There is simply not enough footage of the wonderful Aaron Snyder on the internet. The Berrics recognised this and in honour of his 34th birthday, put together a Bangin’ edit with some typically mind bending moves.
Up the Snyderman! Get your fix here…
To celebrate Ravenous rider Joe Marks’ 21st birthday, Get Lesta have made this rad edit featuring footage gathering during just one day.
Nollie heel backtails like whaaaaaaat. Watch below for street radness and a few bangers in The House.
Download, the definitive festival for rock and heavy alternative music is back for 2011 and the lineup thus far looks huge.
So far twenty bands have been announced including The Gaslight Anthem, Pendulum, Thin Lizzy, Bullet For My Valentine, The Cult, Gwar who are all set to join headliners System Of A Down and Linkin Park.
Download Festival will take place on 10-12 June 2011.
Let it be known that here at Crossfire we think that the Unabomber ‘Wings’ logo is one of the all-time best logos created by a skate brand. Sure, it gets credit in that it’s instantly recognisable and brings back fond memories of rummaging through wardrobes and drawers in search of your favourite hoody (find me a British skateboarding who never owned at least one Unabomber hoody and I’ll tell them the exact point where their life went wrong), but when do you hear it mentioned alongside the likes of Jim Phillip’s ‘Screaming Hand’ or the Thrasher logo? It arguably has an equal cultural significance, at least on this side of the pond and we reckon that it should be the result of more drunken tattoos. Regardless, when this package arrived with these 54mm wheels bearing the gentlemanly wings we were super stoked to have a long overdue re-watch of ‘Up The Rebels!‘ and go shredding on the brand’s new urethane.
I frequently choose Unabomber Wheels due to their affordability and reliability and with their new urethane formula (wryly named ‘neurethane’) they remain very high up in my list of favourite wheels. The Daft Punk-esque tagline ‘Harder. Faster. Longer.’ is as legit as the tune itself and after a mighty powerslide session or seven these still feel fresh out the pack, withstanding the notorious violence of waxed-up floors of multi-storey carparks and wearing only a tiny bit of subsequent bruising.
Unabomber also have some new bolts out in regular raw silver and black and blue and white. It goes without saying, they do the job and they do it well. Check ’em out, throw some stickers on your board and go fly.
Stanley
Stevie Williams will now do that whole ‘being amazing at skateboarding’ thing in SUPRA shoes. Big.
Scroll on down for some classic Stevie in The DC Video. Love Park represent.
Birthmark
London Lexington
12.01.11
Much like Dischord is for punk, or Pixar for animated films, the Kinsella family can be seen as a badge of quality for emo-tinged indie rock. While brothers Tim and Mike are largely responsible for this reputation, having formed and played in Cap’n Jazz, American Football, Owen and Joan of Arc to name but a few, cousin Nate has also played his part. Having contributed to the likes of Joan of Arc and Make Believe, his solo career under the name Birthmark began in 2007 with debut album ‘The Layer’. Four years on and Nate is on stage in London, about to play in support of album number two.
Beginning somewhat nervously, the band’s offbeat songs gradually warm up the modest, yet intimate crowd. Beginning on drums, Kinsella slowly works his way around the stage, swapping instruments with his band members and banter with the crowd. This get’s particularly interesting as he explains he recently had a spell in prison, after stripping during a show in America’s Deep South. Just being in the presence of the amiable Kinsella makes this seem a shocking revelation; as he humorously goes on to protest his ‘good guy’ status.
Getting back to the music, we are treated to many of the highlights from ‘The Layer’, as well as a sprinkling of new songs. While Birthmark’s playful instrumentation and unusual time signatures are certainly reminiscent of Joan of Arc, Nate’s voice and delivery marks a clear separation between the two. The song’s of Birthmark are more drawn out and considered, perhaps lacking the punch of his cousins’ best work, but making for an engaging and enjoyable performance nonetheless
Sleekly Lion
A friend of Science Skateboards has built an amazing looking mini-ramp in their home so I guess it was only a matter of time until an edit of one of the Science heads tearing it up.
Sam Taylor was in the area and racked up a full minute of goofy radness. Science is knowledge, have a watch below.
Whistla
Pillowtalk 12″ (with 7 Remixes)
L2S Recordings
A veteran of UK Garage, accomplished producer and DJ, Whistla is the main man behind the much acclaimed L2S Recordings and proactively runs SubFM also. On the station he plays sets that many of the writers at Crossfire frequently lock into while also producing bangers like last year’s ‘Etymology Of Maureen EP’ and 2009’s Klaxon-recommended ‘420 Lockdown’. 2010 proved to be almost unnervingly exciting for dance music and few have enjoyed the well-deserved success as much as L2S, who, under Whistla’s direction, have turned their backs against the jump-up mutations evident in mainstream dubstep and have pioneered the rise of UK Garage, 2-Step and more. Future Garage, Future Bass, whatever you want to call it… this movement is undeniably forward thinking and most definitely the future UK sound.
With his latest 12” Pillowtalk, Whistla boldly jumps into 2011 with a snaretastic riddim that utilises a catchy vocal sample reminiscent of the funky yet uncouth choices from Welsh garage peers C.R.S.T. (emotional pitch-warped RnB samples are great and all, but we want us some wubwooooo every now and again) and a pulsating, fluid bassline that sounds like something Zinc would have put together back at the turn of the century. Pounding.
What makes this 12” such a pisstake though is its mighty seven remixes from seven very, very big producers. Whistla on the leading track and the likes of Duncan Powell, Crossfire favourite Submerse, Para of DEA Project and the elusive and stunning VVV on the flip? Jog on Kanye, this is what we call a communal masterpiece. Hold tight L2S, each and every.
Stanley
Pillowtalk [Preview] by Whistla
Normally we don’t do this sort of thing but 2010 deserves to remain in the forefront of our minds as we enter 2011. So much has changed, what with web edits being crowned king and DVDs, though still significant, are unquestionably on the way out. 2010 saw some embrace the new medium of presenting skateboarding while others countered against it and the combined results was extraordinary. We don’t remember the last time we have been so constantly hyped on skateboarding during a 12 month period.
So, have a look below to see who we have decided deserves extra props for the graft they’ve put in to make skateboarding an even radder thing to be a part of. ‘Ave it.
Mark Baines (Blueprint / DVS / WESC)
Photo: Oliver Whitehead
One of the hardest working men in all of skateboarding, Mark Baines rarely stepped off his board this year. His parts in both the Rockers video and Blueprint’s ‘Make Friends With The Colour Blue‘ were overwhelming and filled with progression for both himself and British skateboarding in general. Everything he puts out is fuelled by skateboarding and it all goes straight back into skateboarding. A true inspiration.
Barney Page (Motive / Etnies / Spitfire / RVCA)
Photo: Percy Dean
In recent years the ams of the UK have been making a far greater impact on the global skate scene than ever before. None more so than the Exeter jokeshop known as Barney Page. Ask anyone who has skated with him and they’ll all say the same thing. Normally it’s something like, “ooooooof.” but Barney’s natural ability is often hard to comprehend, let alone articulate. The hardest thing to fathom is this… he just keeps getting better. After stealing the spotlight from US pros in recent RVCA tour edits, Barney, whether he is aware of it or not, is on his way to do some bloody great things for UK skateboarding.
1. Pontus Alv – In Search Of The Miraculous
After worrying about hyperbole for weeks after watching Pontus Alv‘s latest video, I still stand by my instant reaction: ‘In Search Of The Miraculous‘ could well be the most important skate video in these uncertain times. (Review)
2. Blueprint Skateboards – Make Friends With The Colour Blue
Any sort of video production would have been welcome from the Blueprint camp after fears for the future of the company penetrated the global skate conscious. But what Magee, Shier, Baines and the rest of the team delivered turned out to be perhaps one of the last great board company DVDs before the internet is officially crowned king. We shouldn’t have expected anything less. (Review)
3. Emerica – Stay Gold
There is simply no other team in the world more talented and capable of taking stair/gap/handrail skateboarding to another level. No amount of hype prepared us for what was in store in Stay Gold. Heath Kirchart at the megaramp, Brandon Westgate confirming himself as one of the best skaters of our generation, Aaron Suski still killing it, Leo Romero earning skater of the year and – whether you needed it or not – concrete proof that Andrew Reynolds is The Boss. (Review)
4. Krooked – KROOK3D
We were always expecting another fun-filled video from the Krooked crew, but to take on an entire cinematic trend with typical nudge nudge wink wink aplomb and recall the early 90s session vibe while still making an amazing video of contemporary standard… unbelievable. (Review)
5. Patrik Wallner – 10,000 Kilometers
The ‘skate documentary’ has suffered the most in the fall of DVD and rise of the throwaway web edit. Try telling that to Patrik Wallner, who continues to traverse the globe in search of stories, great skateboarders and manages to capture it in a way that all filmmakers should revere. (Review)
1. Cardiff Skateboard Club – Join Us
Christian Hart has been making crude videos that any pirate would be proud of for years now. But with ‘Join Us‘ he went all out. The first ‘proper’ CSC video is a triumph on so many levels, but mostly for how it fully portrays how skateboarding should always be: fun, creative, and ever so slightly stupid. (Review)
2. Monster Network – In Between Days
The latest video to come from the creative network of monsters down in the South East was perhaps Russel Cowling’s most refined video piece of work. Visually fluid, In Between Days was rammed with nothing but the optimism inherant in the wonderful Essex skate scene. It also had cracking new footage from the perpetually underrated Dave Watson, legends Simon Skipp and Channon King and the first proper section from someone who’s going to be astronomically huge in 2011, Nick Remon. (Review)
3. Gnargore – Wizard Council
With the technology available in 2010 it wasn’t too difficult to make a professional-looking video, which is great, but it became harder to instill the fun, the comradery, the general idea of being in a tight scene and having a good time; this for the most part, was lost. Gnargore traded in expensive cameras for a fucking great time, and that’s exactly what you get when watching it. (Review)
1. Etnies – Crapshoot
The world is moving too fast and no one knows what direction it’s heading it. Etnies know exactly where they want to be, and so do I. In a warehouse, with friends, painting walls and skating shit obstacles. Utter perfection. A perfect concept, perfectly executed.
2. Gravis Footwear – Dylan
I realise I often criticize the way in which skate videos are moving, but if there is one positive to focus on then Dylan’s part is the perfect example of it. Skateboarders who can hold their own don’t need to be in the context of anything other than their own skating. Aptly titled ‘Dylan’, this free DVD part from Gravis took what AWS did with ‘Kalis In Mono’ and blew everyone’s mind with the result. Dylan Rieder is just incredible and no one saw this coming.
3. Hold Tight Henry – Nick Jensen Lakai Ad.
Hold Tight Henry has had a tremendous year, as has Nick Jensen. Combined we see what is possible for the web video, which is great and all, but what Henry and Nick achieved with this Lakai ad was a presentation of everything that makes London skateboarding so special. Nick and Henry ARE London.
4. Crayon Skateboards – Barber Advert
The ones to watch, Crayon have had a year filled with positives and this visually stunning edit from Nick Richards is the icing on the cake. A relatively unknown skateboarder on the verge of blowing up cut to a track from a producer in the same situation. This ad proved that Crayon mean serious business, it also proved that Barber is proper amazing at skateboarding and stuff. That frontside smith!
5. Justin Brock vs D*Face
Another Henry Edwards-Wood entry yes but can you name anyone that worked harder last year? For this edit, Henry was presented with the creative talents of Real’s Justin Brock and D*Face in a film that depicted the synapse where art and skateboarding meet and what wonders emerge when they do. In the short time allocated to filming Justin Brock landed one of the sickest tricks performed at Bloblands and knocked out a rarely seen f/s bigspin down the one-push stair set by the Gherkin while D*Face made the coolest looking vert wall ever. Serious stuff.
Some absolute corkers dropped in UK shops this year as more board companies searched high and low for artists to contribute their own styles to the company with each one staying true to the messages and ideologies behind each brand. Crayon appropriately hired Pete Fowler, the artist behind the Super Furry Animal’s artwork for this wonderful deck that uses bright optimistic colours and typically trippy graphics to make something unquestionably Welsh. For Science, Matthew Green drew a cat vomiting a waterfall of bright blue water and if that isn’t rad then we don’t know what is. The last pick for the best graphic of the year goes to Blueprint’s fantastic Quiet Corners series, featuring choice cuts from Paul Gonella’s superb photography and resulting in something as British as you can get.
éS – Bobby Worrest First Blood (Black/Gum)
In early 2009 we were given a sneak preview of Bobby’s first éS pro shoe during our trip to the Sole Tech Labs. We, alongside many other media heads from around the world, knew right there and then that this shoe was going to be a classic. Simple design, comfortable and does exactly what all skate shoes should do… make skateboarding feel good man. So good in fact that this year we didn’t just review it once, but twice.
Word around town is that he’s fucked a thousand bitches. Damn. Swag.
Turns out Dibble is a Polish rap sensation. Who knew?
ABP. N26ers have winced at Rab Milne’s mosher drop in of doom enough already but here it is for anyone who missed it. Only in Scotland could someone survive this. ‘ave it Silvergult and big up Focus. (Photo: Graham Tait)
Ben Raemers (Enjoi / éS Footwear / Volcom)
Even as a grom, Ben Raemers made a significant mark over in the states and this year just took the biscuit. After a series of edits filmed across the pond (TMA’s Birthday Edit, Thrasher’s Hall Of Meat, Slap’s 15 Mins, Welcome To America) and generally making a lasting impression (Tilt Mode themselves have said that he’s cooler than all Americans) he’s now amongst a golden few to get a cover on Thrasher. Truly incredible work. How many people do you know have had their name in print between Tony Hawk and Chris Haslam? Not too bad for a kid from Essex. And seeing the Three Swords on Thrasher too? Too much. Up the Raemers!
Dan Beall (Nise Skateboards / Slugger Skate Shop)
Photo: Alex Burrel
Bigged up from everyone from local Sheffield crews, online message board communities and UK legends like Mark Baines, Dan Beall has made a huge footprint on the UK scene by racking up loads of gritty and properly British footage. Look out for more radness from him in 2011 but also look out for…
Nick Remon (Superdead / Vans / Switch Skate Store)
Image: Joe Moynihan
Did anyone outside of Chelmsford know who Nick Remon was before 2010? Out of fucking no where, with help from Essex mentors at Monster Network and Switch his natural talents were unleased and the nation weeped with tears of awesome. In just a few months he got on Superdead and Vans. 2011 is his time.
Brighton’s one-stop-shop for all things punk, DIY and generally rad, The Punker Bunker, has expanded its range even further and now stocks skateboards.
Amongst the usual supply of zines, punk vinyls, clothes, gig tickets and badges you will now find boards from Death, Consolidated and Heroin.
Southern heads can find The Punker Bunker in Sydney Street, near Brighton Train Station.