Last month at the Helicopter we had the most experimental edition of Launchpad yet. For the first time, we had the pleasure to present Dutch-language hip-hop (Skurt Cobain), theatrical chansons with wild dance (Martin Malibu) and, last but not least, ironic social commentary uniting punk and electro in danceable Dutch-language songs.
Armed with drum computers, electric guitar, bass and two microphones, the duo De Delegatie puts down a surprisingly full sound. Daan and Govert have their own unique vibe. The raw guitar sound brings the necessary energy and is a stark contrast to the dry metronome-like quality of the electronic beat. The rough punk rock guitar gives an aggressive edge to the music, but Govert’s round tone and melodic bass lines form a comfortably made bed which ties it all together in a tasty sound. The vocals are intelligible and the music provides a framework for the message. But what are they really saying? That De Delegatie is protesting something is obvious, but demonstrations themselves seem to be the stumbling block for this duo.
‘Ik heb een bord voor m’n kop en een bord met een tekst erop. We staan hier vooraan en we laten ons gaan. We eisen ons rijk en we staan in ons recht. Ik-weet-het-niet-jij-weet-het-niet-ik-weet-het-niet-jij-weet-het-niet’
De Delegatie pokes fun at misplaced anger and naive protesters. From a first-person perspective, they paint a picture of a society of bickering know-it-alls, who do not think for themselves and allow themselves to be carried away by political hype. But what they themselves are for or against, we do not find out in the text.
However, we did find out for ourselves that De Delegatie is a strong supporter of wild dance parties. It takes no effort on their part to get the whole tent stomping and singing. In the course of their protest, we were so carried away by these demagogues and had to recognize that De Delegatie also represented us, at least that night. Their first single “Schande!” (for shame!) is out on CD, Spotify and other channels, their video debut can be checked out on the VPRO website and you can catch them live again soon!