look how edgy we are! Look!

Prodigy did it far better 20 years ago.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 6:05 AM on May 21, 2014

I don't think they're trying to be "edgy", and I don't think they're really doing the same thing as Prodigy.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 6:13 AM on May 21, 2014 [12 favorites]

Prodigy did it far better 20 years ago.

Fuck are people getting all dad-music about Prodigy now?
posted by empath at 6:14 AM on May 21, 2014 [35 favorites]

The Prodigy were edgy? I always felt they just jumped the band-wagon, playing music in a style that had already been established for a quite a while. At best the Prodigy was "meh", at least to me.
posted by stthspl at 6:22 AM on May 21, 2014 [2 favorites]

i was in high school when prodigy made their big jump over the pond and i liked them just fine. some in my class were absolutely obsessed. it is sort of funny to see them contrasted here. you could probably argue die antwoord and prodigy into a similar very broad genre, but beyond that i don't see them doing the same thing at all.
posted by nadawi at 6:29 AM on May 21, 2014 [1 favorite]

I think the videos are enthralling. They make me feel uneasy, but I can't look away.
posted by pickinganameismuchharderthanihadanticipated at 6:29 AM on May 21, 2014 [1 favorite]

There is just something so bizarrely compelling about Yolandi Visser. Whenever I encounter Die Antwoord 90% of my attention is directed her way. She's a little like Fever Ray with a sense of humour (?) but also all aggressive and in your face and with a weird lispy child-voice?
posted by erlking at 6:38 AM on May 21, 2014 [2 favorites]

The only link to The Prodigy that I can think of is both include a white guy aggressively shout-rapping in a non-America accent. It's pretty tenuous.
posted by erlking at 6:41 AM on May 21, 2014 [3 favorites]

when do they have time to work on their abs
posted by The Whelk at 6:42 AM on May 21, 2014 [3 favorites]

I like that Die Antwoord are out there doing what they're doing. I like it better when they're doing it where I can't hear it, but they should keep doing it nonetheless.
posted by delfin at 6:46 AM on May 21, 2014 [3 favorites]

Eh... their poor white schtick is growing kind of tired.
posted by PenDevil at 6:56 AM on May 21, 2014

Once again I join the baffled club too. I don't know about edgy, but like in the previous thread about these guys, I can't recall having seen any recent cultural product that could really pass as made by extraterrestrials for extraterrestrials. BRAIN=PAINY.
posted by Iosephus at 6:58 AM on May 21, 2014

Yeah, I like this video, but they really do need to diversify their schtick. It's getting a little predictable.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 7:01 AM on May 21, 2014

i had honestly wondered if their break was because they were going to strip it all down and rebuild a new group, but looks like this pony has a bit longer to ride. i can't blame them for that.
posted by nadawi at 7:02 AM on May 21, 2014

teenagery, dangerous, icky sexy, thumpish, funny freaky and oh so foreign...
posted by judson at 7:10 AM on May 21, 2014

made by extraterrestrials for extraterrestrials

This is my theory about Sigur Rós. When the Greys land and ask for an artifact of terrestrial culture, you hand them a copy of ( ) and they'll say, don't you have anything new?
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 7:12 AM on May 21, 2014 [3 favorites]

I want Die Antwoord and M.I.A. to come together and do some baffling empty agitprop videos together. They could save money sharing the cost of hiring the producers to actually make the music.
posted by Nelson at 7:24 AM on May 21, 2014 [8 favorites]

> You missed a few in there... Enter the Ninja

Enter the Ninja remains their best video in the same was Bad Romance remains the best Gaga video. Low production but winning enthusiasm and I still watch it occasionally and think aw yiss.
posted by postcommunism at 7:25 AM on May 21, 2014

I'll make The Prodigy link for ya! What would happen if The Prodigy and ICP had a baby?
posted by Brocktoon at 7:34 AM on May 21, 2014

It would live its life in an airport because no nation would dare give it citizenship.
posted by delfin at 7:48 AM on May 21, 2014 [8 favorites]

" I finally decided that I like it—but as media art, not as music. I watch all of their videos multiple times, but I can't imagine listening to their music by itself. (The music is perfect in the context of the videos. On its own, not so much.)"

This is a completely accurate summation of my relationship with Die Antwoord. Every couple weeks I think that maybe I should buy one of their albums but instead I just stay up late watching all of their videos again.
posted by komara at 8:00 AM on May 21, 2014 [1 favorite]

Shame really that Ninja seems to ironically dig Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead and claims it is his bible (link to Facebook post), bizarrely alongside William Gibson's Neuromancer and Lord of the Rings.

Who knows, perhaps it is all part of the act? And the juxtaposition of an underclass cool with Randian statements like "there are obviously more parasites than creators in the world, and so parasites often get together and freak out when a super creator rizes to power" is meant to be read ironically? But it leaves something of a bad taste in my mouth. Sorry Metafilter, I know there's a lot of love for Die Antwoord and no end of loathing towards Ayn Rand, but life is complex I guess, and you'll have to make your own call on this one.
posted by iivix at 8:32 AM on May 21, 2014 [1 favorite]

Always good to have a Die Antwoord thread -- livix and nadawi, thanks for info on them I hadn't seen before. The discussion previously on Fatty Boom Boom provided some interesting meditation on the meaning of Afrikaners doing (color)-face and Die Antwoord's responses to South African political themes like Umshini Wam ("bring me my machine gun").
posted by gusandrews at 8:49 AM on May 21, 2014

The world's foremost novelty rap.
posted by klangklangston at 9:14 AM on May 21, 2014 [1 favorite]

Dit is niet die antwoord op een vraag die ik stelde.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:19 AM on May 21, 2014

One of the things I like about Die Antwoord is it's impossible to tell when they've jumped the shark.

If Aphex Twin joins up again with Chris Cunningham to make an Antwoord parody, then you'll know the gig's up.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:22 AM on May 21, 2014

"One of the things I like about Die Antwoord is it's impossible to tell when they've jumped the shark."

They are the shark.
posted by komara at 9:25 AM on May 21, 2014 [17 favorites]

I've enjoyed their videos in the past, but this one really felt stale, and I thought the song was rather weak. (Big surprise, I'm not a dog person.)
posted by Catblack at 9:35 AM on May 21, 2014 [2 favorites]

The rumor a few months ago was that Aphex Twin was producing this next album for them...not true?
posted by echo target at 9:51 AM on May 21, 2014

I'm seeing Die Antwoord tomorrow live in Vancouver and I can't wait! These guys are just exactly my brand of weird -- raw but still precise, clever but not twee.
posted by jess at 9:52 AM on May 21, 2014 [1 favorite]

I'm the right kind of old to enjoy this. it reminds be of industrial dance and the best kinds of mosh pit music from 25 or so years ago. and Yolandi...whew.
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:00 AM on May 21, 2014

Ha. A song based around Serbian director Emir Kusturica's gypsy crime comedy Black Cat, White Cat is certainly unexpected (and further evidence that Die Antwoord are really hipsters sporting zef-face.)

If this video is an excuse for people to watch that movie, then I'd say they've done the world a service (... of course, they could've done the world a far greater service by making good music that was worth listening to, in addition to making awesome music videos. But i guess you can't have everything.)
posted by dgaicun at 11:14 AM on May 21, 2014 [2 favorites]

I love everything about Die Antwoord, but this video does seem a little facile to me compared to their other stuff. Really digging the music, though, as usual. Funny that that's everyone's focus with them -- comparing the quality of the music to the quality of the videos. I don't usually hear similar critiques about other big stars, like Lady Gaga, whose videos are always interesting fashion centerfolds set to mediocre early-2000s-style dance music.
posted by Mooseli at 1:56 PM on May 21, 2014

I don't usually hear similar critiques about other big stars, like Lady Gaga

I dunno. Lady Gaga's interest in Die Antwoord, and Marilyn Manson and Lady Gaga's mutual interest in each other, tells me that all these freaky-fashion novelty acts know what genre they really inhabit, despite the vast differences in the musical styles they are pretending to contribute to.

In other words, even Lady Gaga knows that Lady Gaga is mediocre.
posted by dgaicun at 6:17 PM on May 21, 2014 [2 favorites]