Establishing themselves as the demi-gods of underground Italo disco scene, Aeroplane first caught our attention with their spacious & glacial re-works of Friendly Fires Paris and Grace Jones William’s Blood. This duo it seems could do no wrong. And the debut album, we assure you, does not disappoint.
Now minus Stephen Fascina, this is a solo offering from Vito Deluca who continues under the name. We Can’t Fly, co-produced by Francophile Betrand Burgalat, is a mind blowing, pulse racing, heady blend of influences stemming as far and wide as Pink Floyd, Au Revoir Simone, Air, 70s soulful disc, Georgio Moroda to Jeff Wayne’s cult odyssey War of the Worlds, all laid down to big production credentials a la Trevor Horn. Guest vocalists at hand include LA hipster Sky Ferreira and Merry Clayton who provided backing vocals to the Stone’s Gimme Shelter (I Don’t Feel) and even Moroder makes an appearance.
A truly dazzling debut accomplishment – in every essence a modern day cult classic.
In the past year Element have gone from strength to strength; the online release of Trio gave skateboarders an unexpected tour de rad from three of their most ‘proper’ skateboarders. That is to say that none of them have ever had to politic-tac their way out of a bad reputation for their activities outside of skateboarding. Why this was unexpected didn’t surprise me too much, even if Element have consistently provided skateboarders with excellent hard goods and above average videos it’s always cool to turn your nose up on the big guys. But for people to still be surprised when the Europe-based Get Busy Living exploded on the web (for free, again) that Element were capable of something so worthy of reaching for that rewind button (or for our generation, awkwardly finding the exact spot on the timeline of the stream and failing but not complaining because the whole section was bonkers), is beyond me.
Let’s just look at the roster for the Euro team: Michael Mackrodt, Janne Saario, Ross McGouran, Marcus Apes, Pirkka Pollari – all are names associated with very good things, maybe one or two funny looking hats but nothing more. The hype machine for this video should have, theoretically, exploded into a cataclysmic fireball throwing shards of excitement into everyone. Hopefully, with this and Trio combined, everyone can expect more gems like this in the future – these were both free, don’t forget.
Talking about what’s in the video itself is essentially redundant given the obviously amazing content, whatever I say is guaranteed to be filled with hive mind commentary. The skating is otherworldly. Marcus doesn’t hesitate to make heads explode with one particular 5-0 grind that’s probably better than any other. His ender is a bed-shitter too so watch out. Phil Zwijsen does some late shoves and fullpipe airwalks to a heft cover of Prodigy’s Fuel My Fire. Ross McGouran has more board control than more or less everyone in the continent. Pirkka has a disgustingly good section, Janne Saario’s first trick (or line on two wheels) is impossible even in video games and Mackrodt dances on ledges and skates mammoth spots. And to close, Guillaume Mocquin get’s hesh and if that isn’t proper then I don’t know what is. The gap to backlip aint nothing to fuck with.
Basically, it’s one of the sickest videos (not online video, not DVD but all encompassing video) to drop in a very long time and that’s exactly what everyone else who’s seen it is saying. The filming is perfectly framed, and HD looks so encouragingly awesome when it’s not subject to an editor who’s a little too liberal with the slow-motion. The colours, man, everything looks sublime.
You can watch the video online, in HD for free below. Let’s shut the door on politics and welcome radness with open arms.
The fifth annual Amsterdamn Am rocked Holland this weekend. Ams from all over the globe battled it out for some Euros in the Dam and some crazy stuff went down.
Keiran Reilly took best trick with a frontside flip over the bar to lipslide down the bank – the footage is below and it’s ri-goddamn-diculous but first, the results…
1. Alec Majerus, USA
2. Louie Lopez, USA
3. Tiago Lemon, BRA
4. Tim Zom, NL
5. John Koetzier, NL
6. Spencer Lau, USA
7. Douwe Macare, NL
8. Axel Cruysberghs, BE
9. Julien Merour, FRA
10. Billy Hoogendijk, NL
11. Hermann Stene, NOR
12. Woody Hoogendijk, NL
Consolidated aren’t your average skateboard company by any stretch of the imagination. The guys on the team are the kind of guys that wouldn’t hesitate to get the logo tattooed on their face. These are the kind of guys who would step up to body-ink levels of loyalty without needing to be filled with a night’s worth of booze. But then, these are also the kind of guys who are perpetually tanked on years and years worth of the good stuff. It’s clear in the humour that leaks from the incredible artwork on the decks, this is a company that treat their customers like they treat their own team: as skateboarders.
It’s not hard to see why those that are supported by Consolidated regularly compare being on the team to being in a family. They’re given the freedom to do what they want and is this not how incredible things are made? What went down in their tour of Europe in May is just another point in the argument for skateboarders to be free, get pissed and let rip. We caught up with Roberto Aleman, Ryan ‘Danger’ Carruthers and Sean Gutierrez in the kitchen in the hotel in Prague, armed with nothing but some cold ones and a pocket full of good times.
Photography : Tom Halliday
What was your favourite demo on your tour of Europe?
Sean: The best demo is not important to us as it’s for the kids. I had a lot of fun at Saffron Walden even though I was hungover as shit. Beers… Zorlac had the bbq going… good times.
Roberto: I think the best demo was the last one in England, more chilling, best skatepark.
What’s the best and worst country for booze and grub?
Danger: Holland has some weird burgers going on there when we bbq’ed there. Best place for food I would say was Cologne. Some of the best pizza I ever had and bbq with chicks in the park was hesh.
Roberto: England offers the worst food, but the beer is always good!
Most creative way of opening a bottle without a bottle opener…
Roberto: Always with a skateboard.
Sean: Your mums teeth is the best way to open a bottle!
How many broken decks were there throughout the trip?
Roberto: Not even one, I don’t break boards too often.
Sean: No broken decks because we suck, I’m still riding the hesh skateboard that Zorlac gave me, my shoes are fucked. Danger’s board is made for Vikings!
What’s the funniest story from the tour?
Sean: After a whole night of partying, Danger sleepless on a 2 hour or more train ride to Amsterdam, the train is over booked with no seats left in our carriage so we had to stand and Danger, while sleeping standing up, nudged the doorhandle to the shitter and fell into the bathroom and made the gnarliest crash, funny shit there!
Roberto: There were too many! But I remember Sean sleeping in a king size bed which is pretty weird cause he always sleeps on the floor, so here is Sean waking up in this huge bed by himself and warming up chicken nuggets with his lighter to eat them warm!
What was the best skatepark on the tour and what was the best street spot you hit up?
Danger: Saffron was build by Dreamland so I’m gonna have to say that was the best park, but street, I guess Holland. We skated a pretty famous spot- it’s a tunnel with trannies that go from mellow to steeper to over vert tranny for days!
Roberto: Even is it sounds weird, for me, the best skatepark was Brixton cause I’ve never been there, and the best spots we skated were in England- weird isn’t it?!
Besides the train’s toilets, where was the strangest place you slept on the tour?
Sean: I slept standing, in the grass. I woke up on a couch covered in a mountain of jackets sweating like shit with everyone still partying around me!
Roberto: This one was pretty mellow for a Consolidated tour, but we have these really cool distributors that put us in a hotels all the time!
Music you could not leave the house for this trip without: 3 albums, artists or tracks
Sean and Danger: David Allen Coe longhaired redneck/rides again. Mercyful fate Melissa or early demo and Grindline the band if you don’t know it your fucked.
Roberto: Los Chichos
What are your thoughts on the Dreamland park in Saffron Walden?
Danger: We all wished we could have partied with our crazy buddies who build the park we know from back home.
How about Zorlac’s hospitality?
Sean: Totally didn’t have to ask for much because he had taken care of everything. If We needed beer it was in the deathmobile, if we needed a pub, we weren’t let down. We went to Harrow which was rad for us to go to and check out after seeing in videos and shit. He was spent and tired and still partied and showed us some London. The street adventures were great too… Brixton and the streets… thanks London locals!
Roberto: Zorlac is like Consolidated for me: true, roots and love. They are the best!
Describe what Consolidated means to you in one sentence or paragraph…
Roberto: Consolidated is my fucking life!!
Sean: The struggle continues, we wouldn’t want it any other way, Birdo and Leticia can get all the money in the world from this tomorrow and they’ll never be jaded.
On that note enjoy this banging edit from their UK visit thanks to Jake Shunt who traveled the country with the team and has footage of Scotland, Saffron Walden and much more. Also thanks to Luke Petty who covered some footage of the Saffron Walden demo with skating from many other guests from Death and Death Urethane. Thanks to Tom Halliday for the photos.
This UK tour footage filmed and edited by Jake Shunt Martinelli was filmed across the UK:
Luke Petty shot this from their visit to Saffron Walden.
This footage was shot with guests in Brussels, Belgium at the Square Des Ursalines to celebrate 4 years since they built the park there…
Establishing themselves as the demi-gods of underground Italo disco scene, Aeroplane first caught our attention with their spacious & glacial re-works of Friendly Fires Paris and Grace Jones William’s Blood. This duo it seems could do no wrong. And the debut album, we assure you, does not disappoint.
In the past year 
Consolidated
