Gabber

Origins

Gabber is a style of electronic music and a subgenre of hardcore. It was derived from house and techno, plus elements of breakbeat hardcore and new beat, in the early 1990s. The musical style is described as "a relentless mix of superfast BPMs, distorted kickdrums, and roared vocals", blended with house-style breakbeats and hi-hat fillers. The music is generally between 140 and 190 beats per minute with samples taken from films or other tracks. One of the most characteristic components of gabber/early hardcore first appeared in the track "Anasthasia" (1991) from T99.

The word gabber comes from an Amsterdam Bargoens slang, based on the Hebrew chaver meaning "mate" or "friend", loaned through Yiddish. 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!'). The word gained popularity in the Rotterdam music scene and people started to call themselves "gabbers". Some, however, state that 'gabber' derives from usage at house clubs which gabbers visited, where 'gabber' became an insult that club security used to collectively describe these people, with often raucous and hooliganish behaviour, that were often seen as undesirable.

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, The Prophet, 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, running for around twenty years before breaking then relaunching in 2017. When the sound spread to London in the mid-1990s, Dead by Dawn parties at the 121 Centre 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 in the Netherlands. Gabber ravers were often stereotyped as wearing tracksuits, bomber jackets, and Nike Air Max shoes. Tennis tracksuits from the Italian fashion label Australian by L'Alpina were prized, being often referred to as "Aussies", and possibly being related to the eshay subculture of Australia, where gabber was often listened to. Another popular brand in tracksuits was Cavello, which suits were more colorful than the straight forward designs by Australian. Most men shaved their heads bald, while women braided their hair and shaved the sides. Drug use was common, with ecstasy and speed the popular choices.

Later the look became blouses and short skirts for women. Men wore polo shirts and shirts with jeans and army boots, similar to that of skinhead punks. Along 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 include "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. Mokum Records made its slogan (printed on all records): "Hardcore united against fascism and racism". Some producers are themselves black, such as The Dark Raver and Loftgroover. When gabber became popular again in the 2000s, Dutch Neo-Nazis attempted to capitalize on it, but their attempts were short-lived.

By the mid-1990s, gabber had become part of mainstream culture in the Netherlands. Billboard 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 children's television show. The name also referred to hakken, the style of gabber dancing characterized by fast leg movements that had become popular. Gabber fans were angered by the commercialization 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.

The 2023 film Hardcore Never Dies is set during the 1990s gabber scene in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

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 the 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

References

1. "A Brief History of Gabber - The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision".
2. (30 October 2019). "Thunderdome: the Dutch rave with the world's fastest, hardest music".
3. "About".
4. "Hardcore History: Introducing Hardcore Techno".
5. (2013). "Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture". Routledge.
6. (10 January 2020). "Gabber: return of dance music's gloriously tasteless subgenre". The Guardian.
7. "Famous Sounds".
8. "Muziekencyclopedie - Dj Rob".
9. "Hebrew and Yiddish Words in Common Dutch".
10. [http://boilerroom.tv/its-not-a-disgrace-to-be-a-gabber/ "It’s Not A Disgrace To Be A Gabber!"] {{Webarchive. link. (26 January 2017 , ''Boiler Room'' (8 November 2014))
11. Bogdanov, Vladimir. (2001). "All Music Guide to Electronica: The Definitive Guide to Electronic Music". Backbeat Books.
12. "Thunderdome: 25 years of hardcore".
13. (29 September 2007). "Dead by Dawn, Brixton, 1994-96".
14. "Understanding the Visual Language of Gabber".
15. (2023-11-28). "Cavello trainingspak: Dit is wat er is gebeurd met dit gabbermerk".
16. (2013-10-27). "Cavello in de jaren 90".
17. (28 February 2005). "Extreemrechtse gabbers anno2005". Kafka.
18. (1999). "Rave America: New School Dancescapes". ECW Press.
19. DJ Chosen Few - [http://www.discogs.com/release/21108 ''Chosen Anthem (Against Racism)''] {{Webarchive. link. (9 November 2012 (MOK 8, Mokum Records 1993); Party Animals feat. MC Rob Gee - [http://www.discogs.com/release/21181 ''Die Nazi Scum''] {{Webarchive). link. (9 November 2012 (MOK 54, Mokum Records 1996); Hellcore - [http://www.discogs.com/release/210584 ''Fuck the Nazism''] {{Webarchive). link. (9 November 2012 (BDR-CD-02, Braindestruction Recordz, 2003); United Hardcore Against Racism & Hate - [http://www.discogs.com/release/478145 ''Time to Make a Stand''] {{Webarchive). link. (9 November 2012 (HUR 001, Hardcore United Records, 2005).)
20. (4 February 2014). "An Entire Generation of Dutch Children Was Ruined by Gabber".
21. (2004). "How to Cure a Gabba". Dancecult.