Nu Style Gabber
Nu Style Gabber is characterized by its high-tempo, distorted kick drums, aggressive synth melodies, and often dark, intense atmosphere, driving a relentless, high-energy rhythm designed for powerful dancefloor impact. Emerging in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it evolved from the original Gabber sound, incorporating more sophisticated production techniques and a wider range of melodic and rhythmic complexity. Artists like Paul Elstak, Angerfist, and Neophyte are seminal figures in the genre. Its evolution marked a significant shift in hardcore electronic music, influencing subsequent hard dance styles globally.
More about Nu Style Gabber
Nu Style Gabber represents the natural evolution of classic gabber in the 2000s, retaining the intensity and energy of Dutch electronic hardcore while enriching it with a more complex and varied sonic palette. Where the original 1990s gabber favoured the brutality and simplicity of the distorted kick, Nu Style Gabber integrates melodic elements, influences from trance and hardstyle, and more sophisticated production.
Musically, Nu Style Gabber is characterised by technically complex distorted kicks, a powerful and relentless rhythmic structure (generally between 180 and 200 BPM), dark or melodic synthesizers, and an absolutely implacable dancefloor energy. Melodies, often built on fast arpeggios or catchy synth riffs, bring an emotional and euphoric dimension absent from the most primitive gabber. Massive drops and intense buildups are at the heart of this genre's dramaturgy.
The key figures of Nu Style Gabber are primarily Dutch. Paul Elstak, one of the historical pioneers of gabber, is a central reference. On FestT, ANGERFIST is the most represented artist with 8 appearances — a perfect illustration of the dark and melodic intensity of Nu Style. LIL TEXAS (7 appearances) brings a more American and festive vision to the genre. ART OF FIGHTERS (3 appearances) and Tommyknocker complete the panorama of artists active in FestT festivals.
On FestT, Nu Style Gabber appears in 14 hardcore festivals. Also explore related genres on FestT such as Gabber, Hardstyle, and Frenchcore.