Die Ek Premiere “Dapper Huis” Video

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I mean, yeah, sometimes we all have that dream where we find a gun in a dilapidated house and use it to murder our inner child. The word you’re looking for is ‘relatable.’ If I start off goofing, maybe take it as a sign that, having been forced to feel feelings while watching Afrikaner heavy rockers Die Ek‘s video for “Dapper Huis” (‘brave house’ in English), I’ve no recourse but to bury my head in the thin veil of sarcasm that’s always provided a measure of weak armor from such things. Alas.

“Dapper Huis” follows behind Die Ek‘s “Die Ek” single/video (posted here) from earlier this year, which boasted a similar narrative feel. There’s no dialogue here, but none is really needed, and even with the language barrier in the lyrics — among the multitude of my ignorances: Afrikaans — the emotional underpinning comes through aided by wistful piano in the beginning of the four-minute track and a pair of swells later, not quite chaotic but emblematic of turmoil just the same. The band’s sound and the video-as-movie vibe suit each other well; both carry a sense of professionalism in their making and a feeling of knowing what they want to express.

So, while your own unconscious mind may or may not (but probably does) occasionally direct you toward self-assassination, the clip and the song it contains both make a striking impression and that’s clearly the intent. I don’t know the band’s plan as to putting together an album or an EP or some other collection of the songs they seem to be trickling out one at a time, but the safe bet is that a plan exists considering how much consideration is being put into the material itself. When it’ll come to fruition, we’ll just have to wait and see.

For now, enjoy:

Die Ek, “Dapper Huis” video premiere

To be a child is to be vulnerable… When I was young, I was staring at a dark corner of my room. In the space between waking and sleeping, I had the feeling that there was something in the dark. Something hiding there waiting for me to fall asleep. Sometimes my dreams took me to the most hellish scary places. I woke up soaked in sweat, overwhelmed by fear. Heart beating deafeningly. Body burning. I held my breath and listened. I turned on the light to see that there was nothing. I turned my back on the dark corner and told myself there is nothing there. It was all just in my mind.

The courage to look further into the darkness came later in life, but the anxiety of that total powerlessness still remains in the depths of my psyche. It stares at me from a dark corner and waits until I fall asleep.

Die ek is:
Riaan le Roux (Stem, kitaar, klavier)
Dylan du Toit (Bas kitaar)
Werner Breedt (kitaar, backing vocals, triggers)
Duncan Potgieter (Drums)

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