city meets sea - BREAKS Magazine

CITY MEETS SEA
vol.2 issue 6
G UY O KAZ AK I
S UR FBO ARD S
TEAM RIDER : JOHN MCCLURE
PHOTO: MIKE RIGGINS
//Editor// C Monk
[email protected]
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//Guest Photographers//
Pep Williams, Shelby Woods, Michael Kew,
Herman Jimenez, Paul Fisher, Mick Riggins,
Abe Blair.
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//Guest Interviewers//
Aki X, Pep Williams, Paul Fisher, Guy Okazaki
//Cover photo// Pep Williams
//Back Cover photo// Shelby Woods
“Louis Vittounge”
//Thank You//
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ROGUE STATUS, MATUSE WETSUITS,
GUY OKAZAKI SURFBOARDS,
PEPSTAR SKATEBOARDS
Manny Pacquiao, Daniel Jones,
Soulja Boy, Rachel Metz, Nick Visconti
Cali Swag District, Estevan Oriol,
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Delly Ranx, Serani, Angel Woods,
Shelby Woods, Matt McCabe
Jack Bailey, John McClure, and
Jennifer Thomason.
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VENICE
ORIGINALS
1525 Pacific Ave. Venice, CA 90291
photo: BLOCK
THE GUITARIST!
Peter Destefano
Pornos for Pyro
Mike Clark
Suicidal Tendencies
Manny
PACQUIAO
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//photo// ELSV
Before I get into this interview, I have to say what a big fan I am
for this champion. There are not a lot of World sport champs that have my
skin color. For me, there’s what, Christian Hosoi, Bruce Lee, uh Voltron? He
is holding it down for all of the Philippines and other aspiring Asian World
athletes. Big respect!! Today the champ reins as WBC super welterweight
world champion, former WBO welterweight world champion, former WBC
lightweight world champion, former WBC super featherweight world champion,
former IBF jr. featherweight world champion, former WBC flyweight world
champion, WBC international super featherweight champion, former WBC
international super bantamweight champion, and former OPBF flyweight
champion. He is 32 years old right now. Pound for pound one of the sport’s alltime greats. There was Cassius Clay, now there is Manny Pacquiao.
SHOWTIME’S EXCLUSIVE BIG EVENT!
MANNY PACQUIAO vs SHANE MOSLEY.
PRESS: Did you have any preference over him, Did you want to fight anyone
else?
MP: I’m a fighter and I will fight anyone.
PRESS: What can we expect from the fight with Mosley?
MP: It’s going to be a good fight, I will train hard for this fight to give a good
show.
PRESS: We hear you will be invited to the White House and meet the Obama’s?
MP: It’s my privledge
PRESS: I know you are focused on Mosley, but do you hope for that fight with
Mayweather?
MP: For me, if the fight happens it’s good, good for the fans. If the fight doesn’t
happen, I’m ok because I’ve already achieved all I need in boxing.
PRESS: In a recent interview, he (Mayweather) said that he still thinks it might
and can happen. Are you encouraged by that interview or what he had to say?
MP: You know right now I’m praying for him and his personal life. I am not a
bad guy thinking bad things of him. I’m praying for him to get better everything
in his life so he can fight.
PRESS: Are you ok if you don’t fight him?
MP: Yeah, no problem. The problem is not mine. It’s from him. His personal
life.
PRESS: Is your camp going to be different for the fight against Sugar Shane
Mosley?
MP: Yes, this camp will be different, we need to be strong, fast, and quick.
PRESS: This visit to the White House, does it have an agenda?
MP: No, but if that happens, that’s politics.
PRESS: Shane Mosley says that his body shot will knock you out. How are you
going to stay away from his body shots?
MP: That is why I have to train hard. I have to prepare for this fight.
PRESS: A lot of this seems to be made to make it seem that Mosley has a shot at
you. Don’t you feel confident that you’ll win?
MP: I will train hard for this fight, he’s not an easy opponent, you know what I
mean. It depends on how I will have prepared for this fight. We will train hard.
PRESS: You don’t want to take him for granted?
MP: Yes. He’s a strong fighter.
PRESS: How many rounds will it go?
MP: The usual.
PRESS: Will you fight at Super welterweight again?
MP: I don’t know if I will be able to fight at 154 lbs. because I think it’s too big
for me. I want to stay at 147 lbs. at welterweight. You know my weight is 143142 lbs., it’s hard to be at 154 lbs.
PRESS: Who will be your sparing partners for this fight?
MP: I don’t know.
PRESS (@Fred Roach): Game plan for this fight?
FRED ROACH: Hope to win every round and go with a good game plan.
PRESS: For the Margarito fight, Pacquiao says he trained but obviously you
guys were a little disappointed in the camp over all?
FRED ROACH: In the Philippines, he has politics of course but the last three
weeks he was a machine. He did his own thing and got into shape like he
always does. I do think we did too much too close to the fight that time. But
since then, we have talked about the distractions in the Philippines and so we
will train four weeks back here at home in L.A.
PRESS: Is that the reason for why you want the four weeks here in L.A. To
have more extra time away from all that?
FRED ROACH: Philippines, you know, politicians pull him out of training all
the time and talk to him.
PRESS: Manny, do you think this will be a big fight?
MP: This will be one of my hardest fights in my boxing career.
//photo// ELSV
DANIEL JONES
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//photo// Michael Kew
Daniel where were born and where did you learn to surf?
I was born in Kailua on the east side of Oahu, and learned to surf at Kailua
shorebreak. It only breaks on windswell and hurricanes. Who or what inspires you to do what you do?
The last surf movie I watched was Searching for Tom Curren, I watched it 3
times, that was inspiring. Surfing with my friends and brothers. I like to feel how
different each board rides and just getting that feeling you only get from a riding
a wave. Seeing the ocean makes me want to get in it, it just sucks you in. When did you realize professional surfing was going to be a career move? In 1988 when I was 5 and looking through my dad’s surf mags, and could
recognize the surfers because they had the same airbrush on everyboard.
Sometimes they were different colors, but same layout. That’s when I knew, I
wanted to do that. I needed to come up with a good airbrush. Having surf as a culture running deep in the family must have really helped
push you to surf? How competitive are you with your brothers and sister?
The whole family surfs, my Mom, Dad, step Dad, siblings, and my uncles all
surf. My Mom surfed with me when she was pregnant. We lived by the beach.
My Dad made me my first board. I covered the bottom of it with stickers for
speed. Surfing is what my family was already doing, then I showed up. Are you currently competing or traveling doing the free surf life?
I enjoy surfing in the Hawaii events and I also travel to do the free surf thing as
well. Do you train or just don’t care about that stuff?
I stretch everyday. I have to train when there are no waves, or else I’m too tired
from surfing all day. What are some current or future projects on deck?
Hangs Upon Nothing a 16mm film by Jermey Rumas. I’ve done a few trips with
Jeremy after I met him on Christmas Island two years ago. He’s from Indiana
and has not been around surfing his whole life. It will be good to see surfing
through a fresh pair of eyes. What kind of advise would you give to the next generation of pro surfer?
Respect your elders, use your rail and have fun. Do you like the way surfing has progressed as an industry and sport or
would you have it another way?
Yes and no, but it is what it is. I wish the surfboard industry was better. Too
many cheap imports. What’s Daniel Jones next big move in relation to your career?
I’m very thankful for the opportunity to go surfing everyday. I’m going to take
full advantage of it. Current sponsors?
Ruca, Matuse, Ocean Minded, Smith, Nixon, Vertra, Tropical Blends, Future
//photo// Michael Kew
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//photo// Michael Kew
//photo// Pep Williams
SOULJA BOY
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BREAKS: What are you doing out here?
SB: I just got through performing on the Jay Leno Tonight Show and Kim
Kardashian was there. She was looking good. It was for the Artists performing
for Veterans Day. Yeah so, I enjoyed that. I performed my brand new single,
“Speakers Going Hammer.” I shot the video out here in Cali like a week and a
half ago. I’m really ready for my fans to check it out.
BREAKS: You’re famous.
SB: It’s crazy to see how far I’ve come. I never thought I’d be at this point. I’m
glad I’m at this point, twenty-three years later.
BREAKS: Did you make money off of downloads?
SB: I was talking to the Wall Street Journal about this a couple weeks ago in
New York. I was doing shows and shows, I was up around $5,000 a show, and
you look at what I was doing on the internet with social media. Sound clip,
I was averaging like 30,000 downloads a day. And I was getting half of that.
$15,000 I was making a day. This was before my big single, when I was in High
School ‘til Interscope. After I signed with Interscope, “Crank That” sold twenty
million. Ten million ringtones and ten million iTunes. I am one of the top
digitally. I sat down with one of the owners of iTunes, and it’s me, Lady Gaga,
and Michael Jackson, top grossing downloads.
BREAKS: Damn dude, that’s huge! When did you start in the entertainment
industry?
SB: When I was fourteen. I started rapping when I was eleven in the school
cafeteria. I had a rep for going against dudes. At fourteen, I started messing
around with mixers and software. When I was sixteen, I found the internet,
digital camera, and a beat machine and mixer. I used these tools all the way to
the major deal with Interscope Records with Jimmy Iovine. I was seventeen. It
was that summer night before my birthday. I flew down to L.A. first time. Sat
down with Jimmy Iovine, chopped it up with Interscope Records. They gave me
a deal . I’ve been grinding ever since.
BREAKS: That is impressive, so you just made it with those tools, and got it out
to the world. The internet is powerful!
SB: Yeah man. It’s a new day. It’s a new avenue to take for anyone. You can
break the avenue with skateboarding. I’m seeing new skaters on short films, on
you tube, and getting their name out there. All on the internet, new rappers, new
dancers, all the new trends, technology, cell phones, it’s all the internet.
BREAKS: So the internet is the new street?
SB: Exactly, it starts there and turns into a reality. You build your fan base there.
You get your following then you build the reality. I’m on the road . I’ll be on
the road for everyday for the rest of this year. In different cities, promoting this
album. Just doing what I do period. I love that life on the tour bus. It’s like I’m
on the open road, kick back relaxed.
BREAKS: So do you make tracks on your laptop when you are travelling?
SB: Yeah, I just spent $45,000 at The Guitar Center on some good equipment,
microphone, pro-tools for the laptop and speakers. If I’m inspired, I can just go
into the studio, and it’s done.
//photo// Pep Williams
BREAKS: Where you from? Atlanta?
SB: Yeah, born in Chicago stayed in Atlanta ‘til I was around 14. Then I moved
to Mississippi, and I got famous around 17. Been on the road ever since.
BREAKS: Who inspired you in Atlanta?
SB: Growing up, I listened to 2PAC, 50, GUCCI. When I was younger,
MASTER P, THREE SIX MAFIA, and whatever caught my ear. Study it,
prepare for the rap game.
BREAKS: How do you like Southern California
SB: Cali is cool man. Yeah, I bought a spot out here 2 years ago. I’m back and
forth between Cali and Atlanta. I go to the beach, Venice Beach.
BREAKS: How’s skating?
SB: I started skating when I was like 11 years old., but I played football in high
school. I really just got back into it recently. I didn’t take it serious until a
couple months ago. I’ve been just doing the rap game. I got my third album.
People always asking me, “what are you ging to do next, movie, video, I think
I’m really gonna fuck with skating. I was at Houston, Texas night, and I got
three skateboards on the tour bus. I am just fucking around skating outside.
Yeah that would be some shit, Soulja Boy the skater.
BREAKS: You got skaters right here, so.... you on twitter, and it’s you not
someone else?
SB: All tweets come from my fingertips.
BREAKS: Let’s talk about your new album?
SB: The new album is called “DEANDRE WAY.” Got 50 CENT on the album.
TRE SONGS, LITTLE B, the whole SOD, everyone’s on the album. I did
production on it. SPEAKERS GOING HAMMER. Ten songs, fifteen on the
deluxe. Hit after hit.
BREAKS: How has it changed? Is it evolving? How is this album different
from the last one?
SB: My lyrics gotten better man. My production value has gone up. I’m gonna
set the tone with this album, you know what I mean.
www.breaksmagazine.com
MATT MCCABE
//photo// Paul Fisher
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//photo// Herman Jimenez
RACHEL METZ
//photo// Herman Jimenez
//photo// Herman Jimenez
//photo// Herman Jimenez
//photo// Herman Jimenez
NICK
VISCONTI
BREAKS: Snow must get dangerous?
NV: Yeah, when you are riding in the back country or riding in the backcountry
or riding in powder, you know there’s like all different types of things, you have
to be aware of constantly.
BREAKS: So....
NV: Are we doing the interview right now?
BREAKS: Yeah we’re just talking.
NV: Ahahaha
BREAKS: This your first time in Venice?
NV: No, I grew up in Northern California, so I’ve spent quite a bit of time down
here. Ever since I’ve been working with Arbor, I definitely been spending
more time down here in Venice. It’s rad because I’m a pretty eccentric soul.
I love Venice, how individual everyone is. There’s not a set type of persona
that everyone tries to emulate. Everyone’s kind of doing their thing and being
independent and experiencing themselves on exactly who they are created to
be. I think that’s rad, and you can connect with a lot of people based on that
level. Oh, you might not enjoy the same things or not be the exact same person
or be involved in the same activities, but because you guys are both genuine
characters, you’re able to connect on that level, and I think that’s rad.
BREAKS: Where did you grow up?
NV: I grew up right outside of San Francisco and actually grew up
skateboarding, but my Dad was just a total snow bro and came from a ski bum
lifestyle, but then started doing real estate in the Bay area.. So he would always
take me up when I was 1 ½ years old. I was the youngest person at Kirkwood
ever. I had found that same passion that my Dad had. I had the desire when I
was sixteen to start driving up and do day trips to the snow because I lived three
hours away from the snow, the mountains, the beauty, and just the way His glory
fills the land, just really captivated me, and I was really able to connect to God
in that type of environment, and it just inspired my kind of lifestyle, and before
you know it, I’m riding professionally.
BREAKS: Has it always been your dream to be pro?
NV: I’ve been definitely blessed with a certain ability level and that carried
over into boardsports or in action sports. But honestly, I’ve just been doing it
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//photo// courtesy of ARBOR
//photo// Abe Blair
//photo// Abe Blair
BREAKS: How do you cut out fear?
NV: I think the possibility of failure drives everybody. You know, if you are an
action sports athlete or if you’re a regular sports athlete, the possibility to lose
or if you do lose, you want to get up and conquer. You want to re-develop and
re-define the move you were trying or whatever trick it was or that feature. If it
takes you down, I think we are built a little with a bit of cockiness that says “no
fuckin’ way”. You know, there is something in us all to continue to rise above
especially in action sports, to conquer. If you look at civilization and history, we
are all the same. We want to explore and to create and conquer. So I guess that
mind set applies to any lifestyle that you’re involved in and or sports that you
participate in.
BREAKS: Are you currently competing consistently?
NV: I prefer not to compete too much. I think of snowboarding as an art form
and a way to express who I am as a person. When you start competing, I think
you start allowing people to look at you and judge you and score you, and I
would just prefer to keep it as me just giving something to the world rather than
people taking away something from me.
BREAKS: It’s not so much about the trophy? It’s your lifestyle?
NV: I think lifestyle is extremely important! We all choose one. The majority of
the public chooses lifestyles for different reasons than individual stimulation so
whether it is snowboarding that inspires me now or something else completely
different at that point in my life. I want my lifestyle to resemble what I’m
inspired and passionate about. Right now that happens to be snow and skate,
and beautiful ladies!
BREAKS: Hell yeah! Beautiful ladies!
NV: Hell yeah!
BREAKS: Who are your current sponsors?
NV: ARBOR, SESSIONS, ARNETTE,WINDELL’S
BREAKS: Last shout outs?
NV: Def, wake up every morning and open my eyes, and I want to thank Jesus
first and foremost. My family for presenting the opportunity to get me involved
in snowboarding in the first place. My friends that continually keep inspiring me
and keep me passionate about what I’m doing. Thank school for stimulating my
mind so that I may use my brains to be expressive and creative in snowboarding.
And thanks Savannah for getting me my deals and um... yeah!
//photo// Pep Williams
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CALI SWAG DISTRICT
BREAKS: CALI SWAG in L.A. Whazzup man
YUNG: What’s ya deal, it’s ya boy Yung a.k.a Mr. Swag himself.
JAYARE: I go by Jayre, 3rd version of the group,
M-BONE: And of course me, the Boogie Monsta.
SMOOVE: And I am a.k.a the General but they call me Smooth.
BREAKS: Right on man, so we are BREAKS MAGAZINE. So what are you
guys doing right now?
YUNG: We are just getting ready for this Young star tour for BET. We have
been in Vegas for past I’d say two months. Feels like we been there forever.
We been training, working out, a little boxing here and there, but other than that
been on the road, getting it in.
JAYARE: Our single out Kickback.
BREAKS: Let’s talk about the new single “Kickback”. How did that come
around?
YUNG: Well, we are dudes that like to have some fun. So, “Kickback” came
about cuz that’s what we do, we throw kickbacks instead of throwing parties.
Like back in the days, people use to throw parties but our generation started
throwing them, but people started getting hurt at all these parties, so we decided
to throw “Kickbacks”. It’s like everybody owns the party, and it will be us and a
lot of girls, you know.
BREAKS: Haha when’s the next “Kickback” party going down? Sounds dope!
YUNG: So the song is actually explaining how to throw a “Kickback”. So if
you don’t know how to throw a “Kickback”, listen to the single, follow the
steps.
JAYARE: It’s an instruction manual basically. A musical instructional manual.
BREAKS: So who produced that?
YUNG: In house producers.
BREAKS: Where you guys from? L.A. right?
CALI SWAG DISTRICT: Inglewood.
BREAKS: Inglewood what’s up!
CALI SWAG DISTRICT: INGLEWOOOOOD!
BREAKS: You have a new album coming out.
YUNG: Titled “The Kickback”. Throughout the process of making the album,
we were throwing “Kickbacks”. It’s hard to explain the songs, they are like no
other. They are not what you expect. DJ’s from other radio stations are saying
“I didn’t know you guys had that?” But we got more, way more.
BREAKS: So you’re coming in with some flavor after the “Dougie” basically?
YUNG: Yea, yea, “Teach me the Dougie” was just a foot in the door for us. We
are not leaving, we stuck in this house.
BREAKS: Any other artists on the new album?
SMOOVE: We didn’t collab a lot with other artists. We have a few samples
on there. A RICK ROSS sample, A JODECI sample, a MICHAEL JACKSON
sample. On the remix, we got BOW WOW, JERMAINE DUPRI, RED CAFÉ,
B.O.B., and other than that it’s all us.
BREAKS: What inspired you into the rap game.?
YUNG: From L.A., rappers like SNOOP DOGG, N.W.A, ICE CUBE,
KURUPT, all of them.
SMOOVE: Yeah, from the West Coast like to collab with E40.
BREAKS: Hyphy movement, The Bay area influence you guys at all?
M-BONE: I use to play “Turf Talk” a lot.
BREAKS: “Teach me the Dougie”, gone platinum?
YUNG: It’s on it’s way to double platinum.
BREAKS: Is the “Dougie”, the dance to do at the clubs or something?
YUNG: Yeah, that’s what made us do the song. The “Dougie” was getting so
hot when our friends were like you all should do a song about it. I was like fo
sho. It’s a dance that came from Dallas, Texas, and of course we saw it in a club
cuz of a song called “My Dougie”, but that song was about being fresh. We
liked that dance. So...
BREAKS: Outside of L.A. and San Franscisco, what other artists are you
listening to?
SMOOVE: Pittsburgh, my man Wiz Khalifa. We were listening to Wiz before
the big buzz, so we know. We listen to YOUNG MONEY, RICK ROSS, and
NIPSEY HUSSLE.
BREAKS: So how do you guys liking the stardom?
JAYARE: It’s beautiful! It’s a blessing!
SMOOVE: It’s like WOW, this is crazy?
YUNG: We’ll be chillin’ in a hotel room playing a game, I’d look around,
there be girls in here, whole bunch of food everywhere, everybody relaxing,
playing video games. I’d look around and be like, last year we had none of this,
everything is free, the girls are free, the food is free, video games are free. We
got some special edition PS3 for free. Just crazy!
BREAKS: What kind of games you guys playing?
SMOOVE: Call of Duty: Black Ops, NBA 2K11, that’s pretty much the main
two right there. When I’m at home, I’m on Call of Duty online all the time.
JAYARE: I be playing a lot of car games. Like Need for Speed, Midnight Club.
SMOOVE: I’m going ‘til about four tonight.
BREAKS: Hahaha
ESTEvAN
ORIOL
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//photo// Pep Williams
//photo// Pep Williams
BREAKS: So how long you been shooting?
Es: Since the mid 90's. I just had a small snap camera and I would just shoot.
Then my pops gave me a camera in the mid 90's, and said I live a cool lifestyle
and I should document it. At that time, I was on tour managing House of Pain.
And when I was back home from being on the road, I was lowriding with my car
club which is Lifestyle. So was either traveling all over the world with all of the
cool groups back then or I was lowriding.
BREAKS: You take your camera everywhere you go?
Es: I take it everywhere. Everywhere I go I keep my eyes open. I even miss
shots now that are unbelievable. I see something and I'm like I should shoot that
right now. I'll go a couple blocks more and think fuck! I gotta go back! But by
then, the shot is lost.
BREAKS: When did you notice you were a good photographer.
Es: That was more everybody else telling me that. I thought I was just taking
regular snap shots. People would see my pictures and say "Man these look like
Time Magazine or Life Magazine pictures". They would say I was at the same
place and my pictures don't look like that! Then I would ask to see their pictures
and thought maybe I do have something there.
A lady at the lab where I use to take my stuff to get printed she made me a lil art
show at her photo lab and it went well. She said you should think about taking
this more serious.
BREAKS: How did Joker Brand Come along?
Es: Joker Brand was a clothing company that Cartoon had done with another
friend of ours. I guess they didn’t see eye to eye with the direction of the
company. So Cartoon just wanted to do the company right there and then. At that
time I had a clothing company called Not Guilty with my other partner Lucky
and he went to prison and I got a letter saying cease and desist cause they owned
the trademark. In 1995, B Real was like why don’t we start our own line. At that
time, House of Pain had broke up and I switched over to Cypress Hill. They
initially got me the job at House Of Pain and they said since you aren’t working
and our tour manager is tripping come with us. So I went with them. So then
B-Real said why don’t we do a clothing line. I said well Cartoon still has that
Joker one. So we hit up Cartoon. They deeded the company, but still had a lot of
inventory. Cartoon said if you pay us for the inventory you can have it. That was
1995.
BREAKS: I was at the Barnes and Noble book store and saw L.A. Woman. How
did it feel when you saw it for the first time.
Es: I didn't even know Barnes and Noble carried my book until a friend from out
of town sent me a picture of it. I was walking by Barnes and Noble in Century
City by a big old window, and I saw it. I was like 'NO WAY!' They had a book
of Betty Davis, my book, Catherine Hepburn, Avatar, and Michelangelo books.
So my book is sitting with all those dudes. That shit fuck me up!
BREAKS: What’s the next thing you have coming up?
Es: Well I’m trying to work on some documentaries and try to figure out what
people trip on.
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DELLY RANX
Jamaican born DJ / Producer Delly Ranx
has the dancehall on smash right now. His
new self produced “Saudi Arabia Riddim” is
doing more than just rocking the dance floors
and radio airwaves of the Reggae world, it’s
bringing people back into Dancehall music.
Over the last few years the new Jamaican
Dancehall sound has become so US. Top 40
Hip hop / R and B influenced that it is hardly
recognizable to most dancehall fans. Therefore
alienating a large part of the real dancehall
audience who crave the real dancehall vybz.
So now, Dancehall Reggae producers like
Serani of Daseca who just released his
“Dancehall Again” riddim and Delly Ranks
with his new, mad, heavy rotation “Saudia
Arabia” riddim are setting the trends, bringing
the real Dancehall sound back to the people.
Breaks Magazine caught up with the Toppa,
Toppa Delly Ranx in his new recording studio
in Florida to talk about his big new riddim,
new album’s and DJ’s and free download
music killing the Reggae industry. Focus mi
focus. -Trasha.
Delly Ranx, what’s popping with you right
now? Delly Rankin, pon di bankin agwaaan,
give Jah thanks and praise ya know’.
What are you working on in the studio?
I am working on my third collaboration
album with Sadiki, and I am also working on
some new beats to touch the street. And I am
working on my solo album, so a lot of projects
right now. Keeping busy.
You killing the Dancehall right now with
your big new riddim, The Saudia Arabia
riddim? The dancehall massive, the real DJ’s,
the people who love the real authentic, original
dancehall music are going crazy over that beat.
That’s a wicked beat, bringing it back. We
talked about this before, Dancehall got
away from Dancehall over the last few years
and people want to hear Dancehall again?
So I just get in the studio vibe and create a
beat for the real people who love dancehall, to
move the original people dem and for the new
yute (youth) them to see the real dancehall.
Jamaicans? Yes I.
Are you touring right now? No I am in the studio, I have a lot of work in the
studio right now.
Is your new album coming out on your label? It’s a joint effort coming out on
my production company Di Ranx Production and Sadiki’s production company.
We have to show the yute and the world that artist can collaborate and artists can
produce good music you know.
You have a couple of tunes out on the Saudia Arabia riddim? Yes, I have
two songs on the Saudia Arabia riddim. The one called “Season with Froggy
Maddsquad and one solo by myself called “Toppa, Toppa”.
I like “Toppa, Toppa” and I really like that Buju cut on the Saudia Arabia
riddim, that is ridiculous? It is called “Tings Come Up”. I also have a new
single out with Gappy Ranks called “Could a Runaway” on a riddim that was
produced by myself called Runaway riddim. It is going to be on Gappy Ranks
new album.
Gappy Ranks is out of my home, England? Yes he is out of U.K.
Just on some feedback, people loving the Saudia Arabia riddim. It has mad
radio rotation? Well I told you before, my energy in this beat I was trying to
bring back Dancehall to where it’s supposed to be. It seems like it is going in the
right direction right now so that is good. I want to be able to make more beats
like that for the real original dancehall people. I want to get the artists on my
beat so people can get the energy of where I am coming from.
Dancehall needs that again I think, people are ready? Yeah man, Dancehall
need it because some time the beat play too fast and the yute them not really
concentrate because the yute them are dealing with hype. When you make real
Reggae music or real Dancehall music it’s not all about hype it’s about the
music.
You just moved to Florida? Yeah man, I am a family man now so I wanted to
be close to my kids and be there for them. I had to take time off from my job
to bring my family together. Now my family is together I am going to take the
scene by storm right now.
You still working at Gargamel with Buju? Buju is my brother for life. I would
never stop working with him.
What artists are you producing right now? I am always looking to help new
artists. I am working with Taranchyla, Froggy Maddsquad and Sadiki. My main
focus is with Froggy Maddsquad. We work on some mad, mad tunes for the
last 8 or 9 months and I am trying to break Froggy Maddsquad across to the
dancehall massive.
Do you think finally download music is finally starting to sell? Well first let’s
talk about the people them stop the bootleg. The download yes start to sell but
not the like the vinyl. The DJ’s are one who steal the music from studio, from
the artist and post on the internet. The DJ always want tune for free, dubplates
for free? If people buy the music it would be better for the music. We want to
stop the bootleg or free download. We want them to say Dancehall and Reggae
music is selling. Why is Hip hop music always out selling our music. We need
to outsell Hip hop so we who love and support Reggae music need to love and
support that music.
Isn’that also because Hip hop has a big marketing machine behind it?
Where as Reggae doesn’t? Reggae music is a big market too. But as I say,
most DJ’s don’t like to buy records. Most DJ’s like to get promotion and all that
stuff, but if you really love the music as you say you do then you will support
the music. First time vinyl cost a $1.99 or $2 or $3 but a download only cost 99
cents? Donate a dollar for the music, support the music. Each person who love
Reggae music or Dancehall music donate one dollar to the music and it will be
better.
When I was DJing out a lot I would buy a lot of vinyl. I got mad free vinyl
to but I liked to go and dig and find vinyl. That was what being a DJ was
about? Well that’s because you wouldn’t get all songs promotion.
No man not at all. I used to love finding and buying vinyl. Digging through
crates. Well now all a guy has to do is dig around on his hard drive and go on
the internet and download everything free. Them don’t even know who produce
a track now.
It’s not the same, when you buy vinyl you get to feel it, check the cover art,
see who produced it etc. It’s better, it’s exciting. I don’t go for the MP3
thing much, to easy, something is missing? Well the MP3 thing is good but the
guys who are playing the music should do the groundwork, find out the history
behind the music, because most of the guys now are just playing the music for a
hype. They are not playing the music for the love. Delly Ranx, I do music for the
love. I love music, I live for music.
Have you set the trend for the return to real Dancehall riddims in the
scene? Are all the other producers in the scene, Serani excluded, going
to start following your lead and be busting out real authentic Dancehall
riddims now? I can’t tell you know. I always lead and dem follow, you know?
Dem compete, but I don’t mind because great minds are great minds. So if I do
something great and someone copy then they copy. My main focus is to make
people happy about Dancehall music.
Shout outs? Big up the almighty, first and foremost who create this earth,
who create mankind and everything, Big up my wife who stick by me through
everything, Big up all of the fans who keep Delly Ranx alive. Big up DJ Trasha
who keep in touch with me and check me from time to time, Big Up Breaks
Magazine for running this article and remember praise the almighty for without
him we are nothing.
SERANI
Anyone who follows Dancehall Reggae music knows the Jamaican production
trio Daseca, named after the initials of the three Kingston producers who
make up the group. And anyone who knows Daseca will know Dancehall
recording artist Serani, especially the ladies. Serani’s hit single “No Games”
on the self produced “Unfinished Business” riddim was a billboard top 40 hit
on Hot 97 paving the way for his new album, dropping sometime in 2011. In
the meantime, Serani’s big new riddim “Dancehall Again” is blowing up the
dancehalls and radio stations of Jamaica, creating a much needed Dancehall
buzz and hype around Dancehall music again. One that has been lost over the
last couple of years as so many Jamaican dancehall producers have moved to a
more American Hip hop/pop swag dancehall sound. We caught up with Serani
in the Daseca studio in Kingston, Jamaica. New York represented by Jay Z and
Diddy, but them nah represent Kingston City. Dancehall Again. -Trasha.
Blessings, Serani in the building? It’s, it’s, it’s Serani just in case you never
know.
This, what’s cracking? Well currently I am promoting my hot new single “Skip
to the Lu” which is blowing up on the major radio stations. Ya know. I got a new
riddim out, juggling in Jamaica called “Dancehall Again”. The singles from that
riddim are called “My Star’ and “Day Mi Born”. I got another tune out also,
called “Sweet Love”, so I am keeping the music flowing.
You produce and perform all these songs with Daseca? Yes, actually all the
songs I mention I produce them. Yeah, yeah, yeah alongside my partners David
and Craig from Daseca.
Are you working on your new album? Yeah, we doing production on it and
releasing some singles. Creating the vibe and getting the energy going and then
eventually we drop the album.
You got a big new riddim out now called “Dancehall Again”? Yes, we just
released the “Dancehall Again” riddim. A lot of artists up on there: Assassin,
Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Mr Vegas and so on. It’s blowing up big in the
Dancehall right now. And we just released another riddim called “Exodus”, so
we pushing both of these riddims. You are producing an original Dancehall sound, where as a lot of the new
Dancehall producers coming out of Jamaica are producing a sound almost
the same as US. Top 40 Hip hop? I am not a big fan of the Hip hop Dancehall
sound. My main style is definitely old skool. I can’t speak for my partners, they
are a bit more that style than me. But me,Serani from Daseca, prefer the old
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skool style.
Like the “Unfinished Business” riddim you produced for your single “No
Games”? Yes, that’s the vibe I like.
I feel there is a danger now that new Dancehall sound is becoming too
much like Hip hop? People want the old skool sound, they want Dancehall
to sound like Dancehall, not Hip hop? That’s exactly the reason I make my
riddims sound like dancehall. Pretty much the reason why I create that name
Dancehall Again is, I want to highlight dancehall, it’s dancehall you know.
Why do so many artists in Jamaica now trying to be Hip hop? Is it a swag
thing? You know what I think it all stems from is a lot of kids that go uptown
and listen to Hip hop there and, I think that they make beats that sound like that.
Hip hop is easier to make than a dancehall beat. A dancehall beat is not easy
to make. I could make Hip hop beats all day but a dancehall beat is not easy
to make by any means. If you listen to a Hip hop produced dancehall beat you
laugh. Understand? It’s not something you could capture easily.
How did you first get into producing choonz? Well I have been a musician
from a young, young age. Since 2 years old I have been playing an instrument.
Basically the piano. I somehow got the love for songs and always wanted to
make beats and riddims. Basically I just put myself in any situation with people
who got the know how. Eventually I just started to write and produce.
You have produced some big big choonz for the dancehall? Yeah, well OK
I produced Sean Paul “We Be Burning”, Tony Matterhorn “ Dutty Wine”. I
produced “Willie Bounce” and “Chaka Chaka”. We got a good amount of hits
there. What was your first big choon that put you on the map as a producer? The
first big one was “Anger Management” which Mavado voice the anthem “Real
McKoy”. When did you link up with Bounty Killer and the Alliance? The link to
Bounty Killer came through my manager Julian and Footahype. You have been to Cali before, what do you think of the Dancehall scene out
here? Well, it’s growing it needs a lot of work. But I am starting to push my
music over that side definitely. Dancehall music is still a growing genre.
Big Ups? Breaks magazine, My manager Julian, Daseca, Bounty Killer,
Mavado, me artist Bugle, my moms, my pops, my brother, all my fans,
everyone in Cali, we’ll be back soon. Check me out daily on http://twitter.com/
seranimusic. Alliance!!
“Skaties” was a raging weekly Friday night party in Hollywood at Bar Dlux. Back when
Bar Dlux was an uber hip, late night, A-list dive bar, right before it became Tommy Lee’s
“Rock Bar”. Back when all eyes were on Hollywood night life and the celebutantes who
partied there. What happened at “Skaties” was unique , it never happened before and
has not happened since. “Skaties “ was a weekly club for Skateboarders, sponsored by
Skateboard companies, for their culture, for their art, for their way of life and primarily
for their friends. And most importantly, where as most Hollywood party goers gave such
high groveling regard to which famous A-list celebs were in the house, the “Skaties” crew
weren’t motivated by anything as fickle and superficial as that. “Skaties” was about a
D.I.Y. attitude, representing what you are about and mixing that with the seamy glamour
of Hollywood to create something truly original. In true Punk Rock style, there never was
a guest list as such, you either got in or you didn’t. One thing “Skaties” was not about
was waiting for hours on end outside A list Hollywood night clubs to maybe get in for the
last hour, just to rub shoulders with crap celebs , and live night life as a paying voyeur.
“Skaties” was about kicking out the jams, wilding out of control with your friends, art
shows, video premieres, mad DJ’s, making something from nothing and having the most
fun. I caught up with Angel Biotek half of the duo (Shelby Woods) behind “Skaties” in
Venice Beach, to talk about how it all came about, what happened there, and what’s next.
Just don’t call her a promoter. -Aki X.
Hello Angel, welcome and wuddup
What up Aki
SKATIES
Chilling over here in Venice, so let’s talk about “Skaties”, what is “Skaties”? Skaties was a club in Hollywood that ran for a year. It was attended by
primarily artists and skateboarders. The people who DJ’d there were also skateboarders or artists, although we did have a few guest DJ’s like Green Lantern
and DJ Premier , Diplo, but it was mainly about the people who were doing shit
in the skateboard scene at that time. So all the artists and skaters in the skateboard industry,their friends, this huge vortex of energy and talent wasn’t being
focused anywhere weekly, there wasn’t really anywhere for them to go and hang
together.
Why was that?
Hollywood was all about famous stars, celebrities, and big money, and skateboarders were not valued in that way at that time , they didn’t have TV shows
yet (sarcastic) . It was just prior to that whole thing blowing up, so Skaties happened before that. It was about 2004/5 when Hollywood was really happening,
all eyes on Hollywood. When Hugh Hefner was always at Las Palmas next door
at Jen’s parties,and Skaties was raging at Bar Dlux.
So how did Skaties come about?
We came to Hollywood via SF (San Franscisco), still with that London attitude
of fuck, are they making cool people stand outside a club all nite? just because
there’s celebrity bitches inside ? And we were like ” I don’t think so”. So that’s
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//photo// Shelby Woods
making cool people stand outside a club all nite? Just because there’s celebrity bitches inside ? And we were like ” I don’t think so”. So that’s what got it
started. So we said lets just do our own damn club. Why should people who we
think are important , who we think are the celebrities , you know all the artists,
and the skaters , DJ’s, be it the Mike Carroll’s or Lee Smith, the Stevie Williams, Shepard,etc., all our friends , all the crazy people, artists we loved, go
to Hollywood clubs and be made to stand outside like assholes?(this has since
changed). We all liked going out to party in Hollywood, but wanted a place of
our own to show skate video’s, have art shows, kick back, have live music, DJ’s
etc. You know? Let’s at least have one spot we can hang out in Hollywood that’s
ours.
You talked about London attitude, why don’t you talk about your history as
you are from London and how you became a promoter in Hollywood?
First of all, I wouldn’t EVER say I was a promoter. I really dislike that word
intensely. My history is: I was born in London, I am a fashion designer. I designed a lot of designer Pete a porter clothes that were in really expensive stores,
boutiques, like Browns, Harvey Nichols, Liberty’s, Duffer, Jones, World ,Slam
City, Bond, whatever were the really happening shops,so they were always
used by stylists. It was a good scene. A lot of famous people wore my clothes,
whoever was big at the time like Seal,U2, Kate Moss,Howie B, Kylie Minogue,
Madonna,Soul 2 Soul, Neneh Cherry, Jean Baptiste Mondino,Judy Blame, Hiroshi, Nobu,Nigel Coates, Bjork, Goldie,George Michael, to name but a few, the
people who were happening in ID mag , Face,Vogue. London had a great vibe
for parties, legendary. There was always amazing parties and designers always
have parties in fashion week, so we did our own.We had artists, models, designers, stylists, photographers, all kinds of crazy people there, and the press. And
the London parties were amazing because everyone hung out together, you could
find David Bowie,Kate Moss,Grace Jones,Naomi Campbell,Bryan Ferry,David
Sims,John Galliano ,Goldie,Bjork,Seal, Mick Jones,Boy George, Jade Jagger,so
many models,etc. It was an eclectic mix of people. London just has that concentrated puree of really interesting people.
So how did you come to the good old US of A?
I was going between, London, NY, LA, and I knew some big DJ’s, Tonka Sound
from London who were doing stuff out in CA. I got invited for a holiday to an
amazing SF penthouse ,stayed a couple months.One thing lead to another. I was
designing, still selling stuff to Japan. So I kept bumping into in SF skaters who
were from the EMB Crew, and skateboard artists. They loved my stuff. I made
things that were new to them for that time, like Calvin Krack and the “ I love
Crack shirts” ; My first impression of America... I saw people running up the hill
actually screaming ”I Love Crack” and I thought it was insane. Meanwhile there
was uber glamorous pictures of supermodels, Kate Moss wearing Calvin Klein
on the side of every of bus! And I was also the first designer to be into the low
tek games thing, like Pacman , Qbert,Space Invaders ( knit sweaters) influence,
old school. Things that nobody else was doing back then so it stuck out. If you
were from London you would be into that old school thing but people from here
weren’t doing that thing back then. I sold to skate shops in London like Slam
City Skates, In America I sold to Supreme, Brooklyn Projects, and stores like
that. I worked with DJ Trasha , so we ended up doing this club called The Mist
at Cats . It was actually us and art by Devious Doze, from the Rocksteady Crew.
And we starting working with the Invisbl Scratch Piklz like Qbert, D Styles and
Shortkut, who came out of their hiatus, we started doing shows in SF. Also we
ended up staging A Traks (now Kanye’s DJ) first ever West Coast performance,
I think he was 14 at the time. The label flew him out to promote him, and we
all snuck him in the club. It was a pretty happening party. We had Play Station
games premiered live the club courtesy of PSM magazine and DJ’s scratching
up the games in the video games lounge. Like DJ Quest cutting up Tekken 2 on
three turntables. The walls were covered with original art from Doze and Angel
Biotek.Doze was doing his Illuminatti paintings, we premiered his new work at
the Mist. I created a low tek gallery of my work, painted on black velvet canvases, like Pacman, Qbert,Space Invaders (sweaters) etc, who was also DJ’ing and
hung them in the club. We had Peanut Butter Wolf their, Blackalicious too, the
Beat Junkies, Bored Stiff, and more, J Boogie played there. It was a really happening vibe. I like to create a fecund environment , for a scene to thrive,vibe,
it’s the London influence. Skateboarding, art ,fashion,and, music, be it Hip Hop,
rock,or live music, etc. So by the time we got to Hollywood, we were like “We
are not waiting in line all nite and kissing someone’s ass because Paris Hilton is
in the house”. It just wasn’t anything to do with our vibe.
So how did it all come together in Hollywood?
Shelby was shooting pictures for Thrasher magazine and DJ Trasha was writing for Thrasher too. “Let’s do something interesting together”,so what can
we make happen here? We just got to LA, let’s have some fun, throw a party. It
was Mike Carrol’s birthday, so we decided to throw him a party. And we did it
at the Conga Room. Tha Stoppa, a lot of skateboard industry were there, Mike
and Greg Carroll, Sam Smyth, Lee Smith, Stevie Williams, Sal Barbier, Kareem
Campbell,Karl Watson, LRG, etc and that was the lead into Skaties. It was a
huge success, everyone loved it, there was a lot of pretty girls, an art and video
installation, lot of Hollywood glamour but it also had a lot of attitude, good
energy. It was such a huge success that we ended up doing another party with
Raekwon, (Wutang) and with Frank 151. That was at 1650 Shrader Hollywood,
we put up an art show of Mike Leon Comonwealth Stacks Girl Skateboards ,
another big success, people really liked the vibe. We showed the Premiere of
Project Street, a documentary about Hip hop and Skateboarding by Cesario
“Block” Montano on a big screen. Next we did a huge party with Biz Markie
and Frank 151 at Las Palmas. Also crazy amazing , and from there we did a
huge party for DC Shoes. They had their video premiere at Graumanns Chinese
Theatre and we did the After Party around the corner at Las Palmas, Adam 12
was DJing, the DC Team were there ,Rob Drydek, Stevie Williams, Josh Kalis,
Colin McKay,Danny Way, etc along with some celebs. So you could see how
Skaties came about organically.
So back to Skaties, what artists showed work there?
Shephard Fairey came to DJ, it was his first real DJ gig. He was a SKATIES
resident. He used to play Punk and 80’s Hip hop. We had art shows, all the
people who worked at Girl, like Mike Leon, Commonwealth Stacks, Ben Colen,
Bob, also Chris Casey(Fuel TV), Bigfoot, Pnut, Jason Searcy also showed work
there. Later, Dave White, Paul Chan, Meshaq from Kronick magazine showed
there, Shelby Woods, Theo Hand, Angel Biotek,David Broach, Muska and more.
A great customized boom box show with Chad Muska, who also DJ’d. The
point of our art shows was to give a forum to artists that were involved in the
skateboard business. It seemed so overly complicated to get a show together. We
made it DIY. Modern.We had all these amazing artists,photographers around,
if someone had a video they wanted to premiere they could show it at Skaties, like the trailer for Blocks documentary, Project Street, or Felix Arguelles
video,etc. We had interesting stuff every week. One week a Female Skater of
Year award won by Ellissa Steamer presented by Eric Ellingtons Missus At CIO
mag.Skaterade sponsored the night, it was a skateboard energy drink,by Salman
Agah,Scott Weber.Even the packaging was designed by Shepard Fairey. It was
all about Skateboarding and the artists and skaters in the business. It made for a
very fun happening vibe.
What DJ’s did you have there? Shephard Fairey was a resident, we had Sal
Barbier, he was playing old Hot Boys and dirty south, that New Orleans sound.
Chad Muska played there. DJ Squeeky Clean and DJ Zegon were residents.
DJ Trasha was there (Thrasher Magazine) playing new Dancehall Reggae. Dj
Pubes.Shelby Woods (ThrasherMagazine) was the host of the night. Shelby
DJ’d in a wrestlers mask as alias El Dunnie Darko, playing old school Hip hop
and Punk Rock. It was the anti bougie Hollywood. It didn’t have to be ONLY
about big name DJ’s, that was the point. As I said earlier, we had a few of guest
DJ’s like Green Lantern and Premier,Diplo ,but primarily it was about skaters
DJing. We didn’t have to wait five years for skaters to be on TV to know they
were cool(sarcastic),when things go mainstream they’re done. So think of pretty
much any skater and you would bump into them there. Mike Carroll was at Skaties, Eric Koston was at Skaties,Eric Ellington, Rob Drydek was at Skaties, Rick
Howard, Terry Kennedy was at Skaties, Stevie Williams, Nuge, Chris Pastris,
Lee Smith,Sam Smyth ,Lizard, Clyde Singleton, Danny Supa,Mike York, Marc
Gonzales, Spanky,Hellrose,you see what I am saying.? We had all the Jackass
possee there, it was really a lot of fun. People always had really good time, it
was raging . It was great for a year and that was that. After Bar Dlux was shut,
we did a huge after party for the X Games which was insane. Then we did a
big party in New York, it was a Skaties , New York City. Stash and Futura were
there, We got Harold Hunter R.I.P. to DJ. He brought his records and handed
them to his friend to DJ so that’s how Harold DJ’d. He got paid to DJ but never
put any records on the deck so that was amazing. Diplo( from Hollertronix) also
DJ’d at that Skaties , he is now super huge seen on the blackberry tv ad, and DJ
Premier came and did a set too. And not forgetting Leo Fitzpatrick, he DJ’d, he
played the Streets.
Although Skaties was the anti cliche Hollywood, you did have a few A list
celebs in the house? I heard there was a Hilton in the house. Three Six
Mafia, Brandy, Andy Weatherhall, Spike Jonz, Jason Lee , etc Of course
there was always going to be “ A list celebs” (sarcastic) there every week,it is in
Hollywood! BUT that wasn’t the point. They had a good time, but they weren’t
the stars of our club. The skaters were!
After Skaties you curated the Sneaker Pimps shows? Yes I curated the early
Sneaker Pimps shows in NYC, LA and SF with Biz Markie, MixMaster Mike,
Premier, DJ AM R.I.P. , Stevie Williams came and did a DGK team expo. I had
a lot of fun, lot of good memories. We have had everyone playing there like
Redman, Too short, Mixmaster Mike, Qbert, Lupe Fiasco, Swizz Beatz, Travis
Barker, Paul Wall, Mr Cartoon. A lot happened with that, there’s a lot you can
do when there is money from a sponsor. People always think like wow why were
those parties so awesome, well first of all no one had to pay to get in because
they were sponsored. There’s pretty much no way you could put on shows like
that without sponsorship. So that was a luxury and that’s what I enjoyed about
them.
So now it’s 2011, you living out here in Venice Beach, so what’s next? Well I
am looking for a central home in LA (not to live) for an HQ for global events . I
am looking for good compatible sponsors/partners to do really exciting radical
things, events. The world wants change, its people that don’t! I am more apt to
be ahead of what’s going on, I have a vision of what should/could be going on
now, things can’t be as they were in the past. I want something solid in LA but
also a migratory happening, it has to be about more than one city, country to be
relevant. What is happening now in middle east shows how we are all affected
by people miles away. So definitely a realm of events ,art and parties rooted in
LA but communicating linking globally. And of course, I am working on my
designer line, Angel Biotek 2011.
You curated a few shows in Venice last year? Yes, We did a few exclusive
shows on Abbot Kinney in the ABK gallery. All were a big hit. We did a Cesario
Block Montano photo show of his work from the early 80’s to now. We did a
Shelby Woods show of his skate, music and girls photography spanning the last
ten years, and a show of AngelBiotek vintage rare collectible toys/objects called
WTF, featuring the toys in display cases , and Shelby Woods photos of the toys.
I have been a rare toy collector, since I lived in London. All were very successful, and we literally shut down the street as so many people turned up. Yet again,
there was loads of skaters and a great mix of headz in the building.
So do you like living in Venice? Well after living in London, SF ,NYC I like
the whole bohemian thing. Venice feels just like home, it is beautiful. There’s a
nice eclectic social mix. Being half Indian half Swiss, born in London married to
an American, I feel at home here. That’s also how I felt when I first came to SF
and bumped into a bunch of skateboarders . The whole thing was that they were
a diverse mix, eclectic culturally, open minded, young but well traveled. They
didn’t have their attitude beaten out of them by having to do a 9 to 5 job. That’s
why there is a bond, because in London people are rife with attitude and banter.
London people have to be, coz things can suck, be really depressing, the weather
alone gets you down, then the class structure. If you don’t have attitude, you will
just get stomped. So there was, is a compatibility. In London there is more of a
class divide than a race divide. Where as HERE there is still a quiet racial segregation ( America). Even in the big cities, although it’s very sophisticated, LA,
NY, SF are cultured but still people notice “Oh your husband is black”.And? So
back to skateboarders I see a group of people who are primarily male but there
is every race among that group of people and they are all hanging out. They
don’t make THAT distinction, they are all into the same things/world. It is 2011
people.That’s one big reason I felt at home with the whole skateboarding/art
vibe,(married Shelby Woods) there is a lot of freedom, room to grow, openness,
and you don’t have to do any ass kissing like in other industries.
Shoutouts
Not shoutouts as such, but it took a lot, a lot of people to make SKATIES really
happen. Thats what was so good about it. So thanks to all really! Thanks to so
many......
Shelby Woods, Mike Carroll, Sam Smyth,Lee Smith, and everyone at Girl
Skateboards, EMB Crew, SF crew,Greg Carroll, Kelly Bird, Lakai ,Mike York,
Danny Supa, Rob Welsh, FTC, Jason Wussler, Skaterade, Thrasher Magazine,
DJ Trasha, Dimitri, The Ellingtons( Check It Out Magazine), Hellrose, Stevie
Williams, Nick Diamond, Brooklyn Projects, Chad Muska, Curtis from Supreme, V Dubs, Shephard ,Amanda Fairey, LRG, DC Shoes, Circa, Frank 151,
Squeeky Clean, Zegon, Felix Arguelles, DJ Green Lantern, Kush Jay and the
Fridge crew, Sal Barbier, Eric Stricker R.I.P. , Harold Hunter R.I.P., Diplo , Leo
Fitzpatrick, Clyde Singleton, Jason Searcy, Chris Casey, Chris Pastris, Paul
Chan, Meshaq, Kronick Magazine, Block, DJ Pubes, DJ Mishapz, DJ Warrior,
Amoeba Records, Fatbeats, Jupiter, Undftd, Tim Gavin, all the hotties, all the
homies and, everyone who came and contributed to Skaties.
Your Twitter, Facebook, website info so people can find you?
On Facebook at Angelbiotek
//photo// Shelby Woods
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SHELBY
WOODS
//photo// Shelby Woods
BREAKS: What led you to becoming a photographer?
SHELBY: What got me into photography was skating at the embarcadero,
“EMB” the once skate mecca of the universe, right in San Francisco where I
grew up. I guess I’ve always been connected to photography, back when I was
eight I grabbed a Polaroid camera from a table and shot photos at my aunts
wedding. They were actually pretty good. I started really shooting in 1996. The
skate photographers back then ,Tobin Yelland, Bryce Kanights, Luke Ogden,
Gabe Morford, Theo Hand, and Sean Dalinski would be down at EMB , and
we’d all go on photo missions throughout the city. That kind of got my mind
stimulated. I’d peruse the skate magazines and see if I could recognize the
photographers individual style before checking the photo credit. One of the
homies, Brett Reed was taking photography classes at SF City College and he
would shoot all of us and make us up prints, and that really got me more into
it, curious. Then one day I got a random call from a telemarketer saying I just
won a camera in some contest and all I had to do was pay the $40 shipping cost.
I didn’t know if it was a scam but I was hyped that somehow, by fate a camera
was put my way, delivered into my hands. The camera came a few weeks later,
it was a plastic piece of junk. But by then I had already made my mind up to get
serious and was ready to jump in to photography head first.
BREAKS: There were a lot of pros coming out of embarcadero in the 90’s.Who
were you kicking it with and skating with?
SHELBY: This was before sponsors before embarcadero was even on the map.
James Kelch, Mike Carroll, Greg Carroll, Jake Vogel, Chris Deleong, Ben
Medina, Mike Cao, Chico, G-Man, Mumbles, Sutton, Skid, Chris Dunn, JD, Fat
Jon, Fat Matt, Jer, Thorin and the THK crew, Chief Perrier, Henry Sanchez, Karl
Watson, Lee Smith, Sam Smyth, Ben Sanchez too many too many heads to name
go to emb4life.com
BREAKS: Skateboarding and photography.
SHELBY: Yeah, I remember showing my landlord a portrait I had just shot of
a bum, right outside of my building . The bum was passed out on a couch, but
the couch was standing on its side. I lived in the Tenderloin at the time. The
landlord was like, “Oh wow, this picture reminds me of a Gordon Parks photo”.
It’s crazy coz back then I was ignorant of who Gordon Parks even was. I was
not interested in other photographers outside of skateboarding. It wasn’t until
I started taking classes at SF City College that I started to look into and really
study photography and photographers.
BREAKS: Can we talk about one of your pieces?The Nyjah Houston photo.
SHELBY: The Nyjah Houston photo. That photo is from the time when I first
met Nyjah, he was 9yrs old. Karl Watson introduced me to him. Karl told me
that Nyjah was in town with his family and I should meet them. They rolled up
deep, he was with his Dad, Mom, little sister, and 3 brothers. They all came to
my crib; I was like great, a 9 year old kid. What’s he going to do? You know. I
was not expecting much. We went to this 9 stair rail. I didn’t know that this was
a warm up to the Hollywood 16. Not expecting anything, he destroyed it. So I
was like, “what do you want to do now?” He was like “I want to feeble grind
the 16 in Hollywood”. I was like, “Get the fuck outta here.” So we go there,
and I set my stuff up. He went up to the rail, board slides it first time! It blew
me away. I snapped a shot of him standing next to the rail at the top of the stairs;
it’s like David vs. Goliath. Fearless.
//photo// Shelby Woods
BREAKS: What year was this?
SHELBY: That was back in 2005.
BREAKS: Celebrity photography? How did that come about?
SHELBY: That’s something I just fell into with Aki. I was already working for
Thrasher, and he was like ”Hey, how about we shoot hip-hop for the mag.”
BREAKS: Skateboarding and hip-hop
SHELBY: It’s a big market. Skaters buy a lot of music. The first person we
shot and interviewed for Thrasher was Quasimodo aka Mad Lib. He had his
blue furry dragon suit on and everything. After that, we got really busy, we shot
Guru, Dead Prez, Slick Rick, KRS and it kind of just spiraled from there. I was
amazed how even the big hip-hop artists were so down to get into Thrasher.
BREAKS: One of your pieces has Kool Keith?
SHELBY: Kool Keith, ultra-magnetic, one of my favorite MC’s. It’s a shot of
Kool Keith on some rock’n’roll shit. Hollywood hotel room, porn stars, Kool
Keith end of story.
BREAKS: Where did that scarf come from?
SHELBY: Kool Keith brought that with him. He was actually five hours late to
the shoot. We were tired of waiting, I called his manager Kut Master Kurt, and
he said he was on Hollywood Blvd still shopping for something. Kool Keith
shows up with the scarf, sees the girls and gets all excited. It was crazy coz the
girls never heard of him! Kut Master Kurt had a ZZ Top style beard and dark
shades on. The girls were like “who are these two, Who is this guy? what’s up
with that scarf ? “ I thought “ You gotta be kidding me, you don’t know who
Kool Keith is? I said “He’s Dr. Octagon! Poppa Large”. We started playing his
music during the shoot and the girls recognized the songs. That was a really fun
shoot.
BREAKS: What was your first camera?
SHELBY: Tobin Yeland sold me a Nikon FM2 camera. I shot photos, portraits of
my friends whenever they came over and hang out at my crib. I would also shoot
the crew hanging out, skating at Union Square and pier 7. This was way after
EMB, which was torn down by that time. So everyone hung out and skated at
the Pier and Union ,then later hung out and partied at my spot in the TL.
BREAKS: How did the girl photos come about?
SHELBY: In 2001, Thrasher needed an LA correspondent so they asked
if I would move to Los Angeles from SF. I moved to LA, and worked for
Thrasher for about 5 more years. I was really getting into shooting the music
photography, celebs portraits, and other forms of photography, art stuff , other
subject matter, and I was like “ I need glamour girl photos for my portfolio”.
My portfolio was all rappers and skaters, all dudes. I didn’t really know how
to photograph girls back then. I really was interested in breaking into fashion
photography as well. We (Angel Biotek) did art shows and so I was looking to
experiment and take it to a whole other level. A neighbor recommended me to a
glamour magazine, and I did my first bikini shoot and sexy glamour girl photos.
It went surprisingly well, and I found it easy to get into. I have literally shot
hundrends of girls over the past few years. So it is a great platform for me to
break into fashion photography now.
//photo//Peter Hodgson
KALANI
ROBB
2
part//
70
Kalani: So I did the Hollywood scene, lived up in Malibu, you’ve
known me since the Malibu move. So between the traveling, some
contests, benefits, and some Fuel TV episodes, Drive Thru episode,
Taylor Steele’s “Castle in the Sky,”and Rob Machado’s “Malia,” I do
my Pro surfing thing. I’m on it right, so, I’ve always showed up at
these weird spots. An innovator at doing different things that people
in the surf industry might not chose to do. Different things. Here I
am, sitting at this Genetic Research and Development Office. They
look for cures for all these crazy type diseases. The guy who owns this
place is an inventor. He invents them and people use them. He’s the
shit. We went for two weeks from Florida to New York. We taught
kids with Cystic Fibrosis how to surf. We visited children’s hospitals
and talked to them about Cystic Fibrosis. Something about the saline
in the Ocean that helps. There is this mist a couple feet above the
water that the ocean makes as it keeps churning. It loosens the mucous
in the lungs of these kids who have Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis is
a genetic disease. It is hereditary. It makes you over produce mucous.
It makes you basically drown in your own mucous. Because the body
has a mutated gene is telling you to produce until you can’t breath and
then you die. These people with Cystic Fibrosis in the hospital have
treatment where they everyday go in for two hours put on these masks
filled with saline water. It’s not fun! But if you could go surfing and
do that? Of course go surfing! That’s what we are doing. The Mauli
Ola Foundation, we take kids around to go surfing. We show them an
alternative to just going to the hospital for treatment. There’s actually
a more fun way of getting the treatment. So, I took some kids up and
down the coast. When I came back, I was like I’m into that. I had a lot
of fun doing that. I have a knack with kids. I really have a knack for
being in the right places, so instead of being a pro surfer working for
a surf company and stuff, now I’m a pro surfer working for kids. I am
working on a video for middle of America kids with Cystic Fibrosis,
so they can see what surfing can do for them. This is the X-Games for
life. Surf is healing. I’m focusing on this. I’m 33 years old now, and
I’m more refined. There is no other way I would have wanted to end
my professional surfing career, but it is the end of the professional way
of selling clothes. Selling this, selling that. I’m doing foundation work
now. I’m taking the pro surfer cape off, but I’m putting on a nicer cape.
I’m putting on a way bad ass cape now. I’m not selling clothes any
more. I’m now selling a cure for kids to get better. That’s my life now.
I’m still doing the pro-surfer thing. I’ve done the commercials. This is
the new thing. I don’t know if you know how good it feels to be doing
something for a good cause. We have Kala Alexander, Gavin Beschen,
Kainoa McGee, and Barney Baron. We have all these eclectic people
come together. All doing positive things to help beat Cystic Fibrosis.
The tour that I did was a month from San Diego to New York. We had
UFC fighters and surfers.
We bridge the gap between Cystic Fibrosis and the cure. We
try to alleviate the pain that they go through. We take them surfing.
One in twenty Americans have Cystic Fibrosis. It’s not contagious, but
it’s the quiet killer. It’s terrible one, and people don’t know too much
about it.
www.breaksmagazine.com
BORACAY, PHILIPPINES
//photo// ELSV
E
B
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//interview//photo// Paul Fisher
74
BREAKS: Where did you grow up bro?
MATT: I grew up in Ventura, California.
BREAKS: For how long?
MATT: My whole life.
BREAKS: How long is that?
MATT: That will be 22. I’m 22 years old.
BREAKS: So what inspired you to start surfing and competing?
MATT: I grew up with my friend Cory. We were groms, and I wanted to be
doing what he was doing and got into it, and I have a twin brother who I have
competed with my whole life...my entire life.
BREAKS: What’s your big goal this year?
MATT: Big goal this year, do as much video and photos that I can. Starting a
blog with a couple people, just working on my portfolio. Maybe get to Hawaii
this year. That’s about it.
BREAKS: What up with your sponsors this year?
MATT: I’m riding for Volcom, Roberts, Filtrate, Pro-lite, VSS, and Freestyle.
I’ve been riding for Rob’s boards my whole career, shapes great boards. He
helps me out a lot, getting me the quiver that I need. Volcom’s a great company!
They have done a lot of stuff for me in the past and the future.
BREAKS: How do they help you progress? Trips, footage, good equipment?
MATT: Yeah, they have helped me out with Shooster, one of their video guys.
He’s coming up with a movie that I hope to get a full part in.
BREAKS: Sick, who’s Shooster?
MATT: Shooster is Volcom’s video guy.
BREAKS: Talk a little bit about your equipment?
MATT: Surfboards, I’ve been riding these boards that are one inch or two
smaller than my normal short boards. A short board that helps me with the
California surf. I have a rocker that we have been working on that I’ve put in all
my boards whether it’s a fish or step up short board, and it’s been working pretty
good. I’m going to be putting out a model pretty soon, once we perfect it.
BREAKS: So tell us about Ventura? What’s Ventura all about?
MATT: Well, Ventura is one of a kind for sure! We’ve got great waves, all the
boys in Ventura keep the spot.....This is too much for me.
BREAKS: Ahahahaha
MATT: These questions.
BREAKS: Tell us the history of this harbor?
MATT: The history of this harbor, well, actually this harbor is not in Ventura.
This harbor is the Oxnard Harbor.
//photo// Paul Fisher
BREAKS: Super creep. Creepy bird.
MATT: Hahaha. This is about fifteen miles outside of Ventura. Yeah, this is a
bigger harbor than Ventura. Haha.
BREAKS: What’s been like growing up out here?
MATT: It’s been insane. Best childhood ever. Going to the beach whenever I
wanted to, having all the people I surf with and looked up to as a kid. Helped
push you. We are all really tight so we all push each other to get better.
BREAKS: What’s it like getting photos and video out here?
MATT: Getting photos and video out here is a lot more difficult than down
South. The photographers that I know are really helpful and they help shoot
everyone.
BREAKS: You got a little quiver for Hawaii coming up?
MATT: I got a 6’6”, a 6’2”, and a 6’1”, a couple shortboards, and a fish that’s
been pulled in a lot. Might work good in a little bit over head high, it’s a smaller
board. That’s what I’m taking to Hawaii.
BREAKS: Sick.
MATT: Hope they don’t charge me $200 for each board!
BREAKS: Can you tell us about the most memorable trip so far?
MATT: Probably be Peru. Drove from Ecuador to Peru. I don’t remember the
name of the wave, but it was two hours away from anything. Totally barren and
just off shore and a foot overhead. The sickest left ever! No one out. That was
the best trip.
BREAKS: How about swells here in Ventura?
MATT: We had a swell this year out at Strand. It was insane. Double overhead,
perfect barrels for about two days. That was memorable for this year.
BREAKS: You got any sports or hobbies that you are into?
MATT: I use to be into skating a lot when I was a kid. Kinda moved right into
surfing. Also fishing was a big thing in my life. Still do both of them.
BREAKS: What do you think was your worst wipeout?
MATT: Worst wipeout was probably in Kauai at a rifle range....oh that bird is
coming! Nuts! I was actually camping there with my brother and a good friend.
We woke up in the morning, and it was firing. Everyone wasn’t psyched about
going out. I went out, took off on this righthander. It was already breaking, but
since everyone was on the beach, they would see it anyway, so I just went for
it. I air dropped from the top of it to the bottom, and when I hit, the wave just
took my board right out from underneath me, and I got sucked up and over the
falls. My board hit me like five times under water. When I came up, the nose of
my board was broken, the tip was punched off. My fin was broken. My tail was
dinged, and I had a knot the size of an apple right next to my knee where my
board had hit me, and I was cut up from my board hitting me a couple different
spots. That was the worst wipeout!
BREAKS: Heavy...Shoooooots Matt. Right on bra for the insights. (Towards
the crazy water crane) Right on birdie.
JOHN
MCCLURE
//interview// Guy Okazaki
//photo// Mike Riggins
78
GUY: My first memories meeting you was when I was shaping
for Pac West over on Main St. You were the #1 shop grom over
there. Where did you grow up and where did you start surfing?
JOHN: Grew up in Santa Monica, I think we met before the Pac
West shop. I went to a couple of your parties. That was you
who lived across the street from Dave Isaacson?
GUY: Yep.
JOHN: That was the first team I actually surfed for. But I grew
up surfing Santa Monica with my sisters and brothers, surfing
basically as a family. My mom would drop us down at the
beach at 8 in the morning and come back at 6pm to pick us up.
So we were down there all damn day long.
GUY: Bay street.
JOHN: Bay street, Ocean Park, wherever the peaks were.
Basically, beach breaks, so wherever the sand bars were, if there
was any at all.
GUY: Was P.O.P still there?
JOHN: Yeah, P.O.P was still up. But, it was kinda owned by
Venice basically. We couldn’t surf there.
GUY: The south side, but the North side would get good.
JOHN: The North side Jacks and stuff and the Jetty there, but if
it was on, it was there’s to! Even the other side was there’s. We
would go over and watch, but never get to surf. I wasn’t good
enough then. I was just learning, so I couldn’t even handle that
shit.
GUY: That place use to eat a lot of boards. That was like preleash days and those pilings were brutal. I remember those T’s
on the North side
JOHN: Oh, they had those bungee cord ones. They were so
thin they would rip right through the fuckin’ board. Remember
those ones dude? They were like elastic ( he makes this noise)
go 20ft long!
GUY: Some guys were tying there leashes to their wrist, it
wasn’t a given back then that you tied it to your ankle back
then. People were trying all kinds of stuff.
JOHN: Yeah, equipment sucked back then.
GUY: I remember some boards were putting their leashes up in
the nose.
JOHN: Just to save it from going into the pier. That’s fucking
funny! Yeah, so Bay street, Ocean Park, started surfing there.
Keith Wilburn, Mike Clark, Bay street kids!
GUY: When I was a kid, there were trams up and down the
boardwalk. For a quarter, you could go from Washington to
State.
JOHN: Yeah, you guys could go anywhere you wanted to go, but we were kids,
so we couldn’t just go wherever we wanted to go.
GUY: Hehehehehe
JOHN: We surfed the left overs. I was telling Eugene, before how different it
was when we were kids. You couldn’t just go and surf the main peak when the
guys all sat. Back then when I was a kid, if you paddled up to the main peak,
they would tell you to fuck off and get out of here. And if you didn’t, basically
a slap came behind it, you know, until you got out. It sucked, we couldn’t surf
were we wanted to surf. Basically, we surfed where we had to surf. You guys
kinda kept it locked down!
GUY: I think it was because it started to get crowded. We use to love that!
JOHN: It was regulations going on. These days, it’s just out of control. It’s
totally out of control. People go out wherever they want. Take off on what ever
wave they want. There’s no priority anymore. We got a couple guys out there
still yelling, but it’s pretty much a free open beach, anywhere, everywhere. I
don’t know what it was, but back then waves were always good. I don’t know
if it was because I was a hungry kid wanted to surf, but the waves seemed to be
always good back in the days.
GUY: The waves were always good because you had Pico Creek which is now
a storm drain, but it use to be a creek. It use to blow out during the rains and
there would be lefts and rights. It was like a river mouth. It was big as spots in
Ventura.
JOHN: And P.O.P being up, it bent the beach into more bays.
GUY: Absolutely.
JOHN: Sand collectors. Venice would be a bay and Santa Monica would be a
bay.
GUY: Santa Monica Breakwater use to be substantial. It was a wall.. It was a
solid wall.
JOHN: I remember they use to park boats on that side. Sailboats were anchored
on the North side. That was some of the first days of surfing mellow. It was
softer and gentler. It was for kids. That’s were we had to surf when we were
kids.
GUY: They had big contests at Bay street. Literally everyone on the westside
would show up.
JOHN: Dewey Weber.
GUY: Dewey Weber started out right here off of Pacific.
JOHN: Wow. He had a shop on Lincoln. I don’t know where I got my boards,
but they were the left overs. I must have been 11 years old when I started
surfing for Dave. Me and Solo were his first little team members. Then he
picked up Randy Wright, John Pestana, Harry Friedman. My first board was a
single fin. Solo and I had matching boards, stinger swallow. Like a Bertleman
thing, with wider nose. The wide part of the board was actually up by the nose.
So, the cutback on those things to bring back that big chunky nose around was
gnarly. And then the thrusters came. I remember that. Wow, that was gnarly. It
was the whole change right there. And then the four fins! It was with the four
fins that I started really progressing. My airs. The twin fins with the tiny trailers
off the end.
GUY: I don’t know if you know this, but if you Google your name, up comes a
whole page. You are considered the first guy to be an aerialist on a surfboard.
Early 1980’s.
JOHN: Yeah, when I first started airs, they were kick outs and just holding the
rail. But since I was a skater, I always wanted to land shit. I started practicing
those. Landing them in 1980, 1981.
//photo// Santos
JACK BAILEY
82
BREAKS: Jack, how did you first start off with ELECTRIC VISUAL?
JACK: I had been floating around in Europe for a few years doing odds and
sods and by the time I got home to Sydney my hometown had mutated into
a breeding ground of yuppie scum and young families, the whole rootsy blue
collar vibe had died a horrible death. Thankfuly, a friend of a friend hit me up
about a job at Electric up in Byron. I knew the lads from the northern beaches,
t’d up a little visit and ended up in my first stint at Electric. Moved up to
Byron, and stayed up there for four years.
BREAKS: Tonight, when we were all chilling with Jon, he was part of Electric?
JACK: Yeah, Jon Laurenson, when I got to Byron I was working with Jon, he
was a huge force behind the brands success in Australia, he’s good a good head
full of knowledge and parted a fair bit of it on me during my time with Electric.
BREAKS: So now here in Laguna Beach, last time I saw you, you were surfing
the pass in Byron Bay. A trip.
JACK: Yep, I’ve been trying to find my sea legs, pretty much kooking every
surf I go for, I can’t believe how hard kids shralp slop in this town. Plus the
coin people are rolling with here is a mind fuck, I’ll skate into town and watch
Lambo’s, R8’s and Bentleys roll by… aint no thing, ha!
BREAKS: Welcome to Los Angeles!
JACK: I mean there’s 16 year old girls driving around in AMG Mercedes
blasting Bieber.
BREAKS: When you were working in Byron, you were a designer?
JACK: I was an Art Director. The set up in Australia was a bit smaller than over
here in America so you had to wear a few hats. I was doing the design for the
clothing, art direction for the advertising campaigns and other bits and pieces,
working with Carl Smith while he was running the art department here.
BREAKS: Now working over here is it the same gig?
JACK: Bigger, Better, and faster come on man, it’s the U.S.A, ha ha. I’m
working with Kip Arnette, which will be an incredible opportunity. He’s pretty
much the man in this business, so I have a great opportunity to pick his brain.
I’m pretty much jumping on up where Carl Smith took off. Plus, I’ve got an
extremely solid team working with me so I’m excited to help shift the brand into
the next gear.
BREAKS: Anything you can share with us that’s not too top secret?
JACK: Everythings top secret, na, just started sending the new campaign
“FOCKING PAPARAZZI” to print, there is a wealth of really cool new shades
in the pipeline and the goggle program has taken another huge leap forward, so
keep your eyes peeled as it’s going to be a huge year for Electric.
BREAKS: Is this ad campaign going to be only here in America?
JACK: Like always, it’s going to be an international campaign. Then the fact
that a large portion of the surf team is based in Australia, Snow team based out
here and Europe means it takes a culmination of efforts to string it together.
Hard work for all involved, but we always get a great result.
BREAKS: Do you guys when you start a campaign, do you go through all the
goggles, sunglasses, clothes, how do you start?
JACK: Generally, I think Snow has been treated as a separate beast. This year
I’d like to tie the campaign together across the board. Blanket branding…
everything you see, you will know is Electric.
BREAKS: Which team riders will be part of the campaign?
JACK: Fuck, that’s a hard question to field right now. Electric has such a wealth
of talent...In snow we got, Andreas Wiig, IIkka Backstrom, Pat Moore, Mikey
Rencz, Peter Line, Keegan Valaika, Jamie Anderson, Cheryl Maas as well
as recently signing Trouble Andrew the list is too long. Then in surf, there is
Dusty Payne, Craig Anderson, Mark Healey, Dave Rastovich, Ozzie Wright, Ry
Craike, Gabe Kling, Andrew Doheny and a whole army of schralpers. Along
with skate identities like Jake Duncombe and PLG, Nascar drivers (Kyle Bush),
artists, musicians etc etc. How do you pick?
BREAKS: I love those stickers that you guys make?
JACK: Which ones?
BREAKS: The one with the spocker hand.
JACK: Yeah, that one was done before I arrived at Electric. I think that was
either Peter Line or Carl Smith, but don’t quote me on that, there is so much
talent here. We have art coming out of our ears.
BREAKS: Are you going to do any more stickers and things like that?
JACK: Yeah, we will be going back to our roots and do some guerilla marketing
for sure.
BREAKS: Is Electric sponsoring any musicians?
JACK: Yeah, to a degree however we are definitely branching out into the
music, art and fashion scene as well.
BREAKS: Education wise, did you have formal training in the arts?
JACK: No, I bummed out of school pretty hard. I was lucky enough when I was
younger to snake my way into an advertisement agency in Sydney. It was a big
ad agency and I was working on clients like Pepsi and Pizza Hut. I was a shit
kicker, cutting up story boards, making coffee, just the bottom of the pile shit,
worked there for four years, jumping on the Mac’s when I could and sponged
all the knowledge I could from the crew around me. I quit that gig and took my
bag of the tricks on the road. I guess technically I’m pretty much self taught but
having the opportunity to work with the people I have over the years is never a
bad thing, I‘ve learned a lot and hope to learn a lot more.
ORGANIC STREETWEAR
w w w. e n d e m i c a g e n d a . c o m
DEAR Jon
Females can tend to be a
whole other species from the male
race. As a matter of fact, we are. Some
are emotional and jealous, others
dependent and self-conscious. The
ideal woman is to present herself with
independence and not a care in the
world. I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T. Do
you know what that means? “She got
her own house. She got her own car.
Two jobs work hard, you a bad broad.” Lil’ Boosie knows how the game goes.
However, when females are around the opposite sex there is a high chance that
there is a noticeable change in behavior. I’m not saying that it applies to everyone, but from personal experience I know that plenty of females have certain
insecurities around males. Several women have embarrassments and insecurities
that we share in common.
Us, women, like to please or better yet impress men as much as
possible. All around appearance sadly, is the first impression given off. Your
appearance is the cover to your life story. The thoughts that run through our
minds, “Oh my God! Does this bra push up my boobs enough?” “What do I do
about this huge pimple on my nose?” “Did I remember to shave my legs?” …
Totally normal thoughts. Our perception of our image is contrary to a male’s
perspective. The majority of males prefer no make up, and here we are loading
on pounds of make up to perfect our flaws. It’s sad to say but some of us aren’t
comfortable showing a naked face. Along the same lines of appearance, it is
typical to assume you are being judged by what type of car you drive or what
your living space appears to be. You don’t want to come off as a slob, but you
are a creature of your habitat and that reflects highly off of the lifestyle that you
live.
Unless you are dating a junky, drug usage is something that I would
assume female users would keep on the hush-hush. It’s a sad situation that drugs
are remarkably acceptable in the social environment that we live in, but hey,
that’s L.A. for you. I understand we all go through phases, I’ve been there done
that, but come on get it together. Based off of the million stoners in Los Angeles, I’m sure you could get by with smoking marijuana. Any other substances
say, “Sayonara “ to the male you are interested in. For example, this past 4th of
July, this girl (I’m not even going to label her as a woman), was openly snorting
lines of cocaine at the firework show. Are you for real? You look like the NFL
player, Troy Palamalu, in a halter-top on crack. Although cocaine is debatably
glamorous, get your act together, and either knock it off or hit a cut.
Ladies, when you are drunk please stay away from the stripper poles at
clubs and bars. Just kidding, do as you please. I can guarantee you that the next
morning you will, a. be awfully sore and b. feel like an imbecile for busting out
those moves. Slug of Atmosphere, irritably recites lyrics, “You should get a tattoo that says warning. That’s all, just a warning. So the potential victim can take
a left and safe breath and avoid you. Sober and upset in the morning, I wanna
86
What women don’t want men to know
by Jennifer Thomason
scream f*** you Lucy. But the problem is I love you Lucy. So instead I’m
gonna finish my drink and have another.” That being said, I think it is safe to say
that when we are out and about, my fellow females should sport a caution sign.
Not all of us are fortunate enough to hold our liquor in a classy manner. I almost
feel as if it is a double standard for women to keep their act together as opposed
to men. It’s like when a man is a “pimp” per say while a female is getting hers
and she is a “whore”. If a male acts a fool he is easily forgiven or his behavior
was of pure humor. For us, females the embarrassment the next morning lingers
on for quite some time, and could potentially be held against us in the future.
First impression is mildly different than being wasted around someone you have
known for a period of time. Long story short, even though I should probably
take my own advice, is to avoid obliteration the first few dates with a man that
you would want to keep around.
Trust and commitment are two, very alarming words. It seems to me
that when you look for something, you usually end up finding that specific thing
you are looking for. All of you women know exactly what I am talking about.
Whether suspicion is an issue or not, we love to snoop around through our significant other’s personal items. We do this to find out what’s really going on behind the scenes of their lives. In addition to that, it’s convenient to know if they
are worth investing our time and the emotional rollercoaster we are put through.
The potential jackpot could be found in their wallet, Facebook inbox, bedroom,
and all departments of the cellular device. Being an insecure individual is an
unfortunate feeling. To be insecure and in a relationship is even worse. Every
single time I have played with fire, I burn the living hell out of myself. Never
give off the vibe that you are lacking confidence about the beautiful person that
lies beneath you. If you have your doubts your gut feeling is always right. I’d
advise you to go based off of instinct.
I have a simple question... What exactly are women expected to do
when they have to go number 2? Men are so comfortable saying, “Girls don’t
go poop.” Sorry to break it to you, but shit happens... literally. Is it an unpleasant situation for us? Yes. It’s by far one of the most embarrassing occurrences
but we have to just deal with it and carry on. Manners are definitely what give
off a good first impression. Stinking up your guys bathroom could be a turn off.
Maybe it’s a smart idea to start carrying perfume or better yet a travel size air
freshener!
I feel as if I spilt the beans for the majority of women. My perspective
however, is that I’m being an aid to men, as well as showing women what situations could potentially happen. Holding your appearance together is key to giving off a positive first impression. That doesn’t translate to being buried under
layers of make up. Ladies, hide your syringes and straws... or you could just say
no to drugs? Even though I am being hypocritical and I have the nerve to say
keep your composure while drunk, it really does help. And searching through
your potential boy toy’s belongings won’t always result with a happy ending.
Last but not least, attempting to cover up the aftermath of dropping a deuce
could save you from a mortifying, humiliating experience.
www.breaksmagazine.com
JAY ADAMS
//photo// Pep Williams