Boston’s Hardcore Scene: A Conversation With 2004

Photography by Just (@justttttttttttttttttttt on IG)

by izzie claudio

On a windy night, I sat down with 2004, a DJ and the creator of Boston Gabbers, a group that organizes raves in the Boston area. For the past few years, she has helped to build up the hardcore scene in Boston, and since then, Boston Gabbers has lifted up a hardcore community in need of more places to gather and connect. With every word it was clear: 2004 loves this community. We dove deep into the past, present, and future; the foundations the Boston Gabbers is built upon; and the direction she hopes to see things go.

Tell me about yourself!

“Well, my name's 2004. I'm from Los Angeles, and I'm going to school in Boston. I've had a connection to Boston for a lot of my life. I think the first time I was in Boston, I was probably eight. So, [I’ve] been here a lot, and because of a lot of different circumstances in my life, I decided to go to school here.”

“I really like a lot of the parties and stuff here. It's fun, and I know a lot of people that throw a lot of cool things here, but there's a specific sort of brand of rave, specifically renegades, and also specifically the kind of genre I play. There's other DJs that have played Gabber before me in Boston, and I don't want to sound as if I'm trying to establish superiority in a way that undermines other people's creative work and their DJing, but I felt as if there was a hole for a certain brand of rave with a certain kind of DJ. So, I wanted to start Boston Gabbers as a renegade, like, countercultural DJ collective, or rave crew, if you will, that throws renegade raves in Boston.”

“The first event we did was actually almost a year ago, and it's pretty wild seeing how far we've gone. I hope for many more years.”

So you started Boston Gabbers because you wanted to broaden the scene here?

“Yeah, I wanted to broaden and expand. There's certainly people who do and have done renegades in Boston, so I don't want to sound as if I'm the first person to do it. Absolutely not. But, I think that there's not enough of them, and I think that especially with the kind of music I listen to; I really like hardcore as an electronic genre, not the guitar music genre.”

“I think that there's just not enough of it in the city, so I wanted to be me and present my group as what I want to hear, and then hopefully inspire others to do similar things with what they want to hear. I think it's been wildly successful, and I'm honestly surprised that I've gotten this far.”

What got you into the hardcore scene in the first place? 

“Well, I started when I was in high school. I made an album called WWWater, under my name, 2004, and I had a friend of mine, his name is Slater, and they introduced me to the rave scene in Los Angeles. They also introduced me to some very valuable friends, which really helped me grow and learn how to throw parties. My friend Benny, my friend Ava, a couple other people, that are really cool, and pretty much from me releasing that album; Slater befriended me because [they] thought the album was really cool.”

“They then introduced me to this really large world of raves. And from there, it opened the door to this international network of friends. I met so many people, and still to this day, when I return to LA, all my friends are through raves. Not to beat myself up, I didn't really have many friends in high school, but all of my friends at the time were just all through raves and stuff…I live this sort of double life where I just have boring school, but then outside, most of my network is social connections, and most of my social network and my social web is through raves and music, and I think it really started in my last year of high school.”

“I remember the first rave I ever threw, I was still in high school, I don't know if I was even 18 yet. My friends were throwing something, and they had this really cool spot, but it was in a really bougie neighborhood, and the walk was so dangerous. I was just thinking: if you were drunk or high, you would fall, and I was like, ‘I don't want to do that.’ So, I remembered this park that I used to play in when I was a kid, and I basically found the spot last minute. Not that someone else couldn't have, but I just happened to be the one to come up with the spot last minute, right before it all was over.”

“That first rave, it was called Portal, and seeing Ava and Benny, because it was very DIY…they're really cool people, this is not an insult to them because I know they have the power to do this, but I think they did it pretty low production value, just because it was a smaller crowd at the time, and it was less demand for more fancy equipment and fancy spots. It was just interesting seeing how simple it was. Really all that was there was just a generator, two speakers, I don't know if there were even subwoofers. Seeing that really opened my eyes to what I can do and the power that I think we all hold to throw events like this.”

“That really helped me, and then I left for school. There's still a lot of people that DJ hardcore in Boston, but this specific feeling, like this really open, really accessible, like really friendly to young people who wanna go to raves and wanna experience music, but aren't gonna go to a club and aren't allowed to be at clubs because they're not old enough, or don't feel welcome or don't feel accepted in clubs. A space for people that aren't fit for mainstream entertainment, I feel like that was really missing.”

“There's nothing wrong with booking venues, and that's also not me saying you're less legit if you book a venue, because I do it too, but I think that there was a specific feel of DIY-ness and accessibility. I think that because Boston's so bought out in so many ways with so much of the corporate entities acquiring so many things as of late, it's like, I think that having a space that's just the antithesis of that, that's something that was really needed, and I don't mean this in a sort of culture vulture, pirate, gentrifier way, where I'm coming into a place and being like, ‘I'll show you guys who's boss’ because I think that'd be very inappropriate.”

“I don't wanna change Boston, or I don't wanna come into Boston and make Boston a new thing, because Boston's gonna be Boston. That's not my decision. But I wanna present what I like, and hope to inspire some people that had the same idea as me and thought it was impossible, or to show some people that didn't know this is what they wanted, because I was in this position a couple years ago when I went to my first rave. I think that seeing it with your own two eyes is a really special experience.”

So there’s PLUR (Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect), but what are your own pillars you want to establish for Boston Gabbers?

“I think that I wanna establish friendship and community safety. I think community safety is the most important part because I think that people can be so rude at these kinds of events…I think that people need to look out for each other a little bit more.”

“I don't think this is just a Boston Gabbers problem. I think it's just when it comes to events, people tend to be sort of individualistic. Sometimes they're rude, and sometimes they're inconsiderate, and as much as it's also not good at a venue, at a venue there's fancy security, and it's a room, and it's a building. We're out in the park, and I have a security team, I have like 20 people doing security, we have people patrolling, there's me, we have bracelets, we have a med tent, we're gonna have a harm reduction expert. That's not saying that there's people not looking out, but what I mean is really all that we have is each other, and I know that's just a fact of life, truthfully.” 

“Outside of the constructs such as policing or government, what we really do only have is each other to protect each other, but with that in mind, I think that people need to care more, to be considering how they're treating other people. The thing that keeps the rave safe, the most important part, is the community coming together to all keep a fabric, a safety net of other people.” 

“I can have all the security in the world, and if everyone was just out for each other's blood, or just wasn't considerate, and was lingering outside, and not caring if someone looked like they were in distress, and wasn't checking in on people, it wouldn't matter…What really matters is us realizing that this is all a collaborative project. We are all embodied in a work of collaborative art right now. Part of that collaboration is that we all must know that our activity and our behavior are what is fostering the space. There is no security fairy. There is nothing that is gonna pick you up if you fall down if nobody is looking after you.”

“That's exactly why we need people to realize that this is DIY. This is out there, and you are going to decide how the space is designed. So, I think that, and then friendship, too. All of my friends in Boston are from music, and you should also think of this as a place of friendship. We're all individual partiers, but we're all friends. We all have a common goal, and we're all trying to enjoy the space together. I think that it should be looked at as a social space. To maybe connect with people with a common goal.”

“We all have the baseline of understanding that we enjoy DIY music, or at least we're curious about DIY music, and we're curious about alternative things. That's a wonderful breeding ground for friendships with people that share common ideas with you. That's another thing I really want to embody with Boston Gabbers.” 

Let’s talk about the music! 

“So, Gabber specifically is, okay, this is going to sound weird, but this is all going to connect.”

“Crust Punk is a subculture of punk and there's a style related to it. They have their crust pants, they have their jacket, they're anti-capitalist. That is Crust Punk. Crust Punks make music. There are certain kinds of music called Crust Music, but usually Crust Punks make something like, for example, D-Beat. D-Beat is a subgenre of punk. What's important is there is the subcultural identity of the Crust Punk, but they don't necessarily make a specific genre called Crust Punk. They usually make D-Beat or other stuff like that.” 

“So similarly, Gabber is actually a phrase to identify a member of a subculture rather than a kind of music, although they all surface around hardcore music. I actually like the label of Gabber as the music genre, but I'll get into that in a second. So, Gabber started in the early 1990s, in the Netherlands. It's a genre of hardcore rave music. A little bit connected, but a little bit different than techno, in the sense that it sort of came out in its own way through raves. It's known for its more stylistic elements. It's very minimal production because a lot of the early Gabber songs were made on Amiga computers, which are really simple and the cheapest computer you can make music on.”

“They employ a very distorted, loud kick drum using the 909 drum machine. Really simple drum patterns, usually just a kick and an open hat, maybe the 909 snare sometimes. Really simple melodies, if there is one at all. Usually the simple melody will be something called a rave stab. Most of these people didn't even have access to synthesizers or pianos or any real musical equipment besides a computer, [so] they would just sample things. They would just pirate different things off the internet. They would get a song and they would just find a little clip of the music and they would take that.”

“So let's say I have a song and it's just an orchestra stab, just like a one note. I cut that note and I play it chromatically. I arrange it on the computer so that one note is getting played in different keys, and because the technology is very rudimentary at the time, there's a very distinct sound to it. When the pitch changes, it sounds as if it's being warbled and garbled and stretched and messed with. It's a really distinct style of production. Along with that, usually the themes are either intense and dark or sort of goofy and silly. It's a real spectrum.” 

“So the phrase Gabber actually comes from the members of the subculture. The original phraseology comes from an interview about the Gabbers, and someone described them as just a bunch of Gabbers having fun. But, the word Gabber actually comes from a thieves’ cant. A thieves’ cant is a kind of language that criminals have. For example, you know Cockney, and how they have all those really unique slang words. It came from the fact that there [was] no internet so you couldn't, if you're a cop, you couldn't just be like, 'How are you, fellow criminals? How do you speak this?’ You had to grow up there and understand how to learn it. So the word ‘Habber’ comes from a Hebrew word for friend. So the person was saying, ‘just a bunch of Gabbers having fun’ in his sort of really niche subcultural criminal-like subgroup that meant ‘a bunch of friends having fun.’”

“Some producers had a complicated relationship with that as the label. But eventually most people in the scene accepted it as their label and there's a very famous song by Three Steps Ahead called ‘I'm A Gabber.’ There's a couple other songs where they refer to themselves as Gabber and it became a common term. Although, technically, Gabber is the subculture member and early hardcore is the music, I think that because the word ‘hardcore’ is used in so many different genres, the phrase Gabber as a description is useful.”

What do you like to see at a rave? Paint your perfect picture.

“I think a bunch of people respecting each other's personal space. I have complicated feelings about moshing at raves, although I think sometimes there's a time for it. I think that a lot about raving is about consent. I know that moshing at punk shows there's a lot to consent, that most people know that you're gonna mosh at a punk show.”

But, raves are more complicated. I think that it's important to respect someone's personal space and personal consent, and that going to a rave isn't consenting to go to mosh. I think that going to a punk show usually is consenting to being moshed because it's such an icon of punk music. With raves it's different. So, I think my ideal crowd isn't necessarily not moshing, because if it makes sense, maybe. I think that it's a group of people who are respecting each other's boundaries, respecting each other's space, and are enjoying the music in the ways that they want. That comes in a lot of different shapes and forms.”

“I think it should really be a space where people get to express themselves and appreciate the music and engage with the crowd and with the DJ how they want. What I don't want is a really crowded, mosh-filled clout fest where everyone's behind the DJ booth waving their hands. I think it's fine to focus on the DJ because DJs are really talented performers. I have fangirled over some DJs.”

“I remember how I learned how to DJ. At first, I would go to raves and a lot of the really DIY raves would have these things called XDJs. Most of the Pioneer DJ technology for professionals has multiple screens, the XDJ is one single screen. So, I would peek over at the one single screen and I would look at the grid of tracks and I would just see how they did it. It taught me a lot of the tools were actually quite simple and were things I might have been able to figure out on my own, but seeing a DJ do it taught me so much.” 

“I think it's important to not get lost in the clout and the dick-measuring contest and all of that and just appreciate the space that is being held right now. Especially with something like a renegade because it's so tentative and it’s so supported by the people all agreeing to come together in peace and unity for this thing to happen.”

“One thing that warmed my heart at the last party was there were these kids, they’re all from Connecticut, they’re really cool. They’re all wearing a bunch of hardcore merch. You don’t need to wear hardcore merch to be cool at a rave. You can wear whatever the hell you want. Just express yourself. This one kid was wearing a Nasenbluten shirt. Nasenbluten’s a great Gabber artist. He makes a really distinct, really intense, really strange sort of kind of Gabber. Another guy was wearing a Thunderdome shirt. Thunderdome was some of the first Gabber hardcore parties. And there were some other people in the crew and they were all super cool and they were really good at the hakken. The hakken is the dance that Gabbers do.”

“It's rhythmically kicking your feet to the tune of the beat. It literally means ‘heels’ in Dutch. It's a really sort of aggressive, embodied dance that requires a lot of physicality. I think it's really cool and people who are all on the same page and are really good at it, in synchronicity, it's just incredible to watch.”

What do you want the future to look like for Boston Gabbers?

“I find myself in this situation where I think that the space, the DIY space, in Boston is really unwelcome for what we're doing, which I think that almost is a compliment. Have you watched the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization?”

No, I haven’t.

“I recommend it. It's a collection of interviews with some really important bands in the punk scene in LA in the 1970s. And all of them are banned from clubs, like comically banned from the clubs. Every single club in LA knew their name and had them banned. I don't want to be banned in a club, I think that's too much conflict for me. But, I think there is something to say about that electricity of being straight up prohibited from a space in one way or another, that shows that maybe you do have something interesting going on.”

“Maybe something about the fact that global capital cannot link itself to my work. It's uninvestable in certain ways, [which] is something that I appreciate. I'm going to have to interface with money the bigger I get, but I do appreciate that the finance bros aren't rubbing their hands together thinking of ways they can invest. So, I find that a promising sign.”

“I really want to start a DIY venue. Renegades are great, but I think that it's taxing, it's difficult, it's legally risky. Yes, DIY venues are legally risky, but if you do it right, you can really get away with it, and I think a good DIY venue really brings the city together.”

“My hope is to have a warehouse or a large space, not a basement, but a warehouse or a garage or something huge to host my events and to welcome other people to host their events, keep things relatively accessible. Obviously, there's going to be tickets, but I don't want anything to go over like $15, and just have it to be a space that I can embody what I want and other people can embody what they want, and keep it open for people doing stuff like this in Boston.” 

Can we hear your music anywhere? 

“Yes, you can hear me on Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, everything. I go by 2004. You'll know me because there'll be me and my fuck-ass bangs on the cover of my Spotify account.”

Any last message for people who have never been to a rave or want to get into the scene? 

“You should go. I promise you it's less intimidating. I remember the first rave I ever almost went to. I bought the ticket. I mulled over it. I was so scared. I didn't go. I regret it because I love raves and it would have been a fun rave to go to. There's plenty more, but don't feel FOMO, but also don't feel left out.”

For more information about upcoming renegades and events organized by Boston Gabbers, you can follow @bostongabbers on Instagram!

All featured photography by Just, you can find them on Instagram @justttttttttttttttttttt!