GABBER MODUS OPERANDI: The Cult of Parties
With the existence of various music subcultures, from hip hop to punk, techno is surely one amongst those that are on the rise in Asia.
In this section, we will introduce to you a duo that is taking over the industry by storm.
Hard sound. Loud style.
Gabber Modus Operandi or sometimes referred to as GABBAMO is a musical duo from Bali, Indonesia. The duo was formed in 2018 and consists of Ican Harem and DJ Kasimyn. Originating from the Shanghai-based record label Subkvlt, they released two LP titled "PUXXXIMAX" and "HOXXXYA”.
The musical style of hardcore-techno commonly known as “Gabber” came to exist in Rotterdam during the early ’90s.
“Gabber” is defined as slang for mate, friend, dude, originating from the Dutch 17th-century secret language that was used specifically by criminals and tramps. This shows the roots of anti-establishment sentiment and rebellious youth culture in this vivid style of hardcore music.
This sets the tone for our introduction to Gabber Modus Operandi.
GABBAMO have created their own world that is expanding just like how Gabber expanded from Rotterdam throughout the world all the way to Bali. Literally on the other side of the planet.
Fusing traditional sound of Balinese Gamelan and the 150-190 bpm of hardcore techno, this duo is revamping techno scene in Indonesia with their colourful style.
Their form of art reaches beyond music and manifests itself through the outfits they design themselves.
Mixing Indonesian street culture with retro-aesthetics and dutch Gabber, they form a truly unique style.
A new era of Asian Gabber music that we need to know about.
The Sabukaru Team sat down with GABBAMO (before and in the middle of the pandemic) and further explored their background and future.
What exactly is GABBAMO?
We are priests that brought you post-Alay Holistic Sound Healing.
Could you define your music genre?
We call our music "Decon Alay Futurusim Music”. We mix a lot of elements in music, from traditional to sci-fi. And all with Indonesian influence.
Do you perform a sort of special ritual before you play at an event?
(Ican) I do stretches, to make my body relax because I do a lot of jumps on stage. We sit down together and talk. Getting on each other’s level.
(Kasimyn) I usually eat a lot and drink a bit. I also prepare some spare USB equipment in case Ican has too much energy and kicks it off the stage by accident.
Did that ever happen?
(Kasimyn) Yes it happened when we played at Bung Bang Fai Festival in Yasothon, Thailand.
Is this your first time coming to Japan?
As GABBAMO, Yes!
Could you describe your thoughts about your very first event in Tokyo?
It's our first time in Tokyo and also our first event in 2020. It's really amazing and we feel like it will give us a new experience. The crowd, the surrounding. It's such a special moment for us. Being in the same stage with our idols like EYE (Boredoms) and Yousuke Yukimitsu, it's kinda crazy.
What's the difference between Tokyo and Bali crowds?
Bali crowds are kinda wild, and random. They have their own style. Tokyo crowds sure are cooler. In a fashion-sense they're unique and most of them are dressing up. The crowds here are probably not gapped by a specific or particular style and they really appreciate the performer as an artist. Absolutely different from when we're playing in Berghain … They have different energies but still crazy!
How was it to play at the famous Berghain club in Berlin?
It was last year and probably our biggest milestone up until then. It's like the opening path that led us to other festivals abroad in many other countries.
What were your top five events in the past?
We will tell you our top five gigs outside Bali.
Nyege-Nyege Festival in Kampala, Uganda
Dark Mofo in Hobart, Tasmania
CTM Festival in Berlin, Germany
Bung Bang Fai Festival in Yasothon, Thailand
Into the 2020 in Tokyo, Japan
What international experience sticks with you the most?
When we were in Uganda. The entire world there is so abstract. They still got old school technology but their talent is from the future. There is less access yet the maximum impact and in those conditions, they still manage to stand out. So for us, the fact that we had the chance to come and perform in Uganda really changed our perspective towards producing music.
How could you describe what “GABBAMO” really is? Would you call it a movement?
We wouldn’t call it a movement but we definitely want it to become one. We’d be happy if our music could invite other people who have the same spirit and taste as we do. It would make an amazing movement.
We want to make people comfortable with whoever they are and with enjoying whatever they feel like enjoying. For us, we just celebrate our identity. We celebrate being "Indo" and being proud of it. Accepting who you are is always better than pretending to be somebody else. We want to make our music accessible to everyone. You can enjoy every kind of music because music is a universal language.
Are there any specific things you like about Japan?
Of course the culture! Otaku culture and Yankee culture. We have been listening to Japanese music for nearly 20 years now. We really love the atmosphere in Tokyo. The neon lights in the streets, it's crazy here. It's different being here physically rather than just seeing it on television or photos.
Any specific person or place that inspires you here?
Maruosa! Actually, we played Maruosa music in our early days of Gabbamo, before we developed our own music. Funny thing is we often put Maruosa music on our set before and today we just sit down together with him in a restaurant!
Also, we were observing EYE (Boredoms) through the digital eye of the internet a long time ago before Youtube. We actually met with him in the same stage a couple of days ago. It's really lovely to meet our idols here.
What do you think about subcultures in Japan?
Since we both grew up with Japanese cultures such as anime, fashion, and music, we both have a strong connection to it all. When we were younger all these things were subcultures only existing on the outer realms of society. Now it became so popular that everybody knows and enjoys it.
You also design your own outfits for your performance. Please tell us more about that!
Ican's the one who makes them.
We were heavily inspired by Japan's contemporary fashion. People in Japan really put a lot of effort into details. It seems like it shows parallels to Japanese mentality in total.
What we learned from Japan is they make something, destroy it and make it into something else again. That’s fascinating. You can combine really cute and really brutal styles and aesthetics at once and people still accept and most importantly respect it here. They create a new layer of aesthetic. It's really hard to categorize Japan subculture in one specific word because you can't compare it to anything else.
Do you want to play in Japan again someday?
Of course! We want to spread our music to all of Japan. We will definitely play in Koenji and Osaka in the future!
As the pandemic is affecting all corners of the world, we need to ask you, How has GABBAMO been affected by this? Were there any shows that had to be cancelled?
Just like whenever you try to free jump into the water and end up landing imperfectly with your belly, we lost almost 24 gigs and it still continues..most of our plans were fucked.
With lots of plans cancelled, clubs still closed and rarely any club scene due to corona, how is GABBAMO dealing with this?
We do a couple of online shows and get invited by many radio mixes etc. but the internet shows weren’t really good. Indonesian internet is super slow. Actually, the last show we did on the internet was with a Japanese audience that was really interactive.
We saw that you designed a face mask for @kisminb0ys, how was the process like of creating that?
Really organic, those boys came to our studio and asked us to create face masks, and we came up with the " KEITH FLINT" psycho breath.
What do you think is happening or will happen to the music or art scene due to the pandemic?
Will change the way how we present our works digitally? Like almost all food ads we see on the internet, it looks good online but it’s crap whenever you eat it. We will be thinking the opposite, definitely.
What do you want to say to other fellow artists in facing this pandemic?
Wifi is not wife
Waifu is not wifi
Wifi password waifu
Wife is neu wifi
Wifi is neu wife
Thank you a lot for your time
Images by Vloek
Authors: Vloek, Johnny Terror, Ihsan Rafdianto
