Die Antwoord

An unlikely cult band, Cape Town, South Africa’s Die Antwoord makes the kind of music that brings EDM and hip-hop together with an aesthetic attributed to the zef subculture; frontman Ninja has discussed the role of zef in South African society as being akin to that of the pillars of hip-hop. With lyrics woven together from three languages spoken in South Africa, Die Antwoord would be interesting on a cultural level alone. But the ability to convey an image that is impossible to narrow down to a serious statement or a thumbing of the nose at expectations is something that has made this band more than just a novelty in its home country. Don’t go looking for the joke with a microscope, because Die Antwoord’s shows are an exercise in inspired performance art.