Gabber (; ) is a style of electronic dance music and a subgenre of hardcore techno, as well as the surrounding subculture. The music is more commonly referred to as Hardcore, which is characterised by fast beats, distorted & heavier kickdrums, with darker themes and samples, and was developed in Rotterdam and Amsterdam in the 1990s by producers like Marc Acardipane, Paul Elstak, DJ Rob, and

The Prophet A prophet is a person who is believed to speak through divine inspiration. Prophet or The Prophet may also refer to: People People referred to as "The Prophet" as a title * The Prophet (musician) (born 1968), Dutch gabber and hardstyle DJ ...

, forming record labels such as Rotterdam Records, Mokum Records, Pengo Records and Industrial Strength Records. The word "gabber" comes from Amsterdam Bargoens slang and means "friend". Gabber remains highly popular in the Netherlands, and has seen a major resurgence recent years. Gabber formed as an underground, anti-establishment movement with small, underground raves, most often illegally held in empty warehouses, basements and tunnels.

Rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

parties such as Thunderdome held by ID&T and Mysteryland became hugely popular, eventually becoming part of mainstream Dutch culture in the 1990s. The music and culture quickly spread across Europe and the world, finding home with the rave communities in countries such as the UK, Spain, Italy, USA, and Australia.

Origins

Gabber, also known as gabba, early hardcore, or Rotterdam hardcore, is a style of electronic music and a subgenre of hardcore techno. It was derived from

acid house Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesiz ...

, techno and new beat in the early 1990s. The musical style is described as "a relentless mix of superfast BPMs, distorted kickdrums, and roared vocals". The music is generally between 140 up to 190 beats per minute with samples taken from films or other tracks. The word "gabber" comes from an Amsterdam Bargoens slang based on the Hebrew ''chaver'' meaning " mate" or "friend". An Amsterdam DJ was asked about the hard Rotterdam scene and said "They're just a bunch of gabbers having fun". Having heard this, Paul Elstak etched in the vinyl on the first Euromasters record (released through Rotterdam Records in 1992), "Gabber zijn is geen schande!" ("It's not a disgrace to be a gabber!")."It’s Not A Disgrace To Be A Gabber!"
, ''Boiler Room'' (8 November 2014) The word gained popularity in the Rotterdam music scene and people started to call themselves "gabbers".

Music

Influential early labels were DJ Paul Elstak's Rotterdam Records, Mokum Records in Amsterdam, and Lenny Dee's New York based Industrial Strength Recordings. Alongside Elstak and Dee, other early artists included Marc Acardipane,

, and Rotterdam Termination Source. Elstak and DJ Rob organised parties first at Parkzicht in Rotterdam and when the numbers attending increased they moved to the Energiehal. ID&T later organised Thunderdome parties for up to 40,000 people. When the sound spread to London in the mid-1990s, Dead by Dawn parties at the

121 Centre 121 Centre was a squatted self-managed social centre on Railton Road in Brixton, south London from 1981 until 1999. As an anarchist social centre, the venue hosted a bookshop, cafe, infoshop, library, meeting space, office space, printing fac ...

in Brixton played gabba, speedcore, and noise. In the Midwestern United States, gabber inspired the foundation of the label Drop Bass Network.

Subculture

The popularity of gabber created a youth

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, poli ...

in the Netherlands. Fashion-wise, gabber ravers wore tracksuits,

bomber jacket A flight jacket is a casual jacket that was originally created for pilots and eventually became part of popular culture and apparel. It has evolved into various styles and silhouettes, including the "letterman" jacket and the fashionable "bomber ...

s, and Nike Air Max shoes. Tennis tracksuits from the Italian fashion label L’Alpina were prized. Most men shaved their heads bald, while women braided their hair and shaved the sides. Drug use was common, with

ecstasy Ecstasy may refer to: * Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance-like state in which a person transcends normal consciousness * Religious ecstasy, a state of consciousness, visions or absolute euphoria * Ecstasy (philosophy), to be or stand outside o ...

and speed the popular choice. Later the look became blouses and short skirts for women. Men wore polo shirts and shirts with jeans and army boots, with a racist minority wearing the Lonsdale brand because of its connection to right-wing extremism. Gabber also had a small following in the German neo-Nazi fringe movement. In order to repudiate the connection, labels and artists began to release anti-fascist and anti-racist statements. Some examples includes "Chosen Anthem (Against Racism)" by DJ Chosen Few, "Die Nazi Scum" by Party Animals featuring MC Rob Gee, "Time to Make a Stand" by United Hardcore and "Fuck the Nazism" by Hellcore.DJ Chosen Few
''Chosen Anthem (Against Racism)''
(MOK 8, Mokum Records 1993); Party Animals feat. MC Rob Gee
''Die Nazi Scum''
(MOK 54, Mokum Records 1996); Hellcore
''Fuck the Nazism''
(BDR-CD-02, Braindestruction Recordz, 2003); United Hardcore Against Racism & Hate
''Time to Make a Stand''
(HUR 001, Hardcore United Records, 2005). Mokum Records made its slogan (printed on all records): "Hardcore united against fascism and racism" and in addition some producers are themselves black, such as Dark Raver and Loftgroover. When gabber became popular again in the 2000s, Dutch neo-Nazis attempted to capitalise on it but their structures were short-lived. By the mid-1990s, gabber had become part of mainstream culture in the Netherlands. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine called it the country's "first homegrown youth culture" in 1997. Its popularity also led to parody tracks such as Gabber Piet's "Hakke & Zage" which drew on the theme tune of the

Peppi & Kokki Peppi & Kokki were a Laurel & Hardy-style comedy duo from the Netherlands; they had their own television series in the 1970s. Gerard van Essen (1924–1997) played fat Peppi, Herman Kortekaas (1930) played lean Kokki. History Early years Gerard ...

children's television show. The name also referred to hakken, the style of gabber dancing characterised by fast leg movements which had become popular. Gabber fans were angered by the commercialisation of their scene and Gabber Piet was fired from his job at ID&T. His album ''Love U Hardcore'' attempted to make amends but it did not sell well.

25 Years Of Hardcore

While the peak of gabber popularity waned in the years after the millennium, there always remained a die-hard few that kept the sound and culture alive. In 2017, Thunderdome celebrated 25 years of hardcore at the Jaarbeurs congress centre in Utrecht. It was attended by 40,000 ravers and was heralded as the official comeback for Thunderdome. The event was the ultimate encapsulation of the history of hardcore, featuring th
biggest names in hardcore
, showcasing evolution of hardcore music over 25 years from all of the leading hardcore DJs and producers from then and now.

Notes

External links