Gabber ( / ˈ ɡ æ b ər / GAB -ər ; Dutch: [ˈɣɑbər] ) is a type of electronic dance music and a subgenre of hardcore, as well as the culture that surrounds it. The music is defined by fast beats, loud and powerful kick drums, and themes that are dark in tone. It also includes samples from other sources. This style was created in Rotterdam and Amsterdam in the 1990s by producers such as Marc Acardipane, Paul Elstak, DJ Rob, and The Prophet. These producers started record labels like Rotterdam Records, Mokum Records, Pengo Records, and Industrial Strength Records.

The word "gabber" comes from a type of slang used in Amsterdam called Bargoens, and it means "friend."

Gabber is still very popular in the Netherlands and has grown in popularity again in recent years. It began as a movement that opposed mainstream culture and was held in secret, often in places like empty warehouses, basements, and tunnels. Large events like Thunderdome, organized by ID&T and Mysteryland, became very popular and eventually became part of mainstream Dutch culture in the 1990s. The music and culture spread to other countries, including the UK, Spain, Italy, the US, and Australia, where it became part of local rave communities.

Origins

Gabber is a type of electronic music and a subgenre of hardcore. It developed from house and techno music, along with elements of breakbeat hardcore and new beat, in the early 1990s. The music style is described as a fast and intense mix of very high beats per minute (BPMs), thumping bass sounds, and shouted vocals. It combines house-style drum patterns and quick hi-hat sounds. The music usually has a tempo between 140 and 190 beats per minute, and it often includes sounds taken from movies or other songs. A key feature of gabber/early hardcore first appeared in the track "Anasthasia" (1991) by T99.

The word "gabber" comes from Amsterdam slang, which was based on the Hebrew word "chaver," meaning "friend" or "companion," and was later used in Yiddish. An Amsterdam DJ was asked about the hard Rotterdam music scene and said, "They're just a bunch of gabbers having fun." After hearing this, Paul Elstak wrote the phrase "Gabber zijn is geen schande!" ("It's not a disgrace to be a gabber!") on the first Euromasters record, released by Rotterdam Records in 1992. The word became popular in the Rotterdam music scene, and people began calling themselves "gabbers." Some people believe the term "gabber" was used as an insult by club security at house clubs, to describe groups of people who often acted loudly or caused trouble.

Music

Influential early labels included DJ Paul Elstak's Rotterdam Records, Mokum Records in Amsterdam, and Lenny Dee's New York-based Industrial Strength Recordings. Other early artists alongside Elstak and Dee were Marc Acardipane, The Prophet, and Rotterdam Termination Source.

Elstak and DJ Rob first held parties at Parkzicht in Rotterdam. As more people attended, they moved to the Energiehal. ID&T later organized Thunderdome parties with up to 40,000 people. These events ran for about twenty years before stopping and then restarting in 2017. When this music 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 creation of the label Drop Bass Network.

Subculture

The popularity of gabber music created a youth subculture in the Netherlands. People who attended gabber events, called gabber ravers, were often seen wearing tracksuits, bomber jackets, and Nike Air Max shoes. A type of tracksuit made by an Italian brand called Australian by L'Alpina was highly valued and sometimes called "Aussies." This style may have been connected to a similar subculture in Australia, where gabber music was also popular. Another brand, Cavello, made tracksuits with more colorful designs than Australian. Many men wore their hair completely bald, while women braided their hair and shaved the sides. Drug use was common, with ecstasy and speed being the most frequently used drugs.

Later, women’s fashion changed to include blouses and short skirts. Men wore polo shirts, shirts with jeans, and army boots, similar to the style of skinhead punks. A small group of people wore the Lonsdale brand because it was linked to right-wing extremism. Gabber also had a small following among some German Neo-Nazis. To reject these connections, some music labels and artists released messages against racism and fascism. Examples include songs like "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. A record label called Mokum Records printed the slogan "Hardcore united against fascism and racism" on all its records. Some music producers were Black, such as The Dark Raver and Loftgroover. When gabber became popular again in the 2000s, Dutch Neo-Nazis tried to use it, but their efforts did not last long.

By the mid-1990s, gabber had become part of mainstream culture in the Netherlands. In 1997, Billboard magazine called it the country’s "first homegrown youth culture." Its popularity led to parody songs, such as "Hakke & Zage" by Gabber Piet, which used the theme music from a children’s TV show called Peppi & Kokki. The name "gabber" also came from "hakken," a type of fast leg movement that became a popular dance style. Gabber fans were upset when their culture was turned into a commercial product, and Gabber Piet was fired from his job at ID&T. His album Love U Hardcore tried to apologize, 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

After the year 2000, the popularity of gabber music decreased, but some dedicated fans continued to support its sound and culture. In 2017, Thunderdome celebrated its 25th anniversary of hardcore music at the Jaarbeurs congress centre in Utrecht. The event had 40,000 people who dance at raves and was seen as the official return of Thunderdome. The celebration showed the full history of hardcore music, featuring top artists from the past and present. It highlighted how hardcore music has changed over 25 years, with performances by leading DJs and producers from different eras.

Artists

• 3 Steps Ahead
• Angerfist
• Charly Lownoise and Mental Theo
• Critical Mass
• Despairful Tomorrow
• DJ Mad Dog
• DJ Paul Elstak
• DJ Sharkey
• DJ Skinhead
• Evil Activities
• Euromasters
• The Horrorist
• Lenny Dee
• Marc Acardipane
• Miss K8
• Nasenbluten
• Neophyte
• The Outside Agency
• Party Animals
• The Prophet
• Ralphie Dee
• Rotterdam Termination Source
• Rotterdam Terror Corps
• Ruffneck
• Scott Brown
• Teranoid (also known as Kosuke Saito)
• Tommyknocker
• XOL DOG 400