Thousands of miles separate the concrete jungle from the sweltering west coast heat. Gathered under the high noon of the Las Vegas summer sun, delegates from all over the globe gathered to celebrate hard music as one. Representatives spanning many time zones, countries and genres delivered performances proving that the heart and soul of hardcore is alive in a powerful way. The diversity from style to style and coast to coast did not seem to interrupt the core message that hardcore has captured hearts around the globe. Disciples left their souls on the dance floor of American Gabberfest in the sizzling Las Vegas summer heat—under one love and one very blistering sun.
Despite the sizzling conditions the diverse assemblage delivered heart-stopping sets across the board. Day one included declarations from Australian representatives, DJ Phoenix, Epidemic, and Rohdan. American Gabber Legend Rob Gee also addressed the congress that afternoon on the outdoor main stage, followed by delegates from New York including the Pied Piper of Hard Core, How Hard. Outstanding performances from the Hard Data DJ Team of Deadly Buda, Lostboy and Mindcontroller, CAP, Arcid, Cik, KORE, Inspektor Gadget, Delusion, and so many others to rounded out scorching day one. It was also a proud experience to be invited to represent with some New York City Rawstyle!
Day two also proved to be an intense declaration of hard bass including addresses from Flapjack, Acid Enema, System Malfunction, En3rgy, Seppuku, Nekrokick, and Drencrom—among many other dedicated artists.
Aside from the awesome performances, it was an amazing gathering of old school and new school— meeting of the minds from so many different styles, and walks of life. New friends and old friends intermingling and sharing their passions and talents was a testament to the music, empowering us to think, connect, share, and learn. This year’s American Gabberfest not only left all the hardcore warriors with memories of an amazing weekend, but was an amazing manifestation of our music as a unified heart beating at a very fast tempo.