KGB Impulsivity review


inTRIKat/KGB “Individuality” from inTRIKat on Vimeo.

“is the kgb dvd out yet?

I must have heard this over a thousand times over the last year, this DVD more than any other I can think of has a lot to live up to. The name Martti Kuoppa alone brings images to my head of bomb trick after bomb trick, add Viki Gomez and Pete Brandt to the mix and its mind boggling, each finishing their solo dvds and then working on on the team dvd.

When it arrived in the post, I was almost scared to watch it, Martti Kuoppa is one of my all time favourites, I hoped it would live up to his past projects.
Nothings sugarcoated on this DVD, the DVD starts and pretty much gets right into it, with a clip of Martti dropping fire hydrant 360 bar spin to xfted hitch round the back opposite xft hitch, and continues on with an onslaught of banger after banger. In the intro Viki drops a nice xft hitch round to two footed xft foot steam pivot to right handed halfpacker pivot jump to hitchhiker in really fluid motion. I can talk about tricks for hours on this dvd, Viki delivers so much footage, and all really tech.
This is a timely return to hardcore flatland, this DVD captures for me what flatland is all about, how it should be, this is real, DVD’s are for documenting what these riders can’t do in a contest, three years in the making, and you can see why. There’s so much amazing footage on here, it’s hard to take it all in.

Chad Johnston through the Intrikat empire was instrumental in creating a platform for Martti and Viki in their younger years to become the names they are today, so how fitting that Chad was chosen to edit the KGB DVD.
He deserves much respect for how he put this together, I’m sure there will be some people who don’t like the tripod shots, but to these people I’d say I think you are missing the point, this is about progression, and sometimes to tripod a combo or trick is the only way to get it recorded. This is the raw deal. I personally loved this touch. Flatland is not mass budget, like skateboarding, this keeps it real. Look at the artistry for what it is.

Here are a few highlights of each rider:

K (Kuoppa)- Xft one footed cliff 180 bar flip to spinning cliff!!!!!
Xft hitch round the back opposite xft hitch pivot to backwards backpacker pivot to regular xft hitch.
Mega spin whooper to mega spin!!!
15 backwards whiplashes!!!
13 xft whiplashes
4 backward xft whiplashes
No handed guillotine no handed jump to no handed crackpacker
Hang five 180 kickflip to halfpacker to 360 bar spin spinning cliff
Double fire without touching tyre to Double gadget whip
The ender is hang five 360 kickflip to halfpacker, one of the best combos I’ve ever seen, landed with nuff buttery, couldn’t land it any better, emmense!!!

G (Gomez)- Crackpacker jump to spinning circle k- (no hand on the bar during the jump!!-also does to halfhiker!! Mental!!
Whiplash to Cliffhanger boomerang to Cliffhanger!!
X foot gliding gerator to spinning two footed death truck, insane!!!
Xft mega spin turbines x over x fted backwards wheelie backwards rolling brakeless xft decade out
Two footed rolling frontyard boomerang (540?) to halfpacker

The list could go on to be fair, this video is banger after banger, so much stuff to take in, Viki without a doubt contributed the most footage.

B (Brandt)- Busting serious combos in his garage- (to long to name!)
Double Spinning hitch jump to halfpacker
Halfpacker jump to spinning hitch
(mid combo) Upside down wheelie pivot to blender

By now, you’ve probably read on forums that this is one of the best DVDs ever, I would say without a doubt it is. It is also a timely reminder that this is how flatland DVDs should be, a return to the Intrikat days of pushing the art form forward, thank you so much Marrti, Viki, Pete B and Chad for making this monster.
So worth the wait.

So the Kgb dvd is out, go and buy it.

Flatland is all the better for it. Top marks and then some.


SICK PERRORIST 1parte from PSYCHOSTUDIO on Vimeo.

Isolated: Abe Hamilton Interview



Intro/interview EC, photos provided by Abe.

If you have seen “Same thing daily” you will know this name, Abe Hamilton, previously I had never heard of this guy, and he delivers one of the best sections I’ve seen in a while, unique whiplash body varial tricks with savvy style the section was short and left me wanting to see more.
Without further a due, lets get started with this interview.

I don’t know much about you Abe so first few questions will be obvious ones. I guess onto first question. Introduce yourself , where are you from? How long have you been riding?
Well… My name’s Abe, I’m from the beautiful and industrious city know as Hamilton, Ontario. and I’ve probably been riding the better part of a decade?

How did you get into flatland?
Flatland in specific, I guess cause I used to walk home from school with this guy who had some crappy twin top tube haro, I thought it was cool, and when we got to his house he’d show off by doing endo’s and catwalks, then double ride me home. After a while I figured I should just get my own real bike and learn cool stuff too. Then shortly after I ran into the Pergentiles, and they were already pro. It just kind of rolled from there.

What’s your bike set up?
Comfortable. It’s Fly Campillo (sp)? with what ever the cheapest offset forks with a brake hole the bike store had, I think they’re old Mcneil forks, and slam bars. Other than that, big seat, big gear, normal stem, classic powerbites, and a front calliper stolen from a garbaged bike.

Stolen from a garbage can haha nice, how did you hook up with Dane Beardsley for a part on his dvd?

I knew him for a bit before the videos, from Jams and stuff. He used to come up and hang out and whatnot for a few days before each HamJam. Then one day he asked to film a whiplash combo for Video name. Then a year or so later, after a Jam he asked if I wanted to film a part or few clips or whatever I wanted for his new video.

Hows the riding scene in Hamilton? Many riders? Good spots?
It’s a good little street city, it had a lot of flatland riders, but people grow up and get real lives and stuff, you know. There’s always spots around, but I’ve pretty much rode in the same spot ( Bethel ) for how ever long i’ve been riding, and they just built a skate park down the street from it, so I’m set.

Were you stoked with the reaction to your section on Same thing daily, no one knew who you were, and boom, one of the best sections?
Reaction? boom? best? haha wow, I don’t know’bout that, but thank you. I was content because I had a few tricks that took me years to pull and that I thought were cool in it. I just tried to film stuff and a part that wasn’t boring or full of filler, to me. I think it’s pretty cool if some people thought it was alright.

Any new videoparts in the works Abe?
That’s classified, but maybe, no promises.

The body varial whiplashes are insane, how did you get into that stuff? What inspired you?
Drugs, space, flow regimes, fibonacci. No, I don’t know man. After learning all the whiplashes I got hung up on learning the basics, switches and everything without holding my seat cause I thought holding your arm out and holding your seat looked really silly and lame. I dunno, some stuff just feels right when you’re learning it, and that kind of stuff did/does to me, dunno. No real inspiration really. It just ended up that way. I like simplistic stuff that flows and is right to the point, no whacky direction changes, no filler.

Do you see yourself ending up doing all that stuff brakeless, like your bike set up is ultra basic, doing that stuff brakeless would be the logical step? Simplify everything..

Haha, it pretty much is brakeless. The “fake-brake” is a piece of crap, it seriously doesn’t work at all. I just have so I can pull my barrel adjuster all the way out and have some feathering in case traffic’s bad when I bomb down the mountain road access, .. and to cut my thumb all up. Sometimes when I’m trying stuff, having my hand on a lever or squeezing one tricks my brain into thinking that i wont eat shit. It helps, but has no real function.

True undergrounders are very rare in this world of the internet, but you truly could be regarded as one, do you keep up to ate with whats going on in flatland world, or not of a concern to you?
Oh now, I don’t want to be regarded as “underground” or anything, That’s always got some weird “reclusive hermit” like stigma attached to it. I just ride a bike and have no desire to make enough effort to care about being out there. Some might call that, Aloof or uninterested, or maybe just lazy.

Up to date or no concern?
Honestly? No, no concern, no real super interest, not really. I like good flatland, and the people I’ve met from it and sometimes I’ll search youtube for videos or browse the blogs and stuff. but yeah…I’m not fanatic about it.

What riders if any do you look to?
Anyone who just rides for fun i guess, no one who takes it serious.

Any shoutouts?
They know who they are.

Thanks for your time Abe.

Magnetic: Kritsada Prathumma

Remember this guy from Diversion, bad ass!!!


Kritsada Prathumma from Christopher San Agustin on Vimeo.

Athens Low Key jam

Athens Local, Darin Wright just sent me a message on Facebook with news of Dane Beardsley organising a flatland jam in Athens Georgia, USA, on Feb 21st. Address and map of where jam is happening is on Dane’s blog.If you are nearby or fancy a trip down to Athens, well worth the trip. Athens scene is awesome!

http://samethingdaily.blogspot.com/.

Below is tiny section of Danes part on “Flatcrap”, enjoy…

Mike S wins BMX games

Congrats to Mike Steingraber for just winning the BMX games down under, Colony’s Simon O’Brien landed 2nd.Canadian Eric Effinger in third. Other details are lil sketch, check updates in few hours no doubt on http://www.flatlandaustralia.com/.

Looks like a great scene they have got going down under, with Paul Chamberlain getting well involved, checkout that site, pretty awesome community.

Riding forever: Jesse Puente vid

“Riding forever”, FM gives props to guys that have been around forever, and are still busting out, and pusghing the artform side of flatland. First video, is from Jesse Puente, one of the most creative flatlanders ever.
Rad dad at Bmx freestyler just posted a video of Jesse Puente busting out at Tex’s Pirate jam, December 2006. Pay respect to these older dudes still busting out, creating, and most of all having fun being artists.


Jesse Puente at the Pirate Jam from BMX Freestyler on Vimeo.

KGB premieres/surferblitz blog

The KGB dvd has premiered in Athens, and has gone down a treat, living up to the hype surrounding it, found review on this blog, check it:

http://sulferblitzbmxflat.blogspot.com/

Mines in the post, review will be up on this blog sometime next week…
Few interviews are in the works, so keep checking back at the blog, few surprises in store.

Let me know your comments on the blog, too many lurkers out there.

A bad thing edit from Trex Games, Korea.

Tidy lil edit from “a bad thing guys” on their trip to Trex Games, check this:


bmx Korea trip from romuald noirot on Vimeo.

New Seppl video

Seppl sent me an email today to let people know hes working hard on the new kunstform website along with Daniel Fuhermann, the new shop should go live mid February. For now heres a lil video of Seppl, new footage at the end…