Gabber is going through a revival, but some would argue it never really went away. The sound of gabber has permeated through the underground, finding a new home in unlikely places.
Workshop, 13:00-18:00
Join RE:VIVE and WORM/Ether Snuiven for an afternoon long workshop on May 12th exploring this truly Dutch style, from its early roots to its new forms and how the sounds of the past can be used to modulate this sound into morphing forms. During the workshop you will learn how to make a classic gabber track in WORM’s studio from gabber pioneer Maurice Steenbergen of Rotterdam Termination Source. You’ll get a peek inside the Strange Days world created by Amsterdam duo, Know V.A. who are leading the charge bringing hardcore and its now many forms to the small club setting. And, finally, push your production and sound design skills to new levels as you work to turn archival sounds from the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision into your own new interpretation of hardcore. After instruction you’ll get a few hours to work with these new sounds and inspiration and present what you’ve made to the team.
The workshop is limited capacity and will be filled on an application basis. You can find the application at: https://forms.gle/vbMQaxwwYtkKz8XM9
This workshop is proudly supported by Ableton.
Discourse and DJs
During the evening of May 12th, The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision’s RE:VIVE initiative and WORM’s Ether Snuiven will host a discourse event led by music journalist and hardcore encyclopedia, Holly Dicker. Holly will sit down with Maurice Steenbergen to recount the early years of hardcore and gabber in Rotterdam. Where did it start for Maurice, the imact of the RTS hit “Poing” and where he finds himself in the genre now. Next, bringing us into the present day, Holly will facilitate a roundtable discussion with Know V.A., photographer Boris Potsma and producer Somniac One to talk about their relationships with hardcore and gabber, how they’ve developed over the years and what they think is in store for the scene. We’ll have some DJs to close out the night with their favourite hardcore bangers as well.
After the talks there will be an hour (or more) with several gabber dj’s; Dj Wilco, Know V.A and Nick Hoppezak.
Tickets (5EUR) available online and at the door https://worm.org/production/gabber-gabber-hey-live/
Holly Dicker is a journalist who for the last 10 years has written for a variety of print and online publications. Since 2011 she has mainly worked as a features writer and critic for Resident Advisor. Between 2016 and 2018 she was a staff writer, culminating in some of the platform’s best long form contributions, including the first scholarly piece in English about the global influence of Thunderdome and gabber subculture in Holland. Her landmark Thunderdome piece was shortlisted for 2018’s Best Work of Music Journalism by Reeperbahn Festival in Germany. She has written several articles about hardcore music and has interviewed many notable figures in the scene, including artists Marc Acardipane, Manu Le Malin, Lady Dana, DJ Promo, and celebrated author and journalist Gert van Veen.
Boris Postma is an international photographer, Postma explores identity in a world which aggressively bombards us with pop-culture, brands and lifestyles. Why is it we become part of groups in search for individuality? By studying individual aspects and behaviours within subcultures and social groups, he examines the way we position ourselves and how interact with the world around us.
Maurice Steenbergen is de maker van de hitsingle Poing!, die in 1992 in Nederland de tweede plaats van de hitlijsten haalt en al snel ook elders in Europa doorbreekt. Deze plaat wordt tot de dag van vandaag gezien als de wereldwijde commerciële doorbraak van de ‘Gabber House’ rage. Phil de Wilde, producer van 2 Unlimited vertelt in een interview dat zonder ‘Poing’ hun grootste hits ‘No Limit’ waarschijnlijk nooit het daglicht zou hebben gezien. Maurice maakte van 1992-1998 onderdeel uit van het creatieve team achter “Rotterdam Records”, handelend onder de paraplu van Mid-Town Records. Hij produceerde naast muziek ook het artwork en de videoclips, o.a. voor de commerciële hits van DJ Paul Elstak. Zijn laatste werk voor deze scene was de documentaire “Oldschool Renegades” (2013) over de opkomst van house en rave-muziek. Met onder meer Moby, The Prodigy, Frankie Bones, Joey Beltram, Paul Elstak en vele vele anderen. De film is vertoond op diverse internationale filmfestivals in Nederland, Denemarken Polen, Rusland en Finland.
Rotterdam-based Lithuanian Somniac One turned her bedroom into a music production station way back at the age of 13. Her signature slow but somehow paradoxically fast sound has found its way onto respected hardcore labels such as Meta4, Love Hz, and PRSPCT. Somniac One has played live and DJ sets both at tiny underground raves and big festival stages at events like Defqon. 1, Ground Zero, Decibel Outdoor, PRSPCT XL, Paradigm Festival, Motel Mozaique, and Masters Of Hardcore.
Know V.A. are duo Feico and Marijn. Together, they make brooding, experimental club music that combines the dark density of hardcore with an ornate aesthetic.