Top 10 Of 2023
Me again! This year, I had 102 (at time of writing) video uploads from Free Skate Mag’s YouTube channel to pick from. As I mention below, some of the more well-known regular contributors to Free’s yearly output have been left out of my subjective list of ten purely to avoid repeating jokes about Gustav Tønnesen’s man bun and/or Fritte’s supernatural backwards filming abilities. No diggety though, during the process of writing this I watched every single one of this year’s vids and every one of them, without exception, was excellent in their own way.
One theme that appeared to independently surface during the writing of this was the re-emergence of the full-length video and, judging on the view counts, the wider skate scene’s interest in watching videos longer than 4 minutes again. Like Mark Twain almost said, “Reports of the death of the full-length have been greatly exaggerated.” From one of the first of Free’s 2023 uploads (Studio Skateboard’s ‘Jump Shot’) through to videos included below like the excellent Puri series and Retta skate shop’s Atemporal – we as a culture are clearly not the soft-brained imbeciles with no attention span that we perhaps were in danger of becoming. As long as people continue to watch these full-length productions then people will continue to make them. Whether they’re documenting East coast crust like Veil or exploring regionally-specific architectural idiosyncrasies like Broadway – they are of vital cultural importance as they don’t just focus on the best skater in a scene or city.
Additionally, I also noticed that the number of videos in this top ten that function as branded content is much less than in 2022. I guess at a push Hermann Stene’s Lille Rotta part and Conor Charleson’s Slight Inclination sort of qualify as I think both skater’s shoe sponsors provided financial backing of some order. Aside from those two, these are cultural products created for the good of the scenes and the individuals whom they shine a light on. The vast majority of the filmers and editors involved in the 100+ uploads on Free’s channel receive no financial incentive to do what they do. They, like skateboarders of every colour, gender, and persuasion the world over, document the skateboard scenes around them because that is a cultural imperative which has existed since the dawn of four-wheeled time. You all rule. Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2024.
– Ben Powell
Eniz Fazilov – Can’t Front
There are sick skaters who have their moment in the spotlight and then there are anomalies like Eniz Fazilov. He must’ve been in the public eye for two decades at the very least, probably more. Imagine being this good for this long at this kind of skateboarding. It’s bonkers.
This clip has 142,982 YouTube views at the time of writing and it’s not hard to see why. Straight forward talent without a thought of even nodding towards the cool guy seats. Considering that Eniz is in his mid 30s and already comfortably occupying certified Euro legend territory, he could quite easily half step and jump on the dropdown grind trend. Instead, this crazy bastard is ollieing off 3-metre-high rooftops towards anxiety-inducing panes of glass and we’re only on the first trick. With that kind of intro, (not to mention the fact that he self-denies the ‘safer’ option of ollieing onto the window and instead grinds the window frame) you better know that a truly vintage Merlot awaits.
Eniz’s vibe has always been based around no messing about and seriously heavy skateboarding and this section follows suit perfectly.
Filming and edit-wise it’s well-made enough but has none of the implied narcissism common to higher budget, fastidiously constructed skate videos. There’s so much gnarly skating in this that you’ll never even notice the scratch on the lens or any of the other minutiae that perma-online bellends get in a froth about. To be frank, (pun intended), Dr Spock goes in so hard that you’re not going to care about anything other than the skateboarding. And the spots…Oh my God, does he have an app showing every building site in Scandinavia or something? That aspect alone makes this a top tier flickering pixel of worth. There are so many vaguely dystopian-looking spaces in here, hella liminal bangers.
Standouts are hard because everything is exceptional: no lines ending in bigspins off curbs in this motherfucker. The rail and stair counts are on a heroic level throughout because, despite having frontside bluntslid La Dome hubba 6 years ago to global applause, Eniz is still going in and hungry to fuck scary obstacles up. Even in the shadow of Hermann Stene resetting the boundaries of Nordic rail gnarl with his ‘Little Rotta’ part, there’s some serious business here. Tech ledge tricks on grim looking rails and hubbas, power lines that end with the hardest trick and a 26-stair backside 5050 ender because, well, because why the hell wouldn’t you do that if you could?
Eniz is the archetypal blue-collar Euro uber ripper. He’s been good forever; he’s smashed contests and tours alike and has a body of work that places him on the very highest tier of long-term respect from people who know. He probably seemed an odd choice for Neil Blender’s board brand The Heated Wheel to people unaware of his back catalogue but this clip, which dropped with zero fanfare and looks, to all intents and purposes, to have been filmed by one of his mates, will probably have filled in any gaps that you might’ve had.
Like the track says, you can’t front. All hail the Finnish Vulcan.
Dr Spock don’t play…
Ryuhei Kitazume – Meet You There
It’s been a strong twelve months for Japan. From 17-year-old girls front crooking the most famous handrail in the world first try and landing a Thrasher cover, through to the release of probably the most significant full-length skate video in the last five years (Lenz III of course): 2023 has been the year where even the most myopic morons have turned their eyes towards glorious Nippon and wised the hell up.
Ryuhei Kitazume has been at the front of this charge and is fast becoming a household name, (albeit a totally incorrectly pronounced one). Hopefully I’m preaching to the converted here but, if by any chance you haven’t already watched his brain dissolving Lenz III section, please do so right now and then return to this one with your expectations suitably enhanced.
You know how that kickflip shifty that Tom Penny does over the Besos bump to bar in Sorry is the best version of that trick that will ever be done? Well, Ryuhei holds the same accolade with the final trick in his Lenz III part: no human being is ever going to do a better nollie heelflip than that. Even when skateboarding has progressed to the point where we have toddlers nollie heeling Wallenberg in lines for Insta, that Ryuhei trick will still be untouchable.
The Tightbooth/Lenz III part served as Ryuhei’s introduction for those of us previously unaware of him and in turn, this Meet you There part tuned into the subsequent global hype surrounding this tech lord. Aside from any of the tricks, if you’re not shouting, “my man’s got trousers made out of curtains on!” at the screen almost instantly then there’s something amiss. Alongside pioneering a whole new style of tech-gnar, Ryuhei is firmly within the vanguard of an impending trouser revolution. When you’re running your pants so baggy that they make ‘That’s Life’ era Corey Duffel’s spray on denim look like Polar Big Boys then you’re here to make a statement and that statement is – get comfy.
Onto the skating: he alternates between massive stairs/gaps and some of the hardest ledge and manny tech you’re going to see anywhere. Just as you’re thinking, “I wonder what would happen if Anthony Claravall took this dude to a gargantuan double set in Europe without the marble floors of Japan?” here’s Ryuhei nollieing 10 foot further than he needs to over a double set that he probably only saw five minutes earlier. Dude has so much pop, skates so fast and just has the ultimate futuristic technical style where everything, even the tricks that your brain can barely take in, look incredible. I’m a fan and it looks like I’m far from the only one either given the 114K views. How about that line that ends on the switch 5.0 switch frontside flip out? Prime Plaza de Colón Jesus Fernandez tech at high speed in the most glorious Japanese scaffolder inspired outfits ever.
We’re onto something new here my people.
There’s not much point trying to decide on any more standouts in this clip because the whole thing stands out. The simple fact that Ryuhei got on a plane and linked up with Claravall in Barcelona to share the magic is a highlight if I’m honest. Suffice to say that Das Pinch is clenched ridiculous, and the music is 100% justifiable when you’re looking at a skateboarder this exciting and progressive. I don’t care if your favourite skater is Stu Graham, I defy anyone to watch this and not come away stuck in a queue to buy balloon pants from the Tightbooth website. One of the most astonishing skateboarders of the year. Big up.
Retta Skateshop – Atemporal
Right listen up – if you don’t already know that skateshop videos are the lifeblood and the source of 95% of all of skateboarding’s passion then you need to leave the room. Every single one of your favourite skaters got their first break on their local shop’s video. PJ Ladd’s Wonderful Horrible Life is in your top 3, right? Skateshop video. Love Penal Code 101a as a representation of late ’90s SF? Skateshop video.
These productions operate in another space to company videos. Yes, they’re still marketing tools that are still trying to sell you something but beyond attempting to entice you into their stores, skateshop videos are selling you the promise of friendship, camaraderie and belonging above all else. Atemporal is a video by Retta skateshop, a business which began life online but has subsequently sprouted three physical stores in two southern Brazilian cities. I’m telling you that, so you don’t need to check yourselves – you’re welcome.
My immediate reaction on my first watch was, “fucking hell, this is like watching ‘Las Nueve Vidas De Paco’ except their Paulo Diaz is a girl!” As first impressions go that’s pretty strong.
At 25 minutes plus, this is one of the longest selections contained herein but it absolutely deserves it and needs to be watched by anyone reading who’s yet to do so.
Wilton Souza opens things up with switch fs shove-its over objects in lines that other people ollie as singles. He is really, really good. Grotty, rough Brazilian spots handled at mach 10, street Cougars getting moistened by hydrant bangers and the setting for his last trick which makes that ‘Grant’s Tomb’ spot (made famous by Pappalardo and Rizzo) look like a children’s soft play centre.
Big Wilton is killing it.
The Retta kids come through hard with Leonardo Adrian and Thiago Neves literally growing from promising foetuses to fully emerged teenage slayers over the course of their shared part and then we come to the enigma of this one, at least for me. At this stage, it really shouldn’t be surprising to see female Brazilian skaters seemingly appear from nowhere but for whatever reason, it still is.
As I referred to above, if Atemporal is like a retelling of Chocolate’s Paco video then Kayna Abel is Paulo Diaz, complete with a track played and sung by her using what I think is an Angolan stringed instrument called a Berimbau. If that info alone isn’t enough – she’s also got impeccable flick and delivers a couple of scorching flip tricks in this short but memorable part. I think we need more. Paging you Anthony Claravall – let’s see a part from Kayna ASAP please.
The rest of the video is equally as sick with Retta OG Roberto Moreira mixing up hippy jump variations and switch pop shove-its accompanied by Gravediggaz and Rafael Gomes closing it off with Tom Knox level crust, spots where the entire surface is literally mud and fakie hardflips over rails.
I have nothing but love for both this video and for what it represents about the authentic foundations of skateboarding culture.
Respeito e amor to Pedro Biago and to all the Retta heads.
Watch this now and feel good about your lifestyle choices.
J.V. Papst – Euforia
Aside from the video’s title being reminiscent of an early ’90s rave club in the north of England, there’s very little about this one that isn’t brilliant. Within five seconds, I’d already mouthed the words “depress the PJ Ladd button – we’ve got ourselves a contender” to myself and that sense of a being exposed to a new and truly exceptional talent only increased as the part went on.
Before we even get to the skating though, props must be hurled appropriately towards Gustavo Gonçalves who made this. The follow filming, the B-roll, the cuts, and the selection of non-conventional angles all add up to what comes close to being a perfect section in my opinion. In much the same way as Barcelona’s Brayan Albarenga, this new (to me at least) Brazilian head is basically carved out of pure talent. For a part with a lot of manual variations, J.V. keeps the momentum up, helped immensely by the use of two beautifully maudlin sounding bossa nova tracks. This is Brazilian skateboarding unapologetically presented as such and we’re fortunate to be given a chance to see the blossoming of a skater guaranteed to go onto great things.
All the manual variations incorporate the most awkwardly beautiful exits, there’s a noseslide 270 out on a large flat hubba that will make you forget how disgusting that trick can be in the wrong hands and the switch flip ender, complete with run up through a plaza bustling with lurkers, is divine. I’m struggling to think of many recent stair bangers filmed from above that have worked so well – big up Gustavo again.
It’s not really possible to be funny when talking about this section because it’s just too tastefully progressive to joke about. Even his outfits are pristine. Hopefully, I’m not the only person blown away by this kid’s relaxed aesthetic-tech approach and we start to see him pop up on international Converse edits going forwards. For me it is crazy like if this doesn’t happen. Straight up dope!
Hermann Stene – Lille Rotta
Let’s deal with the elephant in the room first: is Pekka trying to shame every other skate filmer out of business this year? How many bloody videos can one dude release, seriously? Not only that but how many video parts is it possible to film in countries that are freezing cold for at least four months a year? How is it possible to be this productive? Does nobody have a job or something? So many questions…
I’m going to go ahead and assume that the title is either making fun of Hermann’s diminutive frame or referencing some past childhood misdemeanour because I’m fairly certain ‘lille rotta’ means ‘little rat’. Norwegians. Healthy as fuck. Highest domestic adoption of hydroelectric energy in the world. Sixth happiest nation on the planet. They even invented the cheese slicer for Odin’s sake (big up Thor Bjørklund for that one). No wonder they’re happy to slag each other off for lolz in videos destined for at least a hundred thousand sets of eyes.
Hermann Stene, like his countryman Pekka, is no stranger to a gruelling work ethic, with this standalone part happily slotting into his eye-rollingly absurd output of 2023 footage.
Is he Real’s first-ever Nordic pro? Is he taller than Ernie Torres? Can he film 18 sections next year just to make everyone else feel terrible about themselves? Most likely yes to all three.
From a casual observer’s perspective, it looks as though the vast majority of this part is filmed in and around Oslo, which means that the spots are either rough as arseholes and covered in snow or Post-Modern dreamscapes. What’s going on with that weird triple set that looks like a melted ice cream that he frontside flips? Someone please explain modern Nordic architecture to me. Is this what your cities get to look like if you pay high taxes but don’t have corrupt bastards in the government? God knows.
The intensity levels are fever-pitch throughout with little Rat tackling everything from tech mannies, to soaking wet vertical DIY tran, to truly terrifying handrails at speeds formerly assumed impossible.
I mentioned Hermann resetting the boundaries of Nordic rail gnarl earlier on and you don’t need to be Sherlock Hosoi to know which handrail I’m talking about. The backside 5050 on the double kink is 100% Evil Knievel levels. He’s going so fast through the last kink that he takes off momentarily. Add to that the fact that there’s only one long angle of this stunt and the genuine shock on the faces of his mates as he rides away and it’s clear we’re dealing with an international hammer incident. The whole set up for that 5050 kind of gives an impression of Herman just stumbling across this Baekkel level rail on his way to buy some Rakfisk and just thinking, ‘fuck it, might as well grind this.’ The surface looks absolutely toilet too and the run out is into a road. What a genuine maniac.
It’s pointless me listing any other tricks because honestly, that kinked 5050 is so gnarly that even if the entire section was just that one trick on repeat, you’d still be buzzing. If, for whatever reason, you missed this the first time then go watch it right now and then when you’ve done asking yourself, “what was that track Pekka used? The guy’s voice is crazy” Google the band Leatherface and bask in the glory of rasping 90s punk from Sunderland, northeast England. Overall, the Norwegian power midget done double plus good!
Dmitry Kononov – Puri: Where have all the flowers gone and SHORTY PURI
This next choice is driven as much by the great skating featured as by the authentic wonder induced by seeing skateboarding performed in places almost unseen by the wider global skate media. Of course, in the case of Georgia and Tbilisi, as we’ve come to expect, Patrik Wallner got there first but this full-length Puri video and the 4-minute Shorty Puri clip that came out later in the year must still stand as the inaugural in-depth documentation of the emergent skate scene from within Georgia.
It’s easy to become complacent about the throwaway, meaningless nature of skateboard video content these days. There’s just so much of it now that it is becoming increasingly difficult to show people anything remotely ‘new’. This is where these two videos come in.
Let me set the scene: Puri opens up with footage of a guy in black and purple jester trousers bombing a hill so rough that when he eventually slides off his board to avoid an oncoming car, bits of degraded tarmac torn up by the slam form an applauding cloud around his flailing, bouncing carcass. More GX1000 BC than the SF version that we’re all familiar with. There’s ‘crust’ and then there are the back streets of Tbilisi mate.
According to the interviews that accompanied the release of Puri, skateboarding only really began in Georgia in the early ’00s and as such the scene there has been on a kind of divergent path of evolution in some respects. For the first decade or so, the indigenous skaters were cut off from both the product and the connected media of the outside skateboard universe. This seems to have resulted in a scene whereby almost everything is accepted and the modern marble ledges and plaza spots we’d expect to see in a European capital mix with spaces that look more reminiscent of a developing country or worse to spoiled western European eyes.
The echoes of the tumultuous history of the country and its still recent secession from Russian control are everywhere you look in both videos too which, besides the great skating, is what made such an impression on me. These two videos present skateboarding in its purest form: a vehicle for the exploration and discovery of cities and, with Georgia’s move away from Russian domination since the 2008 war and the rapid development that this country is currently undergoing, this exploration is likely to uncover a whole lot more previously untapped spots and talent.
I’m not meaning to patronise the Puri crew – either the homegrown locals or the diaspora community – their skating is on the exact same level as skateboarding anywhere else but because their scene is only two decades old and because their country stands at the crossroads of two supposedly distinct ways of life: there is something ineffably different and magical about watching it unfold.
From dudes wallriding on literal tin shacks and then bombing compacted dirt hills chased by packs of dogs, through to tech manual lines on the perfect-looking cement plazas that have presumably sprung up since Georgia turns its sights towards the EU and the investment started flowing: these two videos are windows into living history. Perhaps that’s a little too much for a seasonally themed list where my primary role is to make fun of people’s trousers but, cards on the table, this is honestly how Puri made me feel. Puri reminds us that skateboarding really is more significant than being a convenient marketing vessel to sell overpriced soft goods to people confused about whether they like sports or not. Thank God.
With the above said, I’m not trying to condescend to these rippers, nor to portray them as our country cousins because the skating on these videos is really, really good. Yeah, architectural determinism means that there are a lot of sketchy looking drop ins and wallrides but there are also dudes perfectly nollie heelflipping into futuristic glass domes and handling death-defying hubbas that wouldn’t look out of place in a Zero release.
I dunno what the Tbilisi equivalent of a smorgasbord would be, but whatever it is, that’s what’s being served up in these two brilliant clips. Little things like switching the audio up so that a large proportion of the longer Puri video is set to the sounds of Georgian folk songs belted out in restaurants just adds to the magical aura of the whole piece. It’s a skateboarding video yeah, but its reason for existing isn’t to sell me £200 trousers, which is always refreshing.
As a final note, the second ‘Shorty Puri’ video from the same crew and film maker (Dmitry Kononov) follows a similar theme, alternating between white knuckle downhills witnessed and applauded by increasingly accepting looking members of the public and the more conventional power tech street skating. The ender of this one, a crazy noseslide to roof drop, concludes with a group of Scottish football fans in full Braveheart regalia cheering the hammer and sharing street pints in recognition of the trick. If that scene alone doesn’t speak to Georgia’s current state of political and social evolution, then I don’t know what does. I cannot recommend these two videos enough: thank you for sharing.
Conor Charleson – Slight Inclination
I almost didn’t pick this one because it felt as though there were a million interviews, articles, and podcasts about it already. Plus, I’m one of those knobheads that will react to everyone enthusiastically telling me to watch something by completely ignoring it. I’ve still never watched The Office or The Sopranos due to this self-defeating wilfulness. I did watch this Conor part as soon as it came out though because I like him and I’m a big fan of skateboarding designed to give you a hernia.
When I came to finalise this list, I reconsidered my churlish attitude and decided that despite the guy who edited and conceptualised this part (Dan Magee) approaching its release like Tom Cruise pimping ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, Conor’s commitment to following his own excruciatingly awkward path in skateboarding warranted my ham-fisted attempts to eulogize his (and Dan’s) hard work.
First off, tongue-in-cheek barbs aside, the narrative depth of this 7-minute clip is outstanding. The little cartoons of Conor and the intermeshing of references to Victorian architect Joseph Paxman, (the designer of StonePenge in Crystal Palace, one of Conor’s favourite spots): these alone justify the amount of smoke blown up Dan’s backside by a multitude of internet outlets.
I guess if you’re going to embark on a project with a skater who deliberately selects the unskateable, has a full-time job, and is lovingly referred to as ‘The Saga’ then you’re unlikely to opt for the ‘put a song on top and edit tricks in ascending order of difficulty’ formula, are you?
I am slightly surprised at the relatively low view count (23k) given the amount of chat online, but this is niche skateboarding in the same way that (dare I say it) freestyle is niche skateboarding, so I suppose its appeal will be limited to those who understand why riding up vertical ‘banks’ is something to be celebrated.
Clearly, despite being a sponsored skater, Conor’s motivation here goes way beyond keeping his fee-paying backers happy. Were it as simple as that, he could’ve done a trip to Barcelona or something and selected banks and wallride spots that were a) easier to skate and b) not 200 years old.
This thought led me to chuckle to myself about Tony Hawk’s comments regarding Steve Alba’s pool obsession in the recent Santa Cruz Salba documentary. To paraphrase, when asked for his thoughts about Salba’s relentless search for backyard pools Tony replied with, “I just don’t understand what’s fun about searching out spots that make it virtually impossible to do even the most basic tricks.”
The same could most definitely be applied to Conor’s approach, replacing harsh backyard tranny with street vert. Aside from the relief of actually being able to stop trying, it’s hard to locate much joy in alley-oop backside 180 nosegrinding a nipple high bank-to-wall unless you’re driven by something elemental (or Magee).
The intrinsic ‘pain in the arse’ of electing to film a full part of this type of skating is adequately summed up by the horrific credit card which opens this up. It’s difficult to imagine any Erik Ellington esque “Getting fucked up tonight!” post trick celebrations in Conor’s world. More likely, “Getting my body covered in Ibuprofen gel tonight!”
Stupidity aside, even to the uninitiated there is some really wild skateboarding contained in this. Alley oop switch frontside wallrides and mayday grinds on actual walls without a hint of a bank are not easy on perfect obstacles, never mind on the degraded Victorian debris Conor chooses to session.
The struggle is real and it is to be commended. Skateboarding is supposed to be about following your own path, right? Concerned with avoiding the pitfalls of cloning others and setting out your own vision of how the concrete prisons that surround us can be played with? If that’s still right then Conor is a trailblazer of his own trajectory, albeit one that nobody in their right mind would opt to duplicate, and thus he’s ticked all the boxes necessary for kudos.
It’s also got great music. Do yourselves a favour, push full speed at the nearest brick wall and experience a momentary Charleson for yourselves. Fair play boyo.
Metronome – Pillars
My most recently uploaded selection is entirely a matter of personal preference. There’s no expectation of objectivity here so if you disagree, write your own list innit?
Real talk: Stalin Square AKA Letna Park in Prague, Czech Republic is the dopest street spot in the world. On the most superficial level it is as close to perfect as any of the other marble-based street spots still standing across the globe. What makes Stalin even doper than all the other contenders, from Macba to Pulaski, is the history of the space that the spot occupies. The iconic Metronome that perches on top of the hill tirelessly counting out 4 beats per minute for the residents below like some kind of benevolent god, sits on a plinth formerly occupied by a 17,000-ton statue of Joseph Stalin, (hence the spot’s nickname). After Stalin’s death, Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev ordered the destruction of the statue in the Spring of 1963, blasting it off the apex of Letna Hill using dynamite. The iconic Metronome was added in 1991 and remains as a symbol of the struggles of the Czech and Slovak people against Communism and the site of many of the protests leading to the Velvet Revolution that finally overthrew Soviet rule back in 1989.
The density of the history surrounding this spot continues to this day with a quarter of a million people protesting against alleged government corruption there in 2019. Equally, a move in the same year to fence off and potentially demolish the space around the Metronome based on spurious evidence of structural insecurity launched a global movement to save the spot and to demand official acknowledgement of its international cultural significance.
The attempted land grab was foiled and, hopefully, Stalin Square and Letna Park will continue to operate as a bastion of free association and ultra-dope ledge skateboarding in perpetuity.
Anyhow, with the potted history lesson out of the way: get ready for Big L and some of the most awesome tech street lines you’ll see this week. I picked this for all the reasons above, plus the fact that on the first of my many visits there I met a guy whose full-time occupation seemed to be playing chess and selling weed. In between these two noble pursuits he’d occasionally get up, throw a ridiculous ledge line out first try, and then sit down again to challenge the next neophyte in need of either strategic inspiration or red eyes. I’d never seen anything like it before or since. It encapsulated the resonance of Stalin Square to me in a way that nothing else could have done really.
The four guys featured in Pillars; Marcus Shaw, Roman Lisivka, Marek Kocak and Jakub Osten typify the intrinsic dopeness of the scene based around the spot absolutely perfectly. Absolute zero stinking trainers found in this one and the impeccable dress sense of all involved further complements the fast and undeniably progressive skating. Sure, it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of Budvar but for those interested in ledge maths, there’s lots to be stoked about.
The older I get, the more misty-eyed I become at the realisation that I will never be able to knock out nollie flip backside nosegrind reverts at full speed in lines, nor look as cool as Roman Lisivka whilst doing it.
With that said, the vicarious enjoyment of watching skaters at the very top of their game skate in this way on this hallowed ground and maintain a tradition established way back in the 90s and documented on the Black Rabbit series of videos (amongst others) makes me happy. The inscription on the base of the Metronome from which this video and previous ones from the extremely talented skater/film maker Jakub Osten take their name reads, “In time, all things pass…”
Whilst this is true, I hope Stalin Square continues to produce videos like this until the sun explodes and kills us all. Good kicks, hard tricks, no dicks. Ať žije letní park!
Matheus Mendes – For The Children
First things first: this video part of 14-year-old Matheus Mendes was filmed by his dad Wallace Belo. Now immediately let go of any misgivings that may have instilled in your head: this is not a Trea ‘the tank’ Montgomery situation. In fact, after the most cursory of research (and watching Matheus and Wallace’s recent shared 2021 part ‘Continuidade’) it quickly became clear that young wonder kid is definitely a chip off the old block.
Matheus’ father is not just your average supportive parent who has learned how to film so as to embrace his kid’s hobby, he is a bona fide OG ripper with oodles of magazine and video coverage who’s still kickflip boardsliding big rails and switch 360 flipping road gaps like he’s never heard of arthritis. He films and edits really well too, another consequence of clearly having been a skateboarder his entire life. As such, this section really takes the ‘overly competitive skate parent’ meme and flips it on its head which is one of the many reasons why I picked it from the 102 available Free Skate Mag uploads of 2023.
On the most basic level, I dug the disconnect between the cutesy intro with him talking about snapping his first deck and the chalk board typeface used to announce the part and the skating that immediately filled my computer screen afterwards. Matheus might be a little kid but he sure as hell doesn’t skate like one.
Impeccable flick, pop, and fits. An array of non-conventional handrail tricks done with far too much ease; all the EMB noseslide/crook variations you can wiggle your toes at and a creatively technical approach to being this good at 14. I spotted a couple of April boards in amongst this footage too so let’s hope Shane O’Neill is aware and considering increasing his Brazilian contingent even further.
I’ve got no jokes or wit for this one: put frankly, Matheus seems destined for big things given that he’s already this accomplished at such a tender age.
I felt compelled to include this for all the reasons previously mentioned and because Free are using their platform to give shine to kids like this, rather than only privileging the branded content and established names which they get paid to host one way or another. Everyone is looking out for the next wunderkind and Matheus Mendes might just be one of them.
All hail the next gen and big up the dads out there grinding in the streets. You heard?
Brayan Albarenga – Yuyu
I really wanted to avoid repetition on this year’s list, so I sidestepped selecting some of the Free clips from skaters or crews that I’ve discussed previously. You don’t need me to tell you to watch the newest Jante, or that a Sour trip filmed and edited by Gustav is going to be worth your time. Likewise, I left out Quentin Guthrie’s 2023 projects because his name on its own ought to make you watch.
I couldn’t avoid picking twinkle toes though. As soon as I saw this Brayan Albarenga ‘Yuyu’ clip when it first came out in July, I knew that I’d end up writing about him again.
Some people might assume an unfair advantage what with Brayan being a native Barceloni and one-time self-styled ‘Macba kid’ but I’m not accepting that. There are just as many people whose ‘careers’ began and ended by tumbling into a bin from a great height questing for props at Macba as there are success stories. Likewise, how many talented skaters installed themselves in that same plaza only to squander their talents by falling prey to the many distractions that Barcelona can offer? Nope, there’s nothing unfair about Brayan’s (and fellow ex Macba kid Pedro Attenborough) rise to fame. It’s based on pure and simple talent trained up through innumerable hours daintily wearing down Catalan marble in a variety of stances.
And, in a world where sometimes stats can outweigh beauty – Brayan’s greatest power is hosting one of the most elegant styles in the world. I don’t think it’s just me that’s a fan either, given that this 4-minute part has gathered 88.5k views to date. That’s a hell of a lot for a section that begins with a line encompassing an ollie and a 360 flip on flat, right?
That reality represents why every bit of footage that this duo release is noteworthy. It’s not just the fact that he can do the hardest manual and ledge combos; it’s the fact that he can make these tricks look so easy without any of the preening self-awareness that sometimes afflicts skaters of this level of ability. Absolute zero filler in this one either, even the ‘easier’ tricks are performed with a level of almost transcendent insouciance available only to truly gifted skaters.
I’m still not even sure if he has a proper board sponsor either – I know he’s on adidas and Mosaic bearings but is this kid really still just getting a flow board deal that nobody’s talking about? Crazy times.
I’ve a feeling that he might be about to break into the big time soon though, seeing as someone’s clearly explained proper Instagram protocol to him of late. If ever there was someone who I’d be happy to see benefit from tickling the algorithm, then it’s this dude.
Trick-wise, if you’re already a fan, then you’ll know what to expect. Beautifully executed ledge and manual skating with new and interesting takes on how to skate the architecture that his style is based around. Suffice to say that you’ve got to be pretty special to get away with filming a trick on the doorway ledge at Macba in 2023 and I can’t remember anyone else doing frontside noseblunt nollie flip out to forwards in a line that well before.
This is why Brayan’s name and technical pre-eminence are inextricably linked. He does things that other people don’t, and he does them in a way that nobody else can. If that doesn’t qualify you for a handful of Euros on the regs, then I don’t know what does.
In summation, my only complaint about this superlatively constructed clip is the exhortation in the final song to “Do some Percocet with some strippers”. It’s this kind of wayward decision that’s resulted in so many Macba pilgrims ending up sleeping in doorways and pretending they’re Tom Penny. Bun the prescription nodders. Gracias Brayan y Yoryo. Mas por favor!
