Category: DVD Reviews

Steve Rocco is the skateboard industry’s equivalent of Marmite. Either you love him or you hate him, but there will only ever be one Steve Rocco.

Single-handedly, this bright entrepreneur flipped the script on our culture, broke every rule in the book and then re-wrote it much to the horror and surprise of the then governing bodies. The man who souled the world follows Steve’s story from his earliest days as a used car salesman to multi-millionaire CEO of one of skateboarding’s most recognizable companies, passing through the many hijinks and odd characters involved along the way.

Essentially, Steve Rocco saw an opportunity and ran with it, but the risk of failure and animosity from peers was paramount. Basically, up until the mid 80’s, skateboarding was a wholesome sport run by 5 intelligent business men that reaped the fortunes of excited youth. However, their equation forgot to include the actual people that were out there sweating and bleeding for their profit- the pros. Steve suffered the fickle hand of fate when Vision head honcho Brad Dorfman slammed the door in his face and sent him packing. Being the opportunist, and possible madman, that he is, Steve took this brutal rejection and used it as motivation for revenge. Not just on Dorfman (N.B. Mark Gonzales launched the brand Blind under Rocco’s wing as a direct response to his previous sponsor Vision), but bigger fish such as the elusive George Powell of infamous Powell Peralta fame. Steve’s enemies did not take lightly to an amateur entrepreneur shaking up the ranks of professional skateboarding, so ad campaigns and boardroom meetings targeted Steve and his riders to shoot them down and remove them from the premises.

The genius of Steve was to take the general guidelines these moguls had built their industry, and profit, on, and broke each and every one of them. Rocco also spotted the new trends that skateboarding evolved to, notably the rise of street skating and it’s pioneers to the forefront. Steve grabbed several of the most influential skaters out there, notably Mike Vallely, Rodney Mullen, Mark Gonzales, Natas Kaupas and Jason Lee, and launched a fleet of new and exciting companies. Led by the flagship World Industries were Blind, 101, Menace and Prime. This documentary explains the entire story behind one man and his mission to change the skateboard industry forever. But, it also sheds light on the darker moments and eventual downfall of a dictator by his own followers. All the key players are interviewed and consulted.

The man who souled the world is essential viewing if you want to understand why skaters who grew up during the Rocco years are often skeptical and weary of how today’s industry twists and turns. It is very doubtful that there will be another Steve Rocco at the helm of our industry, but somehow you know that he is still pulling strings and influencing things from a far away lair, sort of like an James Bond villain. And everybody loves the bad guy. Just for note, after enjoying the great Big Brother documentary, Ben Powell video reviews, unseen skate footage and more in the bonus section of this DVD, I suggest you re-watch The man who souled the world with Steve Rocco giving commentary. Listening to the man comment and speak freely of his peers is a real treat.

Ralph Lloyd-Davis

Tour videos are a tough product to flog because they usually entail lots of skatepark footage, plenty of documented traveling boredom, and a limited time slot to produce top quality skateboarding. Somehow the pristine, finely edited, three years in the making, big budget video causes more of a stir.

That said, the Vans UK skateboard Tour that traveled up and down the country during one of the wettest summer seasons to date, 2007, managed to assemble a massive team of rippers, lots of good humour and plenty of sick skating. The line-up runs as follows: Marc Churchill, Ben Grove, Kris Vile, Hugo Liard, Gorgeous Dave, Howard Cooke, Chris Pfanner, James Gardner, Olly Tyreman, Kev Mackeon, Lois Pendlebury, Manhead, Pete King, Ben Nordberg, Chris Oliver, Tom Knox, Ross McGouran, Danny Wainwright, Sam Bruce and Rogie. Phew! Add Nic Powley as Dad, Andy Evans behind the viewfinder and a very old school bus painted black, and you have the recipe for a good time rolling.

With so many riders and spots documented during this trip, I’ll simply mention the major highlights. First of all Marc Churchill is British skateboarding’s comedy central with a voice bite every time he opens his chops. Kris Vile could be a strong contender for British skater of the year if ever the award existed over here. James Gardner was suffering from a very gnarly groin injury but still managed to stick a sick frontside bluntslide down some Bristol rails. Hugo Liard and Chris Pfanner are good sports for putting up with British humour in the dingy confines of the old bus, and shred every spot to bits regardless. Ben Grove bagged the cash for facing the epic double set and riding away. And finally Howard Cooke has probably one of the gnarliest axle stalls ever in this video. 15 feet and rising…

One thing did stick out like a sore thumb though in this road documentary. Despite the UK having some of the best skate plazas in Europe, and a good handful of abundant indoor parks, the average turnout to these sheltered venues was poor. I can understand that turning up 2 days late to a demo might make a dent in the crowd attendance, but on several occasions you find it hard to spot more than a few faces smiling at the stellar show the UK Vans team put on. Rant over.

So, to conclude this commentary, the Vans UK team plus two Euros put in the effort to support a scene that sometimes forgets that they are willing to travel hundreds of miles in a mobile tin can just so Marc Churchill and Nic Powley can spread the gay bandito craze. Next time they roll through your town, don’t miss it!

www.vans.co.uk

Ralph Lloyd-Davis

Not to brag or anything, but my video and DVD collection is rather extensive in size, and sadly a lot of the features just gather dust on the shelves and in the boxes. However, I do reserve myself a small pile of audio visual treats that I huddle around my VCR and DVD player. It’s an exclusive stock of sick footage that hits every chord to get me (and my mates) stoked. The Harmony’s Wölfstadt has just been granted access to this VIP selection.

There are so many reasons why this DVD is compulsory viewing: First of all The Harmony is a pretty rad independent team of skaters that span all terrains and types of skating. Joe Gavin skates regular even those his switchstance skills testify otherwise. Danijel Todorovic gets two songs because he delivers more pop than your average friendly giant. Jamie Bolland gets it straight by riding crooked. Eddie Belvedere spends more time honing his skills than at the barbers. Tony DaSilva has the stamina to piece together solid lines. Jak Pietryga flows fluently through the city streets, and Danny Jack applies top knotch technique to asphalt, marble, brick and mortar. Not forgetting the upstarts Verun Tull and Steve Bailey (not the American- a little blonde Brit!) who start the show with a steady dose of street trickery. And finally, The Harmony’s Northern Soul, Paul Silvester who gets by just fine with a few friends.

Alright, so that pretty much sums up a total that will have you screaming, “SKATEBOARDING!!!” and out the door as soon as the credits roll. Sick skaters, 90% new spots, and a soundtrack of sublime tracks from the likes of Peter Jorn and John, Brian Eno, Black Sabbath, Patti Smith, Prince and Sly and the Familystone- Adam Mondon has filmed and edited a gem right here. Oh, and don’t forget the hour or so of bonus footage. No less than all the web exclusive edits, promos and cutting room floor footage, and four individual guest edits, each 5 to 10 minutes long and summarizing the end product nicely.

For those of you who question the title, let it be known that Wölfstadt originates from the following prose: “Live by the ocean, die on your back, crawl to the edge, become one with the Wölfstadt”. Right… Your guess is as good as mine.

www.theharmony.co.uk

Ralph Lloyd-Davis

21.07.08

Bang Chong is the first visual dish to be served up by South African skateboarding connoisseurs, Familia. Featuring a collective of well-travelled skate rats who, despite having footage from all sorts of places, our own docklands skate metropolis being one of many notches on their lacerated bedpost, manage to remain a homely bunch with a viciously strong relationship with their hometown, on and off the skateboard.

Reasons like this is why I adore smaller productions like this so much, whether their whizzplank talents are up to scratch with the latest person to (insert fliptrick and/or backside or frontside rotation here) MACBA or not, their passion for skateboarding is relentless, and that makes me want to go out for a skate much more so than any high budget mega ramp malarkey.

So who’s in it then? Well, if you are locked into the Worldwide scene and don’t miss a trick you would have heard of these guys. But if not, you will not be too ‘familia‘ with the cast. Fuck I’m sorry; I tried my hardest to resist temptation from the beginning with that one. The people in this probably couldn’t care less if you knew their name or not, their skating alone not only does all the talking, but it buys you a drink and flirts with you a little bit too. In fact, the slick, unique styles offered by Mark Donaldson, Clint Van Der Schyf, Adrian Day, Gavin Morgan and numerous others all leave you immensely satisfied, relaxed and even a wee bit informed.

The consistent non-skating elements of this DVD offer an in-depth emotional tour of South African culture, and a fitting divider in between each section. Filmed gorgeously in 16mm by the enigmatic Mitch, whose approach to filming is just as imaginative as Fred Montagne, yet not once does it suggest that it is anything other than his own idiosyncratic style.

Accompanied by complimentary sounds from the likes Boards of Canada and Sonic Youth make these segments insightful and documentary, but never steering away from escapism. The perfectly delightful combination of the two is rarely achieved in skate videos, and is something special indeed.

The skating remains a joy to watch throughout. Mark Donaldson opens the video with a varied collection of ledge trickery and some worryingly consistent lines, all peppered with a relaxed style that goes down well with a brew on the side. Clint follows up this with a barrage of bank nonsense and he even manages to introduce himself with one of the finest switch f/s 180s I think I’ve ever seen. Classy. After a nutritious ‘friends‘ section, which features near enough the entire skate population of South Africa, Adrian Day takes the biscuit with the most memorable section in the video. His section closes with a complete shut down and wipe out on those marble banks Jason Dill skates in Skate More. Seriously, if you think about any line/trick to do there, Day has already claimed it, and done it with more style than you can pull out of Giorgio Armani’s portfolio. And finally, Gavin Morgan, who provides a fitting end to a superb little video that I have already enjoyed several times since it fell into my hands.

Get over to www.familia.co.za to see the entire picture and pick this up at VAS if you already haven’t you filthy uncultured swine. While you’re at it, check out the boards that were released alongside them, they’re pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself. Jeah.

Joe Moynihan.

Element are back with a highly anticipated full length release – they chose to jump aboard the Go Skate Day bandwagon and roll at 350 locations around the world, 350!!! So we trooped down to the Richmix Cinema in Shoreditch to check it out.

This release isn’t going to everyone’s cup of tea, it has a very similar feel to TransWorld or Cliché videos, and I think they tried to capture the vibe of videos like Sight Unseen and Bon Appetite – with relaxed skating (in their natural element?). Element’s 2007 roster is pretty sick, actually, very sick, but the heavyweights barely featured for more than a handful of tricks – this gave the Ams a chance to shine.

So after an intro of portraits of the team the pint size rasta Nyjah Huston opens up the skating- hammertime! Highlights were a hurricane down a huge rail (at least 8) and a lush front 5-0 backside shuv, with some nice random lines chucked in like flip manual roll to 6 step firecracker at speed – lots of heel flips and front shuvs over gaps – dudes going to be an all time great by time he is 20 years old, kind of a rasta Koston, assuming he grows into his dreads that is!

Next up is the only man in skateboarding who could wear skin tight white jeans, waist coat and a black glove – no, not Bam, but The Muska. Pretty short section, but he is the newest, and possibly least visible pro on the team – his section was filmed all over, lots of Miami footage and his skating seems to have gone in the direction of Cardiel’s rather than the Shortys super-doopah dope vibe, he still has it, and killing bowls is now in his repertoire, good to see him back in front of a camera, and still with a mean frontside flip and plenty of trademark tailslide to fakie on handrails!

Brent Atchley was the secret weapon on the last DVD, Elementality – and his latest section is much less hard hitting, still a very talented skater, but this was just a day to day section, kicks off in a fullpipe with nice ollies to 10 o’clock to ollie down (nasty metal pipe) and also hits up some long relaxed lines at a freshly resurfaced Burnside.

Another new guy who wasn’t on the last vid was Chad TimTim, I was writing notes as the names appears and look back at them and I scrawled “Chad TimTim…. skates damn fast” just zoomed around SF with big nollie flips caught on their way up, and bought the “World Industries” style of street skating to the vid, nothing quirky or setup, just straight street and schoolyard sessions.

Element and Bam Margera seem to be the least likely partnership, and it shows even more in this DVD, his section of old old footage at Philly is very predictable, but not as predictable as him zooming around in a tastelessly coloured Lamborghini getting pulled by cops for driving badly and speeding, and “his elementality” is to break the law on camera and when questioned just replied with “How much do I have to pay?”, which was cool… when Sting did it in Quadrophenia!

The Am’s definitely packed the video out, Jimmy Lannon had a nice Julien Stranger vibe about him, ready to ride any location, and new guys Soichiro Nakajima and Josh Rio established themselves as fast clean and technical skaters. For me the highlight of the Ams was definitely Collin Provost and Levi Brown. Povost is a kid from Huntington and has pop! Lots of pop and isn’t scared to hit rails with 15-plus steps either – very relaxed, and has some growing to do, but he is in good company here at element. Levi Brown pulled off what Atchley did in the last vid, came out of nowhere and killed it, skating some desolate old town with nicely drifted front 360s, a sweet tre nose slide on a bigass hubba, but his first trick killed it for me and the audience, simply up a flat bank and frontside flipping on it – catching it almost 3 foot high, just proper pop – expect much buzz about this Arizonan ripper.

Tosh Townend is all grown up now, still dreadlock soldier, and still skating long lines at beach front locations – exactly what you expect, but the Pro to shine on this vid is Tony Tave– a very efficient looking skater, with some hammer ollies, especially over an escalator which would be a perfect photo to shoot! Lots of night footage and one trick hammers on rails and some drainage ditch flip to long long roll in – very scary, very competent skating.

The major let down on this video is the pro talent they have amassed. Bucky Lasek has a handful of tricks on vert, but nothing much new since his section in “The End”, some nice nollie flip backlips and a frontside 360 heelflip slob airs at Burnquists ranch, but no 900 or megaramp action! Other wasted talent includes Jeremey “J-Dub” Wray, Chris Senn, Vanessa Torres and Mike.V. These guys had half a dozen tricks each, if that. Darrell Stanton had a great chance to establish himself as a major Element pro too, but decided to wear big sunglasses and bad shirts instead, but his murder flips are sick, and I’m sure he will go all out for the Volcom vid “Lets Live” video project (due out anytime now). Jake Rupp and Colt Cannon were sorely missed too, shame they left the setup after Elementality.

All in all, the vid was “ok” and from the biggest company in skating with a huge roster I expected more, maybe the point was to do a chilled vid, but didn’t they already do that? The filming was “ok” and they stuck with the same team as last time, the editing “ok” but the montages weren’t as enjoyable as the ones French Fred would have on a Cliché vid, and the music score was all by Odd Nosdam from Anticon, with their slow instrumental breaks, it didn’t work for everyone and got a bit mind numbing! All in all everyone I asked about it after the show said “it was ok”- I can’t see this DVD being as memorable as “Fully Flared” DVD by Lakai or the next release from Enjoi (“Turd Life”) and the highly anticipated “Nothing But The Truth” by NikeSB which are all ready to drop in the upcoming months.

Bottom line on TIME: It was “ok”.

Philip Procter

Magic Sticky Hand- no, not what you get when you’re bored and the only thing to entertain you is Mrs. Hand and her five lovely daughters- is actually the latest video from Satan worshipping, gnarly drawing loving Heroin Skateboards.

Featuring the guys that didn’t get full sections on Live From Antarctica, this short DVD contains all the standard fannying about and amazing quirky raw skating that Heroin always delivers.

Colin Fiske is tall. Really fucking tall. I mean, his socks are about as long as I am tall, and I’m definitely no midget. Hill-bombing mountain road drainage ditches, huge wallrides, hippy jumps on longboards and plenty of rough-as-tits street transition shralping. Win.

Rogie/Bogie/Ste Roe, or whatever he calls himself on the internet when he’s not out snapping another bone, has a plethora (fucking right, I said plethora) of wallie and wallride grab variations, as well as hacking it down snake-run things goddamn fast.

I’d never heard of Jon Monie until I watched this. Heroin do a good job of finding unknown rippers from across the globe and making sure they can do late shove-its. Monie is no exception, and also throws down an airwalk down a rather hefty set. Who the hell does airwalks anymore? He gets the ‘Rad’ seal of approval. Look out for Crossfire’s feature with “J-Money” on the site very soon.
Fos gets a little look-in in this section as well with some Mudchute footage.

Now if you’re unaware of who Deerman of Dark Woods is, you suck at life. The balaclava clad, goat-sacrificing, concrete terrorist is fucking gnarly. Have you ever tried skating a jersey barrier? It’s near on impossible to anything more than hit it and fall off, shattering your pride and pelvis in the process. Blunt 180 melons, melon fakies, and feeble stall 270 out- on what is essentially a wall to stop cars from smashing into other cars. Hellstone sickness.

Chris Ault closes proceedings and proves that grabs on street are sick. And he doesn’t mess round with them either. Legit tuck-knee indys down that Liverpool St. double set, and the pyramid at Mudchute gets a spanking with a fully hucked stalefish. So what more could you ask for? Maybe kickflipping over the stair mound at Stockwell? You got it. Chris has earned his spot on the team, that’s for damn sure.

As well as this mini-vid, the DVD has the bonus extras of the Infection trailer, Pulman’s Viewfinder 2 section, and the Battle of Normandie shenanigans from a while ago.

You should really own this. It’s got skating that isn’t another high-budget Hollywood epic, and that gives you itchy skate feet instantly, it’s got a stupid name that makes you laugh, and it only costs the same as a pint of booze and a packet of prawn cocktail.

Tom Mogridge

As spring creeps up on us, 411VM drops a new Volume to their deep back catalogue of footage. Issue 1 of Volume 15 arrived on my doorstep and boasts a wide selection of skating so nothing is left to waste. On offer we have Chad Bartie, Terrell Robinson, Derek Fukuhara and Jason Wakuzawa, Nate Sherwood and a feature on New York City. See what I mean by wide selection?

So, it’s Saturday morning 11.30am and I figure a new issue of the highly esteemed video magazine will get the juices flowing for a good daily session. The first thing I notice with this new volume is the presentation- minimal. No more book like features to the packaging, just a
backboard and the DVD. That’s fine by me; I never really liked the free advertising style articles anyway.

The video opens to your usual bangers with the Boxcar track, then it’s straight to Mr. Terrell Robinson. I must say that I admire a kid who has grown out of stereotypes to just skate what he wants. What I’m about to say might stir a taboo pot, but Terrell was raised in the ghetto and dresses like a Hessian. Watch him blast airwalks and kickflip boardslides on spots that don’t look like marble ledges, but more like lengthy gaps and rails. In any case, Terrell rips shit up and looks like he’s having a good time doing it too, so good for him!

Next up is Jason Wakuzawa and Derek Fukuhara who share a part full of smooth street technicalities. I wouldn’t like to play these guys at skate because by the looks of how they’ve got their tricks on lock, I’d be out faster than you can say 411. Some people might find their picture perfect balancing acts too sterilised, but you know that a few of their bangers took some effort. I mean, watch Derek pull a hairy backside 5-0 and wonder what could have happened if he messed up, and then see the exact thought seconds later. Tough tumbles aren’t going to stop either of these two anytime soon though.

Ok, let me stick my neck out again here, but I seem to remember people feeling dirty and ashamed about an era in skateboarding that praised the pressure flip. The afore-mentioned trick was banished and only re-surfaced for mockery and educational purposes. It seems like Nate Sherwood never got the memo. Sorry Nate, but you’re rapping sucks, your style sucks, your stupid skate based glossary sucks and the pressure flip sucks no matter what you do with it. Oh, and never, ever rap to your own part! Skip.

I’m heading out to the Big Apple pretty soon, so the New York City edit had me salivating for the over-abundance of spots the East Coast megalopolis has to offer. This section features skating from street stylers like Brandon Westgate, Aquil Braithwaite and Zered Bassett, as well as sled shredders like Pat Smith, Danny Falla, Darrel Stanton and others. A very well rounded selection of skaters, so these few minutes are worth watching for sure.

Helas, Vol.15 Issue 1 ends with an Australian unafraid of white pants and a mullet, better known as Chad Bartie. Chad is a pretty versatile skater who can take it to banks, rails, ramps and more at the drop of a hat. If he isn’t spinning frontside270 nosepicks to come out forwards on steep hips, he’s flying way out of ditches to axle stalls above the nipple. This part was rather good because I haven’t seen much of Chad since he emigrated back to his homeland. Hopefully 411’s coverage will spark a little sense into the media to get more footage out there..?

That pretty much wraps it up for the new 411VM. Like I said earlier, the format has been trimmed down to the almost bare minimum, and this issue offers a good cross section of skaters and styles. Solid skating from a steadfast sureshot video magazine.

Watch the trailer here.

Ralph L-D
17/04/07

Lo-Fi of the highest quality…

That pretty much sums up this limited edition VHS video from the Krooked Camp.

Mark Gonzales, Dan Drehobl, Van Wastell, Bobby Worrest and guest skater, Alex Olson, got together with some cameras much older than your VX and filmed parts that actually get you more stoked to skate than the crispy clean digitalised images that feed the media hungry masses today.

Gnar Gnar was released on 1000 VHS tapes, so hunt yours down ASAP.

To put this into metaphorical context, I recently picked up my old stash of TapeKingz mixtapes from my old bedroom at my parents house. Every day I enjoy the poor quality avant-guard beats that were recorded deep in hood studios in New York during the early 90’s. Gnar Gnar is the same. It’s some of the finest skating caught on grainy magnetic tape and edited hastily to classic tracks. What more do you want?

I won’t say anymore because this video is a must see must have item. I assure you that it will re-stoke your stoke for skateboarding. 20 minutes of unadultered merkage. Oh, and in case you’re scared of the Gonz getting ‘weird’, don’t worry, this time he just skates!

Watch Gnar Gnar here but fuck watching it on the web, track it down, own a real copy and support your scene.

Ralph L-D
30/03/07

www.oakley.com

When this DVD arrived at HQ I must admit I looked at it and then picked up another one to review. Corperate companies have never really managed to represent skateboarding in a natural way and usually their adverts and general involvement in skateboarding is always ill advised by people who don’t really know anything about our scene and the results are usually pretty shocking.

Apart from Von Zipper, eyewear companies have never really pushed their steez to have a hold in skateboarding preferring snow and surf due to the climates involved, so when this arrived I was more than dubious about what it would be throwing at me…but my mind set changed from the first few frames and this is why.

Oakley went beyond the norm and filmed their banging team for Our Life in 16mm. So mind-blowing video parts from Bob Burnquist with his magic switch skills and freefalling stunts, the natural magic steez of Greg Lutzka are just a taster of what is on offer in this DVD. Ryan Sheckler‘s ability to destroy anything in sight also fills the minutes including footage of a massive stuff the end of his part – I’m sure this kid has motorcycle shock absorbers in his knees! It seems that Plan B have managed to bag one of the best out there for sure this year.

Fabrizio Santos supplies you with a part to remember including a huge ollie into a bank from a container. Rune Glifberg skates pools with the attitude and style you always dreamed of having alongside the relentless gnar of Chris Senn whose Hawaii connection will never let you down once invited. Dave Bachinksy loads his part up on pure style and Andrew Pott and Henning Bratten parts are added bonuses on offer which will definitely make you want to go out and skate.

I have watched this DVD a few times now and it seems to get better and better every time – with the first viewing being a massive ‘YES’. Our Life is a banging video filmed with care and attention with no stones unturned. Go and get it as you will be pleasantly surprised what is on offer.

Watch the trailer for this vide here www.oakley.com/ourlife

Chuck Bangers

If skateboarding is an illness, I don’t want to see a doctor. Luc Kampfen and his homies at Safari Clothing know just how infectious it can get, and Malaria is proof. You probably recognize Luc as Guy’s brother, and with that in mind you’re probably thinking about old issues of Puzzle video magazine and a few too many noseslide nollie heelflip variations, right?

Well, you’re right that they are brothers, and you’re right in remembering Puzzle because Malaria watches like a high school reunion of some of Puzzle’s finest alumni, but you’re wrong to pigeon hole these Swiss street technicians as being obsessed with noseslide nollie heelflips. There isn’t one in the whole video!

There are a whole lot of shit-hot ledge combos though. There’s some street tranny and a long list of manuals to get excited about too. If you’re a rag-doll who loves nothing more than a double-sets and rails in the double figures, then you’re vaccinated against malaria. The same goes for anyone with a boner for backyard pools and brews with the barnies. So, malaria caters solely for those who like to skate street and see it pushed forward by some fine-tuned technicians.

Just watch as Sebastien Hepp slides bigspin frontside bluntslides in lines, or Sven Kilchemann imitate Tupac Shafurr (Shakur with an accent!) for life as he balances long frontside nollie heelflip nosemanuals and blasts switch 360 flips down lots of stairs. It isn’t all street stee-lo though, there’s Daryl Hefti blasting sweet switch ollies off bumps, Stefan Bircher skating so smoothly both ways, and Luc Kampfen sticking something ridiculous into an empty pool. No spoilers, sorry.

I think the video MVP is a toss up though between OG street wizard, Guy Kampfen, and the ender, Christian Zemp. Guy has kept up the technical front and employs many a trick with smooth sophistication. Apart from abusing one variation of the noseslide, I never really understood why he gets hated on? Can you bust out a backside 180 fakie nosegrind switch bigspin heelflip on a ledge?

Or maybe, an 11 trick line with nothing but above average ledge and flatground tricks? Nah, didn’t think so. As for Christian, he skates everything, and fast. Intricate lines, the longest and smoothest switch crooked grinds this side of the Alps, and a Daewon-esque assault on various manual pads will definitely get you stoked on the Zemp.

Add to all this street precision an audio soundtrack ranging from the White Stripes to Ertha Kitt, a good selection of bonus material including a trip to the States back at the turn of the century, and Malaga getting served something sweet. This skate strain of Malaria is pretty infectious and can cause immediate adrenalin rushes resulting in getting out your door and trying to see how tech and smooth you can skate it in the streets.

Ralph L-D
23.02.07

Watch the trailer for Malaria here and you can buy this DVD here.