g a b b r o

is a conglomerate of sounds, musicians and places led by Belgian saxophonist Hanne De Backer. The aim of each production of g a b b r o is to confront improvised music with unexpected locations and explore the impact of these locations and its inhabitants on the music itself.

So far, g a b b r o has been playing and recording in empty exhibiton-halls, old sewage systems, parking lots, laundrettes, the prison of Antwerp, on roofs and mountains and, for the last project, along the Belgian coastline. g a b b r o has released two well-received LP's on two Belgian labels: 'gabbro' (El Negocito Records, 2017) and 'granular' (Dropa Disc, 2019).

Hanne De Backer is an Antwerp based saxophone player and performer. She is an energetic and versatile improvisor who has been collaborating with musicians like Signe Emmeluth, Terrie Ex, Farida Amadou, Paul Lovens, Paal Nilssen-Love, Audrey Lauro, Raf Vertessen, Andreas Bral, Raphael Malfliet, Henrik Munkeby Nostebø, Steve Swell, Jakob Bro, Agnes Hvizdalek, Isabelle Duthoit, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten and others.

She is part of the Brussels saxophone-collective La Nuée, Antwerp underground Condor Gruppe and the international powerquartet Mudskipper in which she plays with Signe Emmeluth, Terrie Ex and Paal Nilssen-Love. She has been playing throughout Europe with her own projects and has been a welcome guest on different festivals like Summer Bummer Festival (Belgium), The Ex-40-Festival (the Netherlands & UK), Blow Out! Festival (Oslo), Music Unlimited Wels (Austria), Catalytic Festival (The Netherlands), Potentiale Festival (Germany),...

She has also been active in theatre with KVS, Zonzo Compagnie and d e t h e a t e r m a k e r and more recent composed and performed the soundtrack of '21.02.2021 One day in the world, the world in one day', a theaterperformance from Nico Boon and produced by Arsenaal Mechelen. She is a founding member of Bookers & Hookers (2012-2016), a theatrical kamikaze-collective that brought literature and music to the public in the shape of anarchistic and dadaist evenings filled with unexpected guests and events.