Tag: Valentin Ott

Stefan Vogtländer recently released his new and very nicely put-together video “Operation: Interbau”. It’s the sequel to his last project “the KMA” and it features parts by Tim Karbe, Nico Kasterke, Sascha Scharf, Shane Kotte, Lorenz Knuth, Markus Schlensog Finn Dejoks, and Franz Zechlin. Always good to see a video out of Berlin. Enjoy!

June the 21st has many names “Midsummer Night”, the longest day of the year or “Go Skateboarding day 2019”.

This year Berlin was the city, MBU the location and Vans & Radio skateboards the supporting brands but most importantly Valentin Cafuk was the MVP!

Valle told us the day before, “Either I am going home with a lot of cash or I am going home hurt but either way, I am putting it on the line!” and he did just that. The next day though, he spent it all on art supplies…

So now since GSD is over and the sun on the longest day has set. It is all downhill from here but at least we can relive the moment with this video!

We would like to thank both Vans & Radio Skateboards for their support and we will see you all next year. Let’s hope that these obstacles will stay at MBU until then!

We first saw this new edit during the SKTWK video night, and afterwards, the owner came up to us and thanked us. He had read our “reviews” of their other projects Street Patrol and Jockey Club and wanted us to know how he felt about things.

We gladly accepted his kind words and stayed a bit longer for a beer and a chat and another beer, at the end of night one thing had been decided “Tripping” should be released on our platform. All (slightly tipsy) parties were very happy with this result, we shook on it and the end result is this post.

Daniel Ledermann, doing what he does best.
Daniel Ledermann, doing what he does best.

Now finally let’s talk a bit about the video itself, first off, it starts with another back to back situation (Favorite™ ). Michel Funke and Daniel Ledermann hit you over the head with some big stair manoeuvres while a new face plays a BGP type of role. Keep that young face in the back of your mind because that is the person closing of the video with his “welcome part”.

Getting a welcome part means you are the “new kid” and being the new kid is not always an easy role. Many of these “kids” need a moment to adjust, all of a sudden you are not with your local crew, you are with a new group of people that all know each other and have been skating together for a while, what is your place in this group?

Ike Fromme - Backside Smith Grind.
Ike Fromme – Backside Smith Grind.

On the other end of the spectrum, what does the team think of you? What do you bring to the table that wasn’t there before? Well, hopefully, Ike brings with him a youthful energy, a type of energy that pulls the whole team up by their bootstraps and keeps them on their course.

Mr Fromme also brings a cool and at times very original bag of tricks with him, he also knows how to put together things so that they flow well. Add to that the air of confidence of a young rapper and you basically have what Ike is bringing to the table.

Now enough talk, now press play and watch the new and improved Favorite Skateboard team in “Tripping” enjoy!

DSCF5248

Text by Roland Hoogwater.
Photos by Michael Heindl.

 

Last week during the Bright they showed their newest video project to a crowd of thirsty skate rats. And if you follow our channels which you do if you are reading this post then you know that we are of the opinion that the Favorite team has some great skaters on it.

Text Roland Hoogwater.
Photos by Leo Preisinger.

Joscha Aicher - 50-50
Joscha Aicher – 50-50.

And after watching the whole video we noticed a couple of things. First off, the whole team has the same pair of ski style sunglasses. Secondly, Daniel Ledermann stepped up and produced some of his best work to date! High-speed lines, in XL clothing and no-nonsense pretty diverse bangers.

The aforementioned ski-style sunglasses.
The aforementioned ski-style sunglasses.

We also noticed that the team likes and supported each other in more ways than one during the making of this video. When Nico Kasterke was not there to document things, it seems that they handed the VX1000 down and took matters into their own hands. We often see this “family of friends” vibe used for marketing purposes but if it is not authentic you see right through it.

Hanging out.
Hanging out.

Another point worth noting is Mario Ungerers Flip nose wheelie on the famous Pappalardo ledge in Madrid which in our opinion would have been nice if he only did the straight part but he takes it all the way to make it one of our highlights in the video.

Daniel Ledermann - Backside Kickflip.
Daniel Ledermann – Backside Kickflip.

Ok enough talk, if you are still not convinced simply press play and let the skating do the talking, you won’t be disappointed.

If you have ever been to Berlin chances are you have heard somebody scream HACK HACK! But what is Hack Hack and what does it mean? What are those videos popping up with Hack in the title, and who is behind them? The answers to those and many other questions were answered when we connected with Farid Ulrich and Vincent Heller.

Interview by Roland Hoogwater.

What is Hack Hack?

Farid
That is hard to define! While we were traveling through South America people often asked us the same question… How did we explain it again?

Vince
It is a vibe Hack Hack is the moment that you get hyped to do something. It originated in Bar 25 it where we were looking for motivation to do something. Along the way, the word trickled out of the bar, onto the streets and into skateboarding. It was a joke and it has turned into somewhat of a saying.

What was the first Hack moment you can remember?

Vince
Bar 25… that must have been 2010, I think… That is when the first Hack happened.

It made me think of Hakken a high energy Dutch dance style from the 90’s.

Farid
Ah… Do you mean those people with track suits and shaved heads?

Yes! (illustrates dance)

Vince
That suits the meaning of Hack too! Those guys were certainly hyped!

Back to Hack Hack, how did you guys get the idea to make videos?

Farid
We sit together to edit, smoke and try and make the best of the footage. Two heads have more ideas than one.

Vince
I film more than I edit because I noticed I don’t have the patience to just sit there. At the same time, Farid has a good feeling for what works.

What was the first Hack video?

Farid
The first Hack video we did was Hackelona, after that, we released CopenHacken and Hack Hack is our third video.

Vince
I started filming during our travels, I always carried a camera and I started playing around with it more and more. So the video happened when we started taking the camera along for our Berlin sessions. So instead of documenting our travels, it became more of a day to day thing.

The funny thing is we did not plan to make a full length, we just started to edit footage, linking certain things together. After a while, we watched the result and thought ” Oh..this works maybe we should create an actual video.”.
So then we made parts, separate from one another and then we tried to fit those parts together. It was kind of like a puzzle.

I got a flashback to Radio Skateboards “Radioactive Kids” when I watched the video. It showed me a kind of Berlin that I did not think existed anymore.

Vince
That is exactly what we wanted, documenting our lives in Berlin and by our I mean all that cross our path.

Farid
When you see the video you have to keep in mind the fact that these people are not all in the same crew. Vince and I just move in between crews and documented what we saw.

Vince
In the end, we turned it into one big Hack family.

Farid
We did not want to compromise, we wanted to show the people we liked and have them skate to the music we liked!
Often I work with people when I make a video part so it was important for our project to reflect us.

So, It is not like watching a homie video, it is a scene being documented.

Farid
Yes, plus the people that visited the City.

Did you show Hack Hack to people in South America?

Farid
We did, we watched it multiple times and it took me back in time, back to these places. It was a real good feeling! Hack Hack!

What about the footage from that trip, Will there be another Hack?

Farid
It took me some time but yesterday I started checking the footage from that tour and there will be something. At the same time Joscha Aicher and Daniel Ledermann are staying with us so maybe one of them will jump down a building or something.

Vince
The next Hack will be a video focused on South and North America, that will take us some time, with editing and all.

Farid
International Hack

Or Hackernational

Vince
It will be called something like that. First I want to focus on editing and summer in Berlin, I will pack my camera in my backpack and we will see what happens. Maybe this winter we will make the final Hack videos but who knows.

Farid
I just want to say we are not interested in being clean or great filming we want to show our lives and if there is a glitch somewhere we will include it, watch it and laugh about it.

Farid
That is exactly how I filmed my last trick. I was playing around and got the idea to manual over the tracks.

Vince
Just a Smoked out idea!

Farid
And an hour later it was done.

Vince
I think for a lot of people the Hack experience feels like a break from sponsored life. No main spots just hanging out and looking for the next spot. With a high chance of drinking a beer at the end of the day.

Thank you guys and HACKHACK!

Joscha Aicher at his best skates like a weird caucasian version of Vincent Alvarez and that is a good thing, so for Favorite Skateboards to add him to the team is a smart move.

Now we did not forget there are other people in this video, people like Valentin Ott and notably Daniel Ledermann. The latter seems to be fighting for the title of German Hammer King but since Willow is still undisputed at the moment we might just have to go with German Hammer Prince until he chooses to step down.

Finally, Dan Schulz’s Berlin based independent skate film Oh Snap is going to be premiered on December 3rd. Here is the official trailer, which provides a good foretaste of what is to come! Oh Snap!

Featuring Pascal Reif, Justin Sommer, Joscha Aicher, André Gerlich, Tim Bornemeier, Quirin Staudt, Valentin Ott, Patrick Rogalski, Ilja Judizki, Michel Funke, Philipp Oehmige, Farid Ulrich, Danny Goodman, Roland Hirsch and Daniel Ledermann.

We proudly present the first part of Favorite Skateboard’s first full length called “Daggers”. Berlin’s Valentin Ott is one of those type of skateboarders that don’t use social media, that still own a dumbphone and rather stay away from the spotlight and therefore erroneously are very much underrated. A fact that might change for Valle with this full part!

Today Favorite Skateboards Co. proudly present their very first full length video “Daggers”, which will be available as a whole for the next 11 days. It was a very huge project for such a fairly young company and I know each and every one of the guys put a lot of effort into it. Fortunately, the hard work paid off and the video delivers both skateboarding on a very high level and a clean cut by Nico Kasterke. It is quite foreseeable that we will hear and see a lot more of Valentin Ott, Daniel Ledermann, Mario Ungerer, Michel Funke and the whole Favorite fellowship in the very near future.

Photos by Leo Preisinger

Valentin_Ott_-_HardflipVallentin Ott – Hardflip

Favorite Skateboard Comany presents DAGGERS_Daniel Ledermann_Kickflip to fakieDaniel Ledermann – Kickflip to Fakie

Favorite Skateboard Comany presents DAGGERS_Mario Ungerer_Sw Bs SmithgrindMario Ungerer – Sw Bs Smith Grind 

Favorite Skateboard Comany presents DAGGERS_Daniel Trautwein_Sw No ComplyDaniel Trautwein – Sw 180 No Comply

 

 

Tomorrow the first full length of the Favorite Skateboard Company premieres in Munich. Honestly, I really cannot remember if there has ever been a German full length that got me into such a mood of excitement. Reason enough for me to invite my old friend and editor of the video, Nico Kasterke, to our office in Berlin and have a little chat about the process of making “Daggers”.

IMG_6577-2How important was it to produce a full-length that is going to be released as a whole and is not split into single online parts?

Well, that is really important for me that the video will be presented as a whole. I grew up with full-length videos. You know, today single online parts became the usual because it is much easier to produce them. But to my mind, a full length generates a much stronger impact. Therefore, we tried to find a possibility to properly show the whole thing but still without thrusting DVD’s into everybody’s hands. For that reason, we found a smart solution having a website that is designed only for the video, which is much better than just having a Youtube link and that is it. Having an own artwork and stuff gives the thing a whole different character already.

How did the collaboration with Favorite and yourself as the editor of the video came about?

I know Thomas (founder of Favorite) for quite some time now. One day he called me and asked if I would know someone who could do the edit of the Favorite video. He knew that editing a project like this would actually not be possible for me temporally. But right in the first second as he asked me this question I knew for myself that I wanted to do it so bad that I said to him that I would be willing to do this.

IMG_6567You already had experiences with both editing and filming a full length. What was different this time?

That is right! Actually the whole process was very similar to the Chinchilla Video I did years ago. Back then I was not living in Berlin and I could only go out filming with the crew when I was in town. For the Daggers video it was even harder because I am having a full time job now and most of the team riders live far away. So I knew right from the beginning that there would be only a few sessions where I might be able to realize some of my ideas while filming.

So one could say it is more a video that was edited by you but the footage came from various hands?

Yes, although my filming amount increased a lot towards the end of the project, which I have not noticed at first. But as I was working on the trailer I figured out that still a lot shots are my own.

IMG_6566How long have you been working on the video?

The first tour was Paris in May 2014, which is not too long ago actually. Thus, we were working on it for quite accurate two years.

If one watches the trailer it seems to be quite obvious that a special focus is drawn on Daniel Ledermann. Does he have the last part, too?

Probably! (Laughs) In any case Daniel put in a lot of effort and delivered some of the heaviest skateboarding that has ever been seen from a German. It is just unreal that he did the Bigspin that double set in Athens only because I wanted to have it for the trailer and three tries later it was done.

IMG_6573If you think about all the trips you went on with the team, what experiences come to your mind at first?

Oh man, it is definitely the team vibe for sure! It is so great to see how everybody supports everyone! That was really amazing! Besides that, what also comes to my mind is that one night in Thessaloniki. We were drinking and suddenly everybody wanted to get a gang tattoo and via some curios connections we got the address of a guy who was living more outside the center of the city. As we arrived we first of all ordered twelve gyros pitas and then one after the other got inked a dagger in the backroom of the odd apartment before we went on to party the night away, everyone having plastic wraps around various body locations. On the next day we had to get our flight back home and Mario was still so drunk that he tried to get through the security zone with a couple of canned beers and two knifes in his backpack, which of course got him the fullest devotion of the security agents. Now you got an idea why the video is called “Daggers”. (Laughs)

 

Interview by Paul Roehrs 

When we arrived at the Nike Store located at Ku’damm, we had our iced coffee’s ready. The sun was out and spirits high up. Nike gave us the possibility to do the city tour that we always wanted to do. Not once did we drive past tourist traps like Unter den Linden, but we got to see skate tourist locations like Kulturforum and others. Our hosts were telling us about the ABD’s, while at the same time hollering at almost every person we drove past.

Three spots were on our menu – when we got to the first spot (Spot der Visionäre) the show really seemed to start. Not just for us as skaters but for all to see.
The best thing about the Nike SB bus tour was that it not only showed skaters around the city, it showed other people the many ways skaters use the city. Win-win situation.

Winners:

Spot 1: Valentin Ott (Spot der Visionäre)
Spot 2: Casper Brooker (Gleisdreieck)
Spot 3: Quirin Staudt (Nationalgalerie)

Mittlerweile ist Valentin Ott alles andere als unbekannt in der deutschen Skateszene und wer ihn schon einmal dabei beobachten konnte, wie er einen simplen Kickflip aussehen lässt, hat ihn sowieso voll auf dem Schirm. Er hat den besonderen Flick gemischt mit dem nötigen Pop und lässt liebend gerne sein Skateboarding für sich sprechen. Für den folgenden Part via Red Bull hat Valle sich nicht öfter als zehnmal mit Sebi Vellrath zum Filmen verabreden müssen, um diesen 2-minütigen Part auf die Beine zu stellen. Mit dabei sind außerdem die Freunde Michel Funke und Farid Ulrich.

Foto: Preisinger

Potsdam, die Stadt der Schlösser und Gärten. Prunkvolle Gebäude, Parks, Seen und massenweise Touristen lassen sich hier finden. Für Skater verbirgt sich hinter dieser Fassade eine Stadt voller Spots, die jedoch alles andere als leicht zu fahren sind: Rauer Boden mit fiesen Cracks, Hindernisse in der An- und Ausfahrt oder poröses Material sind an Potsdamer Spots alles andere als eine Seltenheit.

Öfters besuchen Berliner oder Teams, die in Berlin auf Tour sind die Hauptstadt Brandenburgs, um Abwechslung von den Berliner Spots zu bekommen – doch viel mehr als den bekannten Bank-to-Curb Spot kriegt man selten zu sehen. Deshalb machen wir mit euch eine 3-minütige Stadtrundfahrt durch die ratternden Straßen, um zu zeigen, was sich in der alten Stadt noch so verbirgt. Mit dabei sind Konstantin Rutschmann, Malte Spitz, Konrad Waldmann, Jonas Albrecht, Alex König, Valentin Ott, Johannes Schirrmeister, Deniz Bulgurcu und Justin Sommer. Gefilmt und geschnitten wurde der Clip von Konrad Waldmann.

Valentin Ott ist ein Skater, dem sein Board zu jeder Zeit genau folgt. Wenn er einen Trick macht, würde man niemals denken, dass er ihn hätte bailen können, das nennen wir wahres Talent. Egal ob er Fliptricks macht oder Curblines fährt, sein Skating kann man durchaus als powerfull und präzise beschreiben. Sebi Vellrath ist bereits seit Längerem dabei, einen Full Part mit ihm zu filmen, der in naher Zukunft erscheinen soll. Wir sind gespannt und geben mit den folgenden drei Lines einen kleinen Vorgeschmack auf Valles ‘Skillz’.

Die erste Place Your Trick Mission aus Berlins Nike SB Shelter ist vorbei und nun steht der Gewinner fest: Unter allen Tricks, die am Flatbar im Shelter gemacht, auf Instagram hochgeladen und mit dem hashtag #flatbarmission versehen wurden, präsentieren wir nun den Winnermove: Valentin Ott mit einem Feeble to Backtail Shove It out gefilmt von seinem Homie Bandenjan.

Als Preis für die Flatbarmission erhält Valentin einen Nike SB Lunar One Shot, herzlichen Glückwunsch!

Die nächste Sheltermission wird Anfang April bekannt gegegen. Stay tuned.

Es ist ein weiteres Zeichen dafür, dass der Winter in diesem Jahr recht mild verlaufen ist: die ersten Frühlingclips erscheinen bereits auf dem Bildschirm, obwohl es noch nicht einmal Mitte März ist. In diesem Falle waren die Topheads zusammen mit den Jungs von der Bande auf Berlins Straßen und an der Vogelfreiheit unterwegs und haben sichtlich entspannt die ersten Sonnenstrahlen genossen.

https://place.tv/tag/valentin-ott