Arrow & Beast teamed up with their friends from Grotesque to bring us this sick video featuring most of Benztown’s finest skateboarders and to accompany that, they also released a small run of clothing that you can check out HERE. S/O to Simon Gärtner for killing it as usual!
Filmed & edited by Yannick Stechmeyer-Emden.
Hello Jeremy, how are you?
I am well, on my terrace in Cologne in the sun right now. How are you, have we ever met in person?
I am fine. Actually we haven’t met before.
Daniel (Pannemann) told me you are into music, do you listen to House music?
I do, I listen to Omar S, Moodymann etc.
Great, those are some of my idols, that Chicago, Detroit style of House music.
So tell me a bit about this release?
I produced a lot of music together with a friend of mine Niels Freidel and we both felt like, instead of contacting a bunch of labels, let us do this ourselves. It just felt right, not asking anyone, doing it for ourselves and at the start of 2018, we dropped our first Lekker EP. We had some help from other musicians people like David Schreiber & Moglis, locals from Cologne, they helped a lot.
What about when Covid-19 hit?
I went out and bought myself some really nice speakers. That was really important for me, to have a good sound system at home. Because you school your ears through your sound system. I made a little home studio.
Like most people, I had a lot more free time and I used that time collecting samples, jamming, just making things. But my goal was clear: To make my own EP, where I made every track, alone. I think it is important as an artist to try and do that so you know when you get feedback, that it is feedback for you and you personally.
I understand, the project is not out just yet but how has the feedback been from the people who have heard it?
Not many people have heard it yet, you are one of the first. Actually, the first EP I did was also connected to PLACE, I happened when was thirty then and it dropped on Vinyl. This new EP hasn’t fully dropped yet, so we will see what the feedback will be.
We appreciate that, it is nice to drop a song instead of a video part for once.
True and it is cool to see that electronic music now has become a bigger part of skating. Back in the day, Techno, Rave or House parties had a bad name. “Those people take a lot of drugs!” or you heard that some of your favorite skaters stopped skating just to Rave.
Nowadays, when I come to Berlin to spin at a party, I don’t even need to call anyone anymore, they just know. Julius Krappe will call me out of the blue and tell me he, Denny Pham and a whole gang of people are coming to my show! I guess Raving is more a part of the culture in Berlin, people come out, even if it is a small rave at Hasenheide park.
Do you think you get more support like that in Berlin versus Cologne?
For sure! Cologne has a strong Rave scene but in Berlin it is different. People start on Fridays and Rest on Monday. For some Berliners a work week is from Tuesday until Thursday, whereas in Cologne it is pretty hardcore if a party starts on Saturday night and lasts until 10 in the morning on a Sunday.
Let’s take a step back, when did music enter your life?
It was always a dream of mine, at 19-20 when I moved to Cologne I went to a lot of parties, back then it was more Drum n Bass & Hip Hop. I loved it and knew a lot of the promoters and DJs. At some point, my friends, people like Benni Markstein started talking about Kompakt (record label) and their parties where they had people like Michael Mayer, Tobias Thomas, etc.
At that time “Total Confusion” was THE party in Cologne, people came with buses from Paris, Brussels, etc. and that fascinated me. So, after a while of just going to parties, I arrived at a point that I wanted to throw my own party. At that time people at my work were also very into music and they would feed me Kerri Chandler, Omar S and he told me about Smallville Records (Hamburg), which only stoked the fire!
So at 25 I started my first series of parties called: Vogelfrei. I got lucky and got a big Techno DJ and people where shocked that I managed to book him. The party itself was a bit thrown together but it was probably one of the first Techno parties the skate scene went to!
It was funny because he drew people from the Techno scene in and I had the whole skate scene there dancing.
I think Jeremy always felt the sound of Cologne, his music reflected that, and that is why people believed in him and his work. During the weekend people flocked to the (Kompakt) parties in Bogen 2, where you could connect with each other both in the dark and in the light.
Benjamin (Benni) Markstein, 2021
Did they vibe well?
The vibe was cool right away! That was also the start of me as a party promoter/booker and also the start of me DJ-ing. Things went on like that from when I was about 25 to about 30 years of age. It was cool and it was not as serious as it is now, things went to the next level at 30 when we put out our first EP on the Terre des Pommes Record Label. That was crazy, it was on vinyl, so Daniel Nentwig from The Whitest Boy Alive had the A-side of the record and I had the B-side. And that was like getting my knighthood, the record went well and sold out relatively quick. Paco Hettich and Albert Gabriel helped me together with my father by playing certain instruments and pieces for me to use.
That was at 30, what has changed this time around?
I developed a lot as a musician and this time I could do it by myself and didn’t need my father or friends to play certain parts on the Rhoades. I did get a cool remix by Tilman from Mainz on the new EP.
Funnily in 2020 I got signed to a booking agency called Wilde but that happened right as the pandemic hit, so no real bookings yet (laughs). To be honest, I do notice a difference financially because of the pandemic.
I now do a radio show called “Lekker Radio” where I talk and introduce DJ’s I like.
I can imagine you can’t wait to perform your new music before a crowd right?
100%, I did some live streams, but DJ-ing is really by you for a crowd, you need to get that feedback, that energy, and without that you are staring at a screen. At the start it was a good idea but vibing with the crowd is so important!
We heard about your start in House music but what about music growing up? Your dad is a Jazz Pianist?
Well, I was a very hyperactive kid so when I was 6 years old my parents put a drum kit in our basement and that really gripped me. I was pretty good but at some point I needed something else, so I changed to piano. The thing is I could play but I could not read notes. Chuck Berry or Elvis Presley’s version of “Tutti Fruity” really struck a cord with me and my father taught me. I even sang, and we recorded a tape for my mother’s birthday, it was fun. I could play, but I could not keep the tempo. I always went faster and faster but it was sweet, i guess. I played for like 2-years, coming home hyped to play and then skating hit me.
After that only skating counted, I wish I continued playing piano but, after school, I would eat, go skate, maybe come back to have a drink, and go back out. Burned bright red, my mother was worried, I would go out every day even when it was 35-degree weather. That started at 10 and lasted all the way until now when music came back into my life.
Seems like the skate bug really bit you!
It did, I mean I would listen to music but skating was really what consumed me. My dad stayed with music and co-founded the Jazz & Rock school in Freiburg. He is still anchored in the Jazz scene and before corona, he told me he had about 10 projects going on. He plays multiple genres, he play in a country band, in a blues band and jams with jazz musicians. He is very active man!
During corona I got new speakers and he got himself a crazy Nord Piano. My dad listens to the music I make, I will send him my best tracks and he will write me his feedback. Or he will play over some of the loops, I hope we can do more in the future. The goal for the next 10 years is to do more father & son projects. He is so good, he will play the melody with one hand and the bass with the other. So it is pretty handy to have access to someone like that.
Unfortunately, due to the high covid number we haven’t seen each other since last June. I even skipped Christmas, we need to protect the elderly. I have been in a prison called Cologne for a year now. But let’s change the topic.
Still, it sounds like music connects and binds your family.
It does, he even listens to the radio show. The first show I did, he came back to me and told me to lower my voice. I was midway through an alcohol brake and i was super nervous, he picks up on all that stuff.
Is skateboarding and music connected, or do you see it as separate things?
It is connected for sure! And I like how skating and House music fit together. Palace kinda brought that back, raw edits with fast cutting music. In a way it is retro but it is also current.
Did anyone ever ask to skate to your music?
Not yet, but maybe now is the time!
Last question, how excited/nervous are you to play your music during a set?
Very excited! The timing isn’t the best right now, with the lockdown. But I hope people will get to know the songs through social media and when the time comes that I am standing in front of a crowd I can drop “Tu Tambien” and let the people dance to it!
That was it, thank you for the interview!
Thank you guys, that went by fast.
Ike Fromme in his first stand alone full part for Skatedeluxe & adidas Skateboarding. Congratulations, Ike!
A new video from Stuttgart by the “Grotesque” clique just came out. This one has a good balance of OG Stuttgart heads and new comers and an overall good feeling to it.
Featuring: Simon Gärtner, Marvin Sauer, Michael Tan, Erik Müller, Jesse Heighty, Sandro Trovato, Helen Storz, Phil Anderson, Torsten Frank, Tobias Kasemir, Roman Zolotarchuk, Rosa Altmann, Leo Mattasiat, Georg Staudenmaier & Daniel Trautwein.
Filmed and Edited by Bannsen & Yannick.
We can praise this series for the cool talking that Mark Gonzales does but this episode stands out for his skating as well.
This has probably been both his best footage recently and at the same time our favorite thing Torsten Frank has made recently as well.
When you have two friends, one is from Stuttgart and one from Barcelona, who both happen to be skateboarders, the obvious decision would be, to go skate in Barcelona. The two following individuals decided to do it the other way around and skate Stuttgart. Hence, we’re happy to share with you: „VAMOS AL LA Stuttgart“ a video filmed by Christian Pelz and produced by Torsten Frank. We decided to get some behind the scenes information on the project from Andrea Benitez and Catherine Marquis, the main characters in the video. Read down below, to find out what both of them have been up to in Stuttgart and what they‘ve got in store for us in the near future.
Intro by Moritz Alte.
Interviews by Roland Hoogwater.
Photography by Gonzalo Gonzalez de Vega.
ANDREA:
Hey Andrea hope you are well? First question, how did this all begin?
Hey, I‘m good thanks, how about you? So, Catherine and I had been running into each other at contests for a while, but we really became friends in Nanjing China. At some point, during the event, we ended up having beers in the streets together. We talked about a lot of things, but the conclusion was, that we should get together, skate and film some stuff. We felt, that our styles really fit together even though, she is rather known for skating transition and I am more of a street skater. So the short version is that she talked to Torsten (Frank) and I talked to my TM in Spain. they both liked our idea and arrangements were made. Things looked to go quite easy, but my first flight got cancelled and as a result, our trip went from 6 to 5 days.
So you lost a day?
Yes, that worried me. I thought to myself, what can I do within five days? I did get the money back though and in the end, the result was pretty satisfying.
What was the crew like and how did Paddy (Patrick Zentgraf) get involved?
The squad consisted of Chris, Cathy’s boyfriend, who filmed, as well as Gonzalo, Lea Schairer (no tricks in the video) and Rosa. Gonzalo actually lives in Stuttgart and he just came with us to chill and took some photos. I actually didn‘t know Paddy before, but now he is my bud (laughs). We became friends after just minutes. He is really cool, he was pushing us to skate at our best.
Looking at the video, it seems like you guys had an amazing time but what was the vibe actually like?
It felt super pure to me, we just went skating together and we didn’t plan that much. My mindset was basically like, go to Germany, film some clips and skate spots that I like.
Did you like the spots? Stuttgart is quite different from Barcelona, don’t you think?
In Barcelona, we have spots everywhere, but I liked the spots in Stuttgart. They were not that far from one another and the type of spots we skated were fun spots, stuff you can get creative on. Except for that last hubba, that was kind of high. It was getting pretty late and I was super tired, but when I got there I really wanted to get the clip. The try that I landed, a few old people walked by and they started cheering for me. The whole thing was pretty funny, because it was a small village, in the middle of nowhere.
What was a highlight for you in Stuttgart?
Too many things happened, but there was one that stood out: We were out in the cornfields taking pictures for my mom and the car was parked. I left my coffee open in the car and then a car came driving up. Cathy got stressed and moved the car. And all I was thinking about was, that my coffee got spilt all over the car. But Cathy came back and did not say anything. So I went to check the car and my coffee was still there, in exactly the same position, I left it in.
This might be the first Adidas backed video project focussed on women in Europe right?
Yes, it is, they did projects in the US though. But this one is special because we created this ourselves, nobody told us to do anything. It is all us. I feel like that is the state of women in skateboarding right now, we are starting things and building structures as we go on.
Do you think that the Olympics are a good platform for female skaters to present themselves on?
The Olympic games as a platform are a great opportunity, equality for women and men (equal pay). But a lot of this is about time, I think, it just takes time. I choose to ignore the bullshit. Through the years, I‘ve broken many bones and entered many discussions, even with my own family. I also almost failed my studies. All of this because of skateboarding. Just like all skaters, I suffered a lot and loved it. That is what makes me a skateboarder. It is one of the things, that I am sure of.
Are we going to see a second part to this video?
I have been very busy since this trip to Germany, I went on a tour with Asiplanchaba (a female-focussed skateboard website) and we filmed a little video for that. And after that, I flew to the states to film for Bones. But yeah it would be sick to do a second part.
I guess we are going to be seeing a lot more of you in the future then?
Yes, good things are coming, I‘ve been skating for so long, for like 15 years. A lot of things are changing now, I am doing my last course before I finish my studies and I will officially be an electrical engineer.
I will keep my fingers crossed, thanks for getting in touch Andrea!
CATHERINE
What can you tell me about this project you did with Adidas, how did it come together.
The idea started at the Far N’ High contest in Paris (both remember it differently), where we met each other for the second time. In Paris, we skated the city together and basically hung out the entire time. At some point, we started noticing that we have a lot of the same sponsors, which led us to think of the video idea. We stayed in touch and Andrea planned to visit me in Stuttgart.
As a friend visiting a friend?
Yes and then she came up with the idea to ask our sponsors for support. Initially, Torsten was supposed to film the clip but since he was on a Trip, Chris got involved. Torsten then suggested that we could include Patrick Zentgraf in it as well. Which was cool, Paddy likes to be involved in these sort of things.
Is there any standout moment of those 5 days that you want to talk about?
Andrea‘s mother watches German shows on television and we passed by a cornfield and made us stop the car so she could have a little photo shoot. (Landdoktor/Schwarzwald Klinik)
You also mentioned something about a song that you recorded for the video?
Yeah, we recorded one together, but unfortunately, it ended up not making the cut.
So, are there plans for you to return the favour and visit Andrea?
No solid plans, but we do want to visit her in Barcelona, it could be cool to do it as a series. We‘ll see, it is always fun to do stuff together.
Will Chris be involved too?
Yeah probably, I can’t seem to get rid of him (laughs).
What is he up to these days?
He‘s sitting next to me and is editing a video. I am also working on a new VX part with, which will be finished soon.
Chris, can I ask you, how does it feel to be out there, getting clips with your girlfriend?
Chris: It is very interesting to see what she can and is doing nowadays. It isn‘t like at the beginning where she would quit sooner. Filming her can be a test of patience because she wants to do crazy tricks and progress all the time. She‘s not that easily satisfied.
Catie: I never gave up (laughs). But I will admit that I threw a fit, got angry and at times cried when I could not land a trick. So it was crazier than he is portraying it as (laughs).
A question for you both, did you ever consider doing a couples part? It might be corny but it could also be cool.
Chris: We did think about it but as you said it could get too corny.
Catie: We did film a lot, he films me I film him, but he never wants to take the time to edit his
footage.
Chris: I like to edit her stuff more than mine. But we did think of making a video with both of us in it but a shared “couples part” sounds a bit too cheesy.
Talking about contests, just like Andrea, you‘re involved with the Olympic Games, what does that Olympic experience mean to you?
Free travel basically. They approached me and I liked the opportunity, who would say no to that? It can lead to new experiences and opportunities, that I might otherwise not have.
Understandable, but what does that mean, what do they expect from you?
Well, I basically have to skate more contests. For example on 22nd October, I’m flying to the US, to skate in a contest. But it definitely has advantages. After the contest, I’m going to stay in the states for a bit and have some time to skate and have cool experiences.
R: What do you think about the current state of girls in skateboarding? Do you think this project/video that you guys created can be seen as a milestone? For me it doesn’t really matter, I want to skate with people. Even though Andrea, Rosa and I are girls, it was not a choice or a statement it just happened.
Gender isn‘t a conscious factor in skateboarding for me.
Maybe that is the way it goes? Filming a video with the homies, as you did, is a core factor of being a skateboarder don’t you think?
Personally, I think filming is the most enjoyable. On the contrary, contests can be rough at times. I was pretty frustrated during the German Championships, but a lot of the times big contest can also be fun.
I try to skate both, street and bowl.
Even though people see me as a bowl skater, at some of these contest I have placed above some of the other “street skating” girls. For instance, in Nanjing (China) I was the highest placed German woman, in the street event (laughs). The point is that I want to skate it all. I even skate vert, when I feel like it and other days I will focus on learning new flip tricks. It depends on my mood and I don’t want to pigeonhole myself.
Thanks, Cathy I think that is a nice quote to end it on! Thanks for getting in touch with us to do this interview.
Good things turn… the tide turn, the solar system spins, our own planet rotates and Brian Peacock makes the rounds at some of these perfect marble plazas in China. He doesn’t do it alone though Lucas Puig, Rodrigo Teixeira, Jenn Soto, Mariah Duran and Stephen Khou joined him to create this video together. Enjoy.
adidas’s big series of events in Paris also brought us a new video feat.: Lucas Puig, Heitor Da Silva, Magnus Bordewick, Kaio and a lot of others. Another video by Torsten Frank, who is really putting in work. Good Job!
You guys all know that we love Heitor but this video is about something else. Torsten Frank managed to get a couple of good MJ clips in Paris to our surprise and he’s looking pretty good on the board. There is still hope out there!
This Wednesday at 6 PM the three stripes will be putting on a show featuring some of our friends and associates.
People like Kai Hillebrand, Kyra Sophie, Piotr Zapasnik and Danny Sommerfeld will be exhibiting their work.
On top of that, Torsten Frank will be premiering his newest video “Spring Dancing”.
We hope to see you there.
“Kaio, Paddy and Fitschi out in London skating the MWADLANDS.” That’s right! Filmed by Torsten Frank.
adidas Skateboarding’s latest film introduces the team’s latest talent, Diego Najera. Directly inspired by “bloom of the Sakura;” the tones and hues of the film come courtesy of a special heat-sensing camera.
Feat.: Alec Majerus, Dennis Busenitz, Jack Fardell, Lucas Puig, Magnus Bordewick, Mark Suciu, Miles Silvas, Nestor Judkins, Nora Vasconcellos, Rodrigo Teixeira, Silas Baxter-Neal, Jake Donnelly, Chewy Cannon, Dennis Durrant, Gustav Tonnesen, Daewon Song, Klaus Bohms, Pete Eldridge, Tom Snape, Hiroki Muraoka, Brandon Nguyen, Shin Sanbongi and as mentioned above Diego Najera.
Two weeks ago “Dit is Berlin” started. Both episode 1 and episode 2 were well received, to say the least, Niels Bennett even made it into the coveted Quartersnacks top 10.
But all things must come to a close, even the good things. Our closing argument for these series features the entire German part of the adidas team. Guys and girls like Tjark Thielker, Phil Anderson, Catherine Marquis, Valeri Rosomako, Eric Erhardt, Daniel Ledermann, Philip Oehmige, Patrick Zentgraf, Sandro Trovato & Jost Arens all skated our city in their own way.
Some even (temporarily) moved here in the process of making this series but all seemed to find their own way. The high spot count and different configurations of certain spots definitely shows what happens when skaters have loads of time and no police to kick you out!
Another highlight for us is Catherine Marquis a.k.a. @Yung_k_t who we featured on our website a while back. It is great to see the /// putting support behind one of Germany’s most promising female prospects and we are waiting to see more of her in the future.
As the series ends would like to thank adidas skateboarding for the support! All the skaters for their input, hard work and sweat. And not to forget Jon Wolf and Torsten Frank who documented it all for your viewing pleasure. Now go watch the newest and latest episode of “Dit is Berlin”!
Last week we launched our new “Dit is Berlin” series which started off with Philip Oehimige and Eric Erhardt. Both managed to set a strong precedent with their episode.
Today it is time for the second episode featuring two of Norway’s finest: Magnus Bordewick and Marcus Shaw who both hail from Oslo. The latter willfully started a line with pushing switch mongo and then at the end of the line reverting to regular switch push. Some pretty OG Guy Mariano type of stuff, who happens now to be on the same team as Magnus.
Pol Catena and Niels Bennett hold their own and pull out some pretty tech moves. At times Niels is like a young Mark Suciu – in our book a major compliment! Another fun fact about Niels is that he talks German fluently. Finally, somebody’s mixed American /// German heritage paid off. Trust us it made his life considerably easier during his time in Germany’s capital.
Next week on Wednesday we will be dropping the final episode of “Dit is Berlin” for you. Featuring the likes of Valle Rosomako, Tjark Thielker, Daniel Ledermann and many others.
We would like to thank adidas skateboarding for the support now go watch the newest episode of “Dit is Berlin”!
Today we are proud to present our new series called “Dit is Berlin”, a series consisting of three episodes featuring the /// striped squad.
This summer the adidas team rented out a house in the German capital. Over the course of multiple weeks, an ever-changing group of guys and girls went out with Jon Wolf and Torsten Frank to skate, hang out and of course film. Seemingly as locals, hanging out together with the locals while exploring the city by bike, as Berliners do themselves.
Our first episode focusses on two newer faces, first up is Philip Oehmige. A young Berlin local who knows the city by hand. It is not easy to do new things in your own town but there are some definite surprises in the video.
The second skater may need an introduction for all of you non-German readers. Eric Erhardt is a new face, one to remember. Eric put his best foot forward and came through with some pretty exciting NBD’s on some of the cities most skated spots. We don’t want to spoil it all but he brought home the bacon.
The up and coming episodes of “Dit is Berlin” will show a mixed crew consisting of some of adidas’ Berlin-based team riders and other people that came through and stayed in the apartment. These sessions resulted in 3 episodes documenting skaters like Magnus Bordewick, Marcus Shaw, Niels Bennett as well as German guys like Tjark Thielker, Valerie Rosomako and more.
Starting today every week on Wednesday we will be dropping a new episode for your eyes to enjoy.
We would like to thank adidas skateboarding for the support now go watch “Dit is Berlin”!
Besides the tour stops in London and in Paris the adidas Skateboarding squad have also went to Berlin. A few of you probably remember the video we posted of Magnus Bordewick skating up the stairs at Frankfurter Tor. Well, the SW Flip was missing but here you have it. Another highlight is the few street skate sections inbetween the demos.
Skateboarding in one of the most electrified metropolises in the world with a squad of skaters that is also world class can only give you the best. This is a high quality production.
Featuring: Blondey McCoy, Daewon Song, Gustav Tønnesen, Mark Suciu, Rodrigo Teixeira, Alec Majerus, Benny Fairfax, Marc Johnson, Na-kel Smith, Kevin Lowry, Günes Özdogan & Lucas Puig.