SONAR, OGDEN THEATER, DENVER Die Antwoord Azari & III
Gesaffelstein
energy too. But those who remain behind catch a real treat as Nic Fanciulli slams home his blend of edgy, minimal house with tracks like Catz ‘N Dogz ‘They Frontin’ featuring Monty Luke. He keeps the crowd moving and smiling with satisfaction for as long as he can, but unfortunately about half an hour in the energy is gone. It’s also apparent that the highly anticipated Tiga will not be making an appearance and once Seth Troxler makes his way to the stage at about 1:15, one look around tells you that things are pretty much over.
them. Both look totally relaxed and in control as they performed a pitch-perfect set, Yo-Landi’s impossibly high voice (think the Luther Vandross sample in Kanye West’s ‘Slow Jamz’) providing the chorus and background vocals on tracks like fast-paced rave jam ‘Wat Kyk Jy’, or flawlessly trading verses with Ninja on tracks like ‘Fatty Boom Boom’.
As the group moves through territory like ‘Baby’s On Fire’ and ‘I Fink U Freaky’, the visuals trade between alien heads and black and white close-ups of Yo-Landi’s fully dilated pupils, contrasted all the more by her blonde eyebrows, much like their intense music videos. About three quarters of the way in, the group slows things down for a bit and Ninja tells the crowd a story; as a young boy his father cast aside his dreams of him
being rich and famous but the rapper persevered, proving his father and everyone else who doubted him wrong. This creates the perfect segue for the grimy hip-hop track ‘Rich Bitch’, lead by Yo-Landi, who had changed into an oversized gold hoody and tights. Though common with older rap groups, this rags-to- riches tale, combined with their rave roots, really seems to be why they’ve connected with their audience so well and part of what makes them so unique today. The crescendo of the night, however, comes with ‘Enter The Ninja’, its anthemic rhythm and catchy melody sucking everyone in, the entire place flying into a total frenzy and singing along with every word.
Unfortunately for house lovers, once Antwoord end, more than half the crowd leave, bringing much of the
But as quickly as the night ends, the event is hardly a bust; quite the opposite, in fact. The Barcelona event has brought legendary artists normally reserved for European festivals and Ibiza clubs to middle America on a Wednesday night – the Wednesday night after Halloween no less. They know exactly who their audience is and don’t apologize or try too hard to educate. Instead, they expertly combine world- renowned acts with crossover rap performers and just enough avant-garde to keep the heads happy, maybe even providing a bit of education on the side. All in all, the night is well-programed, fairly well executed and for a traveling road show, brings an excellent array of visuals. We can’t wait to do it again next year. CHANDLER SHORTLIDGE
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