Gabber (IPA pronunciation: ), gabba, or hardcore, is a style of electronic music and a subgenre of hardcore techno. The style was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in the late 1980s which makes it the cradle of the gabber culture. The essence of the gabber sound is a distorted kick sound, overdriven to the point where it becomes a square wave and makes a recognizably melodic tone. Often the Roland Alpha Juno was used to create this sound. Gabber tracks typically include samples and synthesised melodies with the typical tempo ranging from 160 to 220 bpm. Violence, drugs and profanity are common themes in gabber, perceptible through its samples and lyrics, often screamed, pitch shifted or distorted.