Gabber Subculture's Journey from Dutch Raves to Italian Clubs and Contemporary Art

The gabber subculture, originating in the Netherlands, found a delayed but fervent following in Italy, with clubs like Number One in Rovato-Brescia and Gheodrome in Rimini becoming temples of the movement. Characterized by colorful tracksuits, brands like Australian and Nike Air Max, shaved heads, and hardcore music at 160-200 BPM, gabber emerged from similar socio-economic conditions in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Italy, often tied to working-class urban areas or provincial DIY scenes. Alberto Guerrini, known as Gabber Eleganza, is a key figure bridging the subculture with contemporary art. His first DJ set as Gabber Eleganza was at "Padania Classics" by Filippo Minelli. British artist Mark Leckey's 1999 video installation "Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore" anticipated the subculture's aesthetic, using found footage to trace 20 years of English nightclubbing. The gabber scene has infiltrated high fashion and art: Raf Simons referenced it in 1999, Carsten Höller curated a festival at HangarBicocca in 2016, and Dior's fall-winter 2017 campaign featured Depeche Mode's David Gahan and actor Lucas Hedges. Gabber Eleganza's Hakke Show, a DJ set of old-school hardcore with gabber dancers, is set to appear at Club To Club in 2017. The article, by Carlotta Petracci, was published in Artribune Magazine #40.