Category: DVD Reviews

1996-97

Ah! The good ol’ days… Eastern Exposure, Mixtape, Trilogy: Three staples of what skateboarding stood for between 1996 and 1997. All three out of print and rare collectibles today. RB Umali, the mastermind behind virtually any East Coast footage you’ve seen, has compiled various lost tapes and gems onto this DVD: NY Revisited Volume 1.

In a purest form the tape has no music and rightly so. Anyone who can’t sense the stark reality of a skater as he skates through a city scape and grinds harsh surfaces is soulless. Plus, if the background sounds of a bustling town annoys your sensitive ears, you can play music on your stereo- any music- and enjoy.

This DVD might not be the easiest bird to catch (Thanks Steve!), but it is well worth the search if only for the bits of footage from the likes of the Jones Keefe, Maurice Key or Clyde Singleton.

RB has just recently announced the imminent release of Volume 2- 1997-98. More info at: rbumali@hotmail.com

Ralph Lloyd-Davis
11/9/2005

www.elementskateboards.com

When the American Element team dropped their video, I was less than blown away- with the utter exception of Brent Atchley- so when I heard Element Europe were next to drop a video, my emotions were mixed to say the least… Would they over do it on the ecological front? Would it resemble an above average Puzzle video? Would the best skater have an unpronounceable name..?

Luckily I was pleasantly surprised by ‘Rise Up’. It is shorter, sweeter and way more tech than the American’s take at a video. Phew! Even if I thought the intro with it’s pretty 35mm film footage ran a bit long, the video quickly picked up pace as Europe and the States got pillaged taken to the cleaners by Element’s Euro squad.

Here is a quick run down:

Michael Mackrodt opens up the show with some really good and fast skating. Michael holds it steady on the grinds and skates a whole array of spots. Good stuff. Jo Lorenz looks like a bit of a joker, but that doesn’t stop him from putting down some nice switch tricks. Take note because a lot of these Euro street technicians will have you hitting rewind for stance confirmation. Jean Marc Soulet is a bit of a Biebel which people will either love or hate. However, Jean Marc is not scared to huck himself at some big gaps, and get the job done to a good gangsta beat.

Halfway through ‘Rise Up’ we are introduced to various flow members of the Element Europe team. Keep an eye open for the fearless little Evelien Bouillart who leaps at the gaps and rails faster than the boys. She has actually been knotched up to official team status whilst you read this, felicitations Evelien! Team Manger Christian Vankelst has a couple of nice tricks and Chris Gibbs represents the UK with some well balanced manual madness. Note for filmers and skaters: DON’T keep that little snippet of footage of the skater screaming and beating his chest as if he just slayed the dragon when he lands his trick. It makes the guy look like a prat. Sorry… French heads Gauthier Rogier and Julien Benoliel take care of the tech and transition, whilst finnish Pirkka Pollari runs the style ticket with his little hat and huge backside flips. I don’t really know what else to say about Pirkka because his part is very style conscious and sometimes that’s a lot better than a huge bag of tricks.

Back to the main rundown though, and Bas Janssen is let out of the closet to sow together a few sweet lines. I reckon video doesn’t do this guy’s steez and smooth operations justice. Sebastien Hepp (who a few might recognize from previous issues of Puzzle) is proper gangsta like Jean Marc and lays a serious beatdown of spots all over the world- notably the States. Even if you get a slightly boastful apprehension from this kid’ part, the skills are definitely there! Finally, the Euro manual monarch that is pretty much on par with Daewon Song- Janne Saario. Janne has that amazing balancing talent that allows him to twist, turn and add tricks to his two wheeled demo. This last part is the definite highlight to a fully European video that runs short at approximately 35 minutes. If you love the Euro scene and al the spots and characters it has to offer, then ‘Rise Up’ is for your DVD collection. Oh, and in case Ty Evans or any other wannabe pro filmer is reading this: You see that guy who grinds that Pat Duffy-esque rail at the very end? That’s Yves Marchon the guy who filmed ‘Rise Up’, so yeah chomp on that!

Oh! And news has just come through that London Ripper Lucien Clarke is now a fully fledged member of the Element Europe Green team (see news). Things just got a whole lot better!

Ralph Lloyd-Davis

by Matt Hirst

When people think about the UK skate scene, 9 out of 10 times they will think, “Blueprint… Rain… Harsh spots…” They aren’t entirely wrong, but the world doesn’t revolve around Dan Magee’s mixing table and Ches’ after-party portfolio. There are skaters out there, in the rain, skating harsh spots, but getting no coverage. Well, Matt Hirst as put a stop all that with ‘Etcetera’- a mish-mash combo of raw footage that highlights the talent of Jerome Campbell, Mike Wright, Moggins (of N26 Forum fame) and Jonny McNair. You’ve probably never heard of any of these guys, but everyone is allowed their 15 minutes of fame, and don’t be surprised if these kids hog the limelight a little longer…

Another day, another DVD… Well not exactly because the latest Baker video, Baker 3 is not your regular video. Anyone who is familiar with the reckless skater-run company knows that these guys don’t care what people think of their image or how they advertise their goods. Wait! Wait! Hold your horses… Baker did stem the whole ‘Piss Drunx‘ fashion phenomenon, and some might say that image is all that counts over at Baker, but that was then and this is now.

Straight away when watching Baker 3 you’ll notice how much cleaner the editing has become.

No more dreary dub music, endless slow motion multi-angle shots or gratuitous bad behaviour. There isn’t even any poached footage of the Muska or Chad Fernandez??? “Is this really a Baker video?” , you ask. Yes. There is some wrestling with security guards, drunken stumbling and bum-fight footage, oh and Greco does get a triple angle shot of his ender, but apart from that Baker 3 is much sharper and easier to watch that it’s two predecessors.

I think the general concensus for the team is that you must know how to do frontside flips, switch pop shove-its, big spins and have at least one tech-ish two-trick line in your part. Of course, Reynolds out-does himself again on the frontside flip stakes, but that isn’t all he’s got hidden up his sleeve. He also allows a very interesting editing technique for his part. Some will love it, others will plain hate…

Dustin Dollin flings himself full throttle at some very gnarly spots. I think Dustin is definitely going to get short-listed for a SOTY some time soon.

Jim Greco proves that there is life after a smack habit and stays true to form with some intense skating and sketchy style that so many have tried to fake.

Jeff Lenoce– Long time no see! Good honest part that puts any doubts about the Floridians whereabouts to rest. Jeff has still got good pop and a mean nollie.

Say hello to Antwuan Dixon, an effortless styled upstart that is already putting abruising on So-Cal spots regardless of whether people know his name. Remember it: Antwuan Dixon.

Erik Ellington finally puts the madness to rest and lands his big spin down the huge Carlsbad gap. ‘Nuff said.

Last part goes to Bryan Herman, and before you all snigger in disgust, let it be known that Bryan is solid on his board. I think this kid has a very bright future and the fact he gets last part is a summons to recognize how quick he has come up and what his potential is.

The only let downs for me were the last three:

Brandon Szafranski– well gnarly but a bit too much flair for me.

Terry Kenedy– Can someone please send this guy to the back of the queue with gaffer tape over his mouth..?

Kevin Long– Spanky is looking pretty burnt out for such a young age. A lot of talent that does show when several of his tricks are direct bites out of Rowley’s book.

Music wise this video has it all, from acid drenched prog rock to crack dealer rap passing by post apocalyptic metal. Oh, and Ali Boulala has a short but sweet bonus part after the credits with OG slo mo footy and dub plate beats!

I think the little cover note from the Boss, Andrew Reynolds says it all:

“Right when skateboarding starts to get socially accepted, we come in and ruin everything. With videos like this around, we’re never gonna get in the Olympics… You can thank us later. Baker Skateboards, the real thing.”

Ralph Lloyd-Davis

Even though I have refrained from jumping downs huge sets of stairs and long slippery rails for the last couple of years, one company is sure to spark that motivation within me again and that’s the Blood Sucking Corporation that is Toy Machine. Somehow Ed Templeton always gets the rawness and style balance correct with his videos, even if it means waiting a while and swapping endless team members… ‘Good & Evil’ takes us back to the good old days of ‘Welcome to Hell’, but doesn’t surpass the master piece that was. It comes close and here are a few reasons why: – First of all, Ed has a great sense of music and especially when it needs to be paired up with skateboarding, so expect to be pleased on that front. The master of ceremonies opens up the show and skates a lot of banks to ledge/rail spots with the usual dangly style. However, I did find that Ed’s skating wasn’t as gnarly as it has been, but I can only imagine that this is due to being caught between a million responsibilities that don’t involve riding a skateboard…
Right, the following two riders have had a lot of hype written about them so you’d expect something out of the ordinary, but honestly Josh Harmony and Austin Stephens didn’t surprise me at all. I found both of their parts rather bland and ordinary. I would say ‘sorry’, but I won’t. It’s what I saw and what I felt.

On the other hand, new team rider Johnny Layton is a great surprise. I really though this kid was nothing special apart from long feeble grinds, but then I saw his debut part in ‘G&E’. Johnny plays it cool to begin with, but then starts to show his true colours with style, pop and gnar wrapped into one. Oh, and he isn’t afraid to grab his board either which is kind of cool, too.

Weh hey! A secret rider! Well, Matt Benett won’t be a secret much longer. This innocent young buck come through with a very stylish first part that actually takes quite a lot of switch skating to the gaps and rails. His icing on the cake is a very hard (and don’t deny it!) switch backside 180 to backside smith grind down a couple of rails. Just think about that for a minute…
The man who wears a moustache like a gay porn extra steps up and annihilates rails with tech-gnar (technical and gnarly skating for those who don’t read Thrasher). Billy Marks deserves all the props he can get because whacking out kickflip frontside feebles and switch bigspin heelflip boardslides is no small feat. I don’t like Billy’s style, but nobody’s perfect, right?

Finally, the Butcher closes up shop. Diego Bucchieri is known for his fearless approach to gaps, so he does what he’s known best for and leaps everywhere. I did spot a ridiculous backside kickflip off Geoff Rowley’s bump so keep your eyes open for that! Also, he DOESN’T do Ali’s 25 set! It’s the 20 set in San Francisco that was featured in an old Thrasher video, ok? Stop speculating.

So, there you go. ‘G&E’ is a pretty good video and I won’t bother to go over the endless lists of bonus footage that include tours, art films, sponsor me tapes and friends. I will however mention the most gruesome ankle snappage I have seen in a while. It’s in there, but I won’t say where because I didn’t know until I saw it and it made me look away and thank God I don’t try any of these stunts anymore!

Transworld
It has been a while since Transworld blessed us with something good to watch. As always, Jon Holland and Jason Hernandez try and show us an aspect of everyday skate life and in this case it is the overwhelming love we hold for our boards. True. In order to get the point across, TWS hired the talent of Leo Romero, Shiloh Greathouse, Ryan Gallant, Richard Angelides and Omar Salazar. Shiloh opens the show and it’s been a long time coming for this great comeback. Skating to Echo and the Bunnymen, Shiloh picks up where the early 90’s curb technicians left off. Remember all those noseslide-nosegrind-lipslide-smith combos that had our brains ticking over? Well, Shiloh steps it up a level and does some mental combos on proper ledges and with style to boot. Pretty inspirational stuff from a guy a lot of you have never heard of before.

Next up is Richard Angelides who still rocks the Adidas shell toes after all these years. Personally, I didn’t think Richard had killed it as hard as he did in his 97 Rhythm ‘Genesis’ video part, but that’s just me… Richard still manages to pull out some very difficult manuals and relaxed lines. I reckon Richard has been slept on long enough and deserves more coverage. Check the underdog out!

Contending for speed demon title is Omar Salazar. Omar has worked hard since his debut over at Foundation, and deserves everything that comes his way because his style has matured and his positive attitude will have a few heads envious. Basically Omar’s part is all about speed and sticking it no matter how hard the slam. Just remember kids: Skate within your limits!

Ok, Ryan Gallant has definitely shot into the limelight after a part in the Coliseum video and a position on the new Plan B roster. I’ve heard people slagging Ryan off for being sterile and relentless with the hardflip or flip shifty, but this new part will have you all switching. Ryan has the style pop and dexterity to put together some of the cleanest lines ever. He even pulls a perfect version of a trick I have never seen before- the hardflip frontside 180. Yeah, think about that for a minute and then try and do it… In any case Ryan kills it and his song is sick to boot too (I even thought it was a UK Hip-Hop song for a quick minute. Swiss..?)

Finally, we get to Leo Romero. I’ve seen Leo skate firsthand and I know that the kid is solid. Every rail stunt is done within two goes and the odd ledge session doesn’t worry him either. However, his part is strictly hammers and two trick line a-la-Zero. Not a good look if you ask me but hey, it’s still chock full of impressive stuff. Oh, and he skates to a nice T-Rex track!

www.skateboarding.com

I’ll bet you a fresh pair of kicks and some ceramic bearings that a whole lot of you have completely forgotten the once legendary Santa Cruz Skateboard company..? Yeah, I knew it. Well, let’s just have a quick recall of the SCS history to show you ingrates where this landmark company is coming from, and where it is probably heading. Firstly, Santa Cruz ran things back in the day as one of the only viable competitors to Powell Peralta during the 80’s. They also invented Slick©, and if you were young enough to ride it you knew it was fun! Then, SCS suffered a sharp fall during the early 90’s, but then again so did the rest of the industry- Dark days… As new life was blown back into the market and SCS looked ready to start afresh, they lost a load of their team, and since then have slipped slowly but surely off the radar. You see, SCS is an all-American skate company that has tried and tested the whole “gimmick” aspect of the market, emerged out the other side and come to the conclusion that all skater’s really need and want is no-nonsense quality goods i.e. no fancy packaging, signature trinkets or jazzy names- Just good skating. Oh, and damn strong boards! So, back to the subject at hand: Guarte – the latest video from SCS with a great line-up, cool skating, a fine storyline and a real “Who’s who?” of cameos. I’ll take this moment to shed light on the storyline that winds it’s way through this video. Think ‘Las Nueves Vidas de Paco’ from chocolate, and you’re pretty much there. Sprinkle the lot with loads of famous and not so famous skaters from the past and present and Bob’s your uncle!

Anyway, back to the skating… The SCS amateur roster will leave a few companies envious because between Damian Smith who runs the streets like Ricky Oyola except switch, and the best kept secret Nestor Judkins stylin’ it up for miles, you’re served with some sweet viewing. On a side note, the last time I saw Nestor was in a TWS amateur issue and the kid was tiny but already turning heads: Expect more from this young man… A true feeling of different generations can be felt throughout Guarte be it with the Veteran Division section full of powerslides and slash grinds thanks to Tom Knox and Eric Dressen, or the powerhouse parts from Mike Frazier or Stacy Lowery. SCS takes care of it’s riders.

Finally, the highlights of this video: Alex Moul and Emmanual Guzman. Right, we all know what Alex is capable of and he doesn’t disappoint. The cheeky humour is there, the late shove-its, impossibles etc. and more are all in there. In fact, watching his section had me thinking back to the early 90’s when crazy flip tricks looked crap done 3cm in the air. Back then I told myself this kind of bastardized skating would look a lot better if some serious pop was applied. Well, Alex has done just that! Next to Alex stands Emmanual Guzman- the SCS all-terrain vehicle that combines power and style to the sweet melodies of Metallica. This kid has got some serious balls on him and reminds me of a modern day Jason Jessee. I’m not entirely sure why, but hey…

So, there you have it: Guarte is well worth your hard earned currency and SCS deserve a pat on the back for holding on so long to finally put out a quality video that does themselves and skateboarding justice. I liked this video.

Ummm… Well, perhaps the afterlife isn’t all that bad after all..? No. Seriously, Zero keep true to their course and blast out another hammerfest of gaps, rails, gaps to rails, rails to gaps- As long as it’s big and scary it makes the cut. So, what’s new? Well, apart from the obvious fact that Jamie Thomas and his team of stuntmen are keen to promote the ‘grabbing of the board’ by serving up at least one per part, you might also notice the resistance to quick editing. Phew! I was worried I might have another epileptic seizure if the editing hadn’t changed… A quick run-down of performances will let you know that JT styles it up with some nice moves like 360 no-complies and polejams. I think his body has finally let him know that Stairway rails are a sure way to Heaven (Ha! What a pun!). Jon Allie hasn’t changed much; lots of flipping mixed with his rail assaults. However, I did admire the clean style Jon had considering the god-awful hand-dragging-I’ll-make-this-if-it-kills-me roll aways we’ve witnessed recently. Garrett Hill is nothing special- just a clone. Tony Cervantes gets his grab quota up to par and sticks out as someone to keep an eye open for. John Rattray saves the day with a bit of style and even gets Stu Graham to feature in his part. Somehow John just doesn’t look like he’s having fun on those rails. I don’t know… Tommy Sandoval will die trying and James Brockman has a couple of heavy hammers in there. Backside lipslides on suspended rails anyone? No, I didn’t think so…

Finally, Chris Cole with his mason’s arms carries the weight of the whole video on a part that (despite being leaked on the net) will send shock waves through anyone who doubted this guys board control and potential. Wallenburg gets the book thrown at it and there’s even a sweet wallride gap in there that lots probably missed the first time around. Check Chris out and be blown away.

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention the Mystery promo bit with Moby music. Ooh! How emotional! I didn’t really think the music matched, and I really hope the fact that the song praises the Good Lord, that JT didn’t sneak some religious preaching in there… Anyway, I think Zero have actually ‘hammered’ the final nail in the coffin for stunt skating because it’s pretty obvious now that kids who huck themselves down chasms, and think two tricks make a line, just isn’t cutting it anymore. It was good while it lasted, but seriously- What are you going to bring to the table next? Yeah, I thought so…

They say a critic can make or break a career… Well, here goes! When I first saw the first ever DVS skate video, ‘Skate More’, I told anyone within earshot that the video was good. It made me want to skate and the team had done well to hold back for a couple of years before releasing the final product. Daewon Song had a SCANDALOUS part in my view, and Chico Brenes was probably going to get his appreciation from the older crowd, not the ‘ever-hungry-for-blood’ youth. I still stand by these opinions, but those first remarks were stated post premiere party and after a long wait for something new to come. It’s true that even if videos get released at a near cardiac rate, the quality is far slower to appear…

So, this review comes many weeks after the initial premiere, after any skate forum spoilers have been spilt and opinions shared, and more importantly after that head-ache inducing free booze had left my body. Amen.

Initially, DVS play the humour card with the Monty Python inspired credits and skits. Fair Play- they work and stab a little at each riders persona. Now, ‘Skate More’ is a creation of American Colin Kennedy, who used to work for 411 (Bring back On Video! Ed.) so like Fred Mortagne had his ‘Frangle’ angle, Colin has the ‘slo-mo speed up’ button. The cheerful filmer doesn’t refrain from the odd slowed down image, which is good because often tricks get forgotten until the umpteenth viewing. I did notice that you can hear Colin, or whoever was looking in the eye-piece that day, laughing and cheering in the background on a few occasions. For professional filmers to do this, you know the trick you just witnessed was pretty amazing, so pay attention.

An interesting thing with this video is that it covers just about every base. Well, except after black hammers… Oh, and vert skating… But it’s true that the DVS team is one well rounded Street ‘Big Band’ (for lack of words) and when they play the music of every day ‘street’ life, it sounds right. Oh, and amazing of course! If you want speed you have Dennis Busenitz, Smooth and simple check Chico Brenes, clean and confirmed it’s Kerry Getz, the next level can be found with Daewon Song, today’s technology twinned by Mike Taylor and Jereme Rodgers, etc, etc…

Up until now, this video sounds like a sure-shot winner. Not quite- nothing is perfect. Even though the ams are where the money is at nowadays, you can’t help but feel someone whispered sweet nothings about Lucas Puig to Torey Pudwill. There is definitely something in his music and trick selection that had me experiencing deja-vu… Perhaps, it was just me..? Whilst in the domain of music, Kerry Getz definitely sticks out. I know (through background investigation) that Kerry wanted some Hip-Hop track for his part but was convinced a remixed 80’s track would come across more effective. True, but as journalists might say, his music is a ‘bold choice’ to say the least. Will it work? Won’t it? That’s really up to you.

Before this review becomes an epic essay on the true definition of visual media within an urban environment, or whether or not the hammer count was sufficient, take my words and check ‘Skate More’ out for yourselves. Really! I stand by my word, Daewon is SCANDALOUS and Chico Brenes has me singing Sade everyday.

Ralph Lloyd Davis

Here are the rules: 4 Teams (Almost, Zero, Deluxe and Girl) of 4 Riders (plus 1 filmer, 1 photographer and 1 team manager) spend 2 weeks crossing the United States of America skating designated spots and doing designated tricks with a points program for each task. The teams will also be joined by a mystery guest (Lance Mountain, Darren Navarette, Jeff Grosso and Ben Schroeder) with whom they must partake in tasks also. The winner is the team that gathered the most points. Sounds simple enough, but that”s not until you see what they have to skate (rails in the rain?), or what they have to do (Double flip nosemanual?). This is the second edition of the sure-shot King of the Road contest, so all the crazy shenanigans are there plus the Phelper. Between little Shetler fully going for it with an older lady friend, to Jaime Thomas skating rails bare-foot, Koston landing a flawless heelflip late shove-it (???), and passing by Trujillo and pals on a three man skateboard, all the madness and more is there!

Thrasher is onto a sure winner with this contest / tour-a-thon. There is so much random stuff and mad skating going on over the two week period that every team deserves a hat off just for taking part. As always with a DVD there are the bonuses- weird girl bands, cops taking shots at kids and the Duffy rail showdown to name a few. In any case, the King of the Road 2005 DVD needs to be seen to be believed!

www.thrashermagazine.com

Ralph Lloyd-Davis