The Red Bulletin January 2015 - ZA

SOUTH AFRICA

BEYOND THE ORDINARY

GQOM

Inside SA’s underground music scene

30

HOUR PARTY PEOPLE

ZAKHENI NGUBO

Plotting Mzansi’s maths revolution

MADS MIKKELSEN

MADS’ WORLD From Bond villain to TV’s greatest anti-hero: the star of Hannibal reveals all

9 772079 428009

01215

JANUARY 2015

R30 incl VAT (R4.20)

THE BEST NIGHT, DAY AND NIGHT OUT EVER

WINGS FOR EVERY TASTE.

CRANBERRY. LIME. BLUEBERRY. AND THE EFFECT OF RED BULL.

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SNOWBOARDING ON ICEBERGS

They hire an ice-breaker, scope out the ’bergs then carve out the most remarkable Antarctic adrenalin rush imaginable

KENNETH WILLARDT/CORBIS OUTLINE (COVER), TERO REPO, MATT GEORGES

WELCOME There’s an underlying theme of individual excellence in every issue of The Red Bulletin, but this month’s group of high achievers are something special. We’ve got Kilian Jornet, who runs up and skis down mountains in hours instead of days. We’ve got Zakheni Ngubo, who’s aiming at liberating South Africa’s maths and science classes. Then there’s the intrepid team who spent weeks on frozen seas to snowboard Antarctic icebergs. Plus, we dive into Mzansi’s underground music scene to document Durban’s gqom phenomenon. All without forgetting to high-five our selfless contributors who took one for the team and partied for 30 hours straight at Fabric’s 15th birthday bash. With loads of other stuff, too, we hope that you enjoy the issue. THE RED BULLETIN

“There are so many ways of approaching a mountain” KILIAN JORNET, PAGE 64

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JANUARY 2015

AT A GLANCE GALLERY 10 This month’s most amazing images

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18 CHANGE IT UP!  How to make you and the world better. You’re welcome

FEATURES

HANNIBAL LECTER’S LIFE LESSONS

30 Snowboard Antarctica Not your usual cold-weather caper

TV’s leading anti-hero Mads Mikkelsen on life, death and the power of cycling

44 Mads Mikkelsen 50 Gqom takeover

76

How Mzansi’s raw new music genre beat its own path around the world

58 Baauer

Trawling the planet to find sounds that don’t exist on the internet

60 Zakheni Ngubo

Solving South Africa’s education crisis through mobile technology

82 30-HOUR NON-STOP PARTY

Fabric celebrates its 15th birthday with a marathon rave-up lasting from Saturday night to Monday morning

62 Stéphane Peterhansel Woopy jumping is your next new alpine sport: half paragliding, half snowboarding, all action

50 THE NEW UNDERGROUND

The rhymes and loops of gqom, SA’s raw new music scene, spreading from Durban to the world’s big bass capitals 06

Going for a 12th Dakar win

BIGGEST AIR OF ALL

62 MR MOTIVATED

No one in the history of the Dakar Rally comes close to the success of Stéphane Peterhansel, with 11 wins from 26 starts

64 Kilian Jornet

He runs up and skis down mountains

ACTION! 76 77 78 80 82 88 89 90 92 93 94 98

TRAVEL  Woopy jumping in Switzerland MY CITY  Gdansk, by its top DJ TRAINING  Get fit for basketball WATCHES  Best new timepieces NIGHTLIFE Up all night, day and night PARTY  Shimmy Beach Club MUSIC Ariel Pink’s top tracks ENTER NOW  Wings for Life World Run GAMING Universe Sandbox2 ENTERTAINMENT Marco Polo on TV SAVE THE DATE  Unmissable events MAGIC MOMENT Big-screen freeskiing

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KENNETH WILLARDT/CORBIS OUTLINE, ALEX DE MORA, GETTY IMAGES, CHRIS SAUNDERS, FLAVIEN DUHAMEL/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

The Hannibal and Casino Royale star lets loose in an exclusive interview

JHB/E

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THE ALL NEW YARIS

CONTRIBUTORS WHO’S ON BOARD THIS ISSUE

“After I took my

camera out on the snow, I thought, ‘Maybe I could sell a few photos if I put some time into this’” Tero Repo on the slopes, page 30

KWANELE SOSIBO

TERO REPO

WERNER JESSNER

“Reporting on gqom felt like my first trip home after a self-imposed exile,” says the respected South African journalist, whose work regularly appears in the Mail & Guardian. “I grew up in Durban and I’m familiar with some of those townships, but in popular culture, I guess being away for five to 10 years is like a millennium.” Sosibo spent time with some of gqom’s most popular vocalists and producers, hanging out in tiny bedroom studios and packed shebeens. His piece appears on page 50.

“I’m a snowboarder who became a photographer,” says the 36-year-old Finn, who got his first camera aged 19, a dozen years after he took to the slopes. “After I took my camera out on the snow, I thought, ‘Maybe I could sell a few photos if I put some time into this.’” Soon after, cash-for-pics deals became a living, with Repo securing steady work for magazines and adverts worldwide. The shots from his amazing Antarctic iceberg snowboard portfolio appear on page 30.

The Austrian writer has interviewed the recordbreaking, 11-time winner of the Dakar Rally Stéphane Peterhansel. The pair have crossed paths on several occasions over the years, most notably when the Frenchman took Jessner on a hair-raising truck ride. Peterhansel smiled as our writer tensed up before they crossed a T-junction at speed and ended up driving over someone’s front lawn. “This interview was much more relaxed,” says Jessner. You can read it on page 62.

THE RED BULLETIN WORLDWIDE

The Red Bulletin is published in 11 countries. On the cover of the latest US edition is a run-down of America’s pre-eminent peaks

BEHIND THE SCENES

The bigger picture Alex de Mora The London-based photographer’s latest assignment for The Red Bulletin involved staying up for three days to shoot the epic 30-hour party celebrating the 15th birthday party of London nightclub, The amazing Fabric photos start on page 82 Fabric. “Techno works almost like a heartbeat, so that helped me keep going,” says De Mora. “I definitely wouldn’t have survived so long shooting at a folk music night.”

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Alex de Mora (right) with The Red Bulletin writer Florian Obkircher

THE RED BULLETIN

THE CONVERSE CONS WEAPON

DDB SA 39924/E

Pontus Alv. Everything is his weapon. More at CONVERSECONS.TUMBLR.COM

HAK S KEEN PAN , S O UTH AFRI C A

NO LIMITS Gielie Moller flexes the muscles of his 1974 5.4-litre V8 Chevrolet Kommando at the recent Kalahari Desert Speedweek. Although the focus of Speedweek is on timed sprints, the real appeal lies in joining the annual pilgrimage of petrolheads from all walks of life (and from all over the world) as they turn their backs on the rat race and congregate at Hakskeenpan, a desolate mud pan by day that is transformed by the Milky Way at night. speedweeksa.com Photography: Tyrone Bradley

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LO N D O N , EN G L AN D

STREET STYLE On the Red Bull Local Hero Tour, four world-class BMXers visited UK skateparks to show off their skills and ride with the local talents. Between stops, the quartet – from left: Anthony Perrin, Simone Barraco, Bruno Hoffmann and Kriss Kyle – took the opportunity to do their thing in uncharted territory, like on Westminster Bridge in front of the Houses of Parliament. This was one time no one minded cyclists straying out of the bike lane. redbull.com/bike Photography: Rutger Pauw/Red Bull Content Pool

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YU C ATAN , M E XI CO

FALL CLASSIC Fact of the day for you: a cenote is the water-filled sinkhole that forms when a limestone cave collapses They’re common in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, and one especially splendid one made for a fine final stop on this year’s Red Bull Cliff Diving World Tour. In the foreground of this mass training dive shot is Gary Hunt; the British plungeman won the event, which clinched his fourth overall title. “On the platform I really felt the nerves,” he said, “so I’m over the moon that I got it.” redbullcliffdiving.com Photography: Romina Amato/Red Bull Cliff Diving

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CO FF S HARB O U R , AU STR ALIA

SPEED SURFER

It’s quite possible that Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala roared with delight as he ploughed through this huge puddle during the World Rally Championship stop in Australia. Finns love racing and Latvala loves speed, no matter what surface he’s driving on. Two weeks later, the Finn bagged his first WRC win on tarmac, piloting his VW Polo R to glory in France. wrc.com Photography: Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

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B U L L E VA R D : C H A N G E I T U P

CHANGE N A C U YO RLD. T H E W OU C A N O R Y O O U R S E L F. Y C H A N G ES E C O N D I S THE RDER* HA

* Or so says Mark Twain. (Who wrote under a pseudonym.)

CHARACTER ASSASSINATION

BYE STEPHEN COLBERT. HELLO STEPHEN COLBERT The transformation of one man into himself

In the world of US late-night TV talk shows – a place the rest of us are visiting in increasing numbers online – the funniest guy is Stephen Colbert. (If you don’t think Tweeting the link to each new edition of The Colbert Report with the phrase “last night’s show, my best yet” is funny, you can skip to the next page.) His super-satirical take on the news, developed when he worked in the similar infocomedy environment of The Daily Show, ends on December 18 – along with Stephen Colbert. Because he is not real; he is a caricature. Stephen Colbert (his real name) has been playing an OTT talk show host named Stephen Colbert, but when the 50-yearold takes over the straight chat format of Late Show in 2015, he’ll be actual talk show host Stephen Colbert. Whoever he might be.

BULLEVARD

THE CHOICE IS YOURS

Model citizen

SHOULD YOU CHANGE? CARPE DIEM Demonstrators around the world prove that if you want to get noticed, you’ve got to give it 110 per cent. Here’s how:

Life’s most important questions are easy to answer. If you’re honest

ARE YOU UNHAPPY?

Y

N

N

GO BIG A giant chlorinated chicken is a prop in a protest against the TTIP free trade agreement.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE HAPPY?

Y

DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE?

Y

GET NAKED As cycling in Madrid is getting ever more dangerous, cyclists strip off for more bike paths.

CARRY ON AS BEFORE.

N

N

ARE YOU READY FOR A NEW START? N

Y Y

THE RED BULLETIN

No

WRITE SLOGANS FEMEN demonstrating against the sexual exploitation of women get maximum exposure.

BUT HOW? FIND OUT OVER THE NEXT FEW PAGES.

N

Brave, bold and true. In 2011, the then 19-year-old Andrej Pejic walked the Paris catwalk for Jean Paul Gaultier in the men’s and women’s shows. That year, he appeared on both the top 50 male models list and FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women In The World. This year, after surgery, Andrej became Andreja. “I hope that by being open about this,” she said, “it becomes less of an issue.”

CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

Yes

MAKE A STINK Manure dumped by anti-globalisation activists ATTAC gets up official noses in Berlin.

Y

PICTURE ALLIANCE/ASSOCIATED PRESS/CHARLES SYKES, GETTY IMAGES, FOTOLIA, REUTERS(4), CORBIS

FOR REAL?

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1 2 3

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

FIND THE FAULT

LOOK FOR MEANING

BREAK YOUR ROUTINE

Nobody’s perfect, least of all you. If you can answer YES to any ONE of these questions, then you only have six days left to finally learn how to say NO.

Self-awareness is the first step towards selfimprovement. Scrutinise your daily routine and be honest with yourself – and that means really honest.

Life only really begins when you leave your comfort zone. So go out and do the exact opposite of everything you normally do.

PERFECTION PLANNER

I DO LIKE MONDAYS This is how you reboot yourself in just seven days to be better at everything. You’re welcome

ARE YOU…

1. If you could immediately

oo shy to speak to your T reflection in the mirror?

change something about yourself, would it be:

Always copying and pasting your status updates?

A   My body B   My personality C   My IQ

Only getting up in the morning so that you can go back to bed again that evening? Unable to touch your toes while sitting down? On a balanced diet that is balanced between frozen pizza and chicken nuggets? hat person who thinks ‘restart’ T is only for computers?

Then it’s high time you rolled up your sleeves and mended your ways…

And do you do anything to change those in your current routine?

2. Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done, even though it wouldn’t cost anything? A  Yes.

So what are you waiting for? B  No.

Because you’re so unimaginative?

3. Do you have a secret that would jeopardise your relationship if it was revealed?

Worm your way into a selfhelp group for former cult members and claim to be their new leader.   Go into a boutique, take off all your clothes in the changing rooms, put them on a shelf next to the till, wink at the cashier, say, “That’s just what I was after!” and then walk out the door naked.   Tell your boss that you’re seriously thinking about lowering his salary.   Ring your mother and ask her if she eats up all her dinner every night like a good girl.   Ask your girlfriend what she’s thinking. If you don’t have a girlfriend, ask your therapist.

Is your secret really that gross or your relationship that weak? B  No. Is your partner really so understanding or is your life so strait-laced?

4. Which of these fates would you choose? A   World-famous but unhappy. B   Stinking rich but unloved. C   In a happy relationship

You can only have both feet on the ground once you find your own style

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but broke. And which of the three is closest to your real life? Is it really C? Are you sure?

“Everyone thinks of changing the world but no one thinks of changing himself” LEO TOLSTOY

THE RED BULLETIN

FOTOLIA(2), REUTERS, CORBIS

A  Yes.

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4 5 6 7

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

GET OUT MORE

MOVE YOUR ASS

ACCEPT YOUR VICES

WELCOME TO YOUR NEW LIFE

Soft skills are hard currency. You will only maximise your social capital if you can manage to enchant your fellow man.

Devote this day to your body. Go cycling or swimming. Spend half an hour in the gym or do a few chin-ups. Or at least run those last 10m for the bus.

Five steps forwards, one step back. You’ve made progress this week, so beat the yo-yo effect and befriend your weaker self.

Can you already feel the force of your new self pumping through your veins? Then flop down in front of the football and enjoy every second of it.

Fling on the oven and shove in a pizza topped with chicken nuggets.   Enjoy alcohol. Maybe not 14-bottles-of-wine-a-day enjoy, à la Gérard Depardieu, but raise a glass nonetheless.   Write yourself a letter at the end of the day. Your words will remind you that you’re now too old for your former life.

Expose the real you – and your fellow human beings will start flying at you

BREAK THE ICE

FOTOLIA(2), REUTERS, GETTY IMAGES, NASA

Is awkward silence your trademark? Not for much longer. Try chatting to five complete strangers today. SMALL-TALK TIPS   Sprinkle your conversation with interesting factoids, preferably about the weather. For example, “Did you know that men make up more than 80 per cent of the people to get struck by lightning?”

RELAX WITH YOGA The Scorpion pose in three easy steps: 1   Breathe in. 2   Breathe out. 3   Adopt the Scorpion pose.

Pay your interlocutor a nice compliment, such as, “Love the toupée! Can I try it on?”   Interesting questions will keep any conversation ticking over. “When did you last think about the finite nature of your existence?”

THE RED BULLETIN

See you again on Monday! 21

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QUANTIFIED ART

SUCCESS IN SECONDS Get to the top quicker with the key bits from self-help classics

NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI: THE PRINCE “Men are so simple-minded and so controlled by their immediate needs that he who deceives will always find someone who will let himself be deceived.”

ALWAYS A FIRST TIME

THE PIONEERS

The things we do every day were once considered shocking and often plain wrong. We give thanks to three heroic figures

IGNAZ SEMMELWEIS Nineteenth-century doctor asked his colleagues to wash their hands before operating. He was derided.

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JERRY MORRIS Demonstrated in the 1950s that running on a regular basis is good for you. He was thought a lunatic.

ROBERT GREENE: 48 LAWS OF POWER “Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honours the timid.”

YOUR NEW, HONEST SELFIE The dynamic data we create is valuable. You can even make art out of it The steps we take, the likes we leave, the search requests we make. Everything we do leaves a digital finger- or footprint, and the CSIs of the internet can harvest the lot, whether we like it or not. Far nicer is what American artist Laurie Frick, and her app FRICKbits, does with it. Using your location data, colourful art is created: the more you move, the more elaborate the creativity

You can share your art with others. Or you can delete it – along with your data, we hope

KOBAL COLLECTION, GETTY IMAGES, IMAGO

In A Streetcar Named Desire, MARLON BRANDO brooded in just a white T-shirt: in 1951 this was scandalously brazen. Couldn’t be more normal now

DALE CARNEGIE: HOW TO WIN FRIENDS & INFLUENCE PEOPLE “Talk to someone about themselves and they’ll listen for hours.”

THE RED BULLETIN

RED BLOODED PERFORMANCE INFINITI Q50 EAU ROUGE CONCEPT www.infiniti.co.za

INSPIRED PERFORMANCE

Model displayed: Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Concept. This is a concept car and is not available for purchase. Concept cars are automotive studies and may look dierent when released. For more information on this and the Infiniti Q50, visit www.infiniti.co.za

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CAREER HICCUPS

FALSE RESTARTS

MICHAEL JORDAN called time on his basketball career in 1993 to become a professional baseball-player. He was back in the NBA in 1995.

Not every change of tack will necessarily take you to a better place We’re forever reading about people who have completely altered their lives and gone on to find success. But for these celebs the exact opposite was true, perhaps because they’d already found their true calling in the first place.

NAOMI CAMPBELL tried to start a music career, but her debut album flopped. Listen to it and you’ll know why.

LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN had a desire to be a teacher. Five tough years later he was back philosophising. Logically enough.

“Life is never easy” LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN FRANKIE MUNIZ went from actor to professional racing driver in 2006. It wasn’t long before he won an award for sportsmanship.

RELATIONSHIP

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GETTY IMAGES(4)

DIETMAR KAINRATH

KAINRATH – A BIT OF 2×2

UPBRINGING

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LIFE UPDATE

More future, please

ISN’T THERE AN APP FOR THAT?

How are we meant to change our lives when these things are impossible?

BEAMING ABOARD Saves time and maybe even energy. But the tomato juice lobby is just so damned powerful.

EAT UP! IT ’LL MAKE SOMETHING OF YOU!

There is: six widgets that will upgrade you today

Three delicacies to change you from within

LOOK BETTER Hempseed won’t get you high, but it will give you a perfect protein rush. Your body burns the right kind of fats, and this one can help make you trim and fit.

GET STRONGER Myths abound in Asia about snake’s blood: it boosts immunity and virility, they say. There are no facts to back this up. Your only option is to try it out on yourself.

SWEAT Seven minutes a day is enough for a dream physique. Use FitnessCoach.

WINGMAN BroApp will send your girlfriend an SMS if you forget.

ARSE-KICK Whatever the goal is, Beeminder will remind you to stay on the ball.

TIME CLOCK Toggl records the time you work and notes the time you spend dithering.

PARTY NON-STOP Fun-times provider eventO will direct you the best club or bar nearby.

GOOD VIBE Start the day positively with an entry in your Five Minute Journal.

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FREE LOVE Long live polyamory! It’s a biological riddle how we can be forever happy with a single partner.

HANDY ANDROID Washing machines were a good start. But why doesn’t the robot that helps us around the house exist yet?

CORBIS(3), FOTOLIA(3), GETTY IMAGES(3)

NEW GROWTH We’d be grinning like Cheshire cats with these: teeth that grow back. Can’t be a problem, can it, biotech nerds?

DIETMAR KAINRATH

CAN TALK What’s in store for you in the New Year?

BE SMARTER Snails are the brain food par excellence. Their omega-3 fatty acids stimulate memory, while the thyroid hormone T3 enhances brain activity, as quick as a flash.

THE RED BULLETIN

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PROPER RESOLUTIONS

Oh, dear oh gear

NEW YEAR YOU Stop smoking, drink less, do more sport… Yeah, done those (well, not done them). These are five ways to really improve the rest of your life

Gadgets we can well do without

Thinking cap The Foc.us device provides cranial neurostimulation for gamers. It uses electrical impulses which are meant to stimulate your brain and make you more productive. Shocking idea.

Food fight

HAVE SEX FOUR TIMES A WEEK A Greek study has shown that people who have sex at least four times a week earn three per cent more than those who only do it once. Or only want it once. Or only can have it once.

3 5 28

2

DON’T GET PROMOTED If you do more than your job requires of you, you’ll move up the career ladder – until you reach the rung that’s beyond you. Or so says the Peter Principle, and many a boss is living proof of the fact.

PROCRASTINATE PROPERLY Do you like putting things off? Scientists have discovered that’s no bad thing. People who consciously put things off deal better with pressure and surf the adrenalin wave.

The HAPIfork sounds an alarm when you shove too much food into your mouth. If you don’t want to be patronised by a fork, eat with your hands. Because they don’t answer back.

4

DON’T GO ON GUT INSTINCT Intuition is misleading because we can’t rely on our environment. So only make considered decisions. Nobel Prize-winner Daniel Kahneman has thought long and hard about it.

Photo shoot It weighs 20g, is about the size of your thumbnail and takes two pics a minute: Narrative Clip records your entire life. Your own Truman Show? Good afternoon, good evening and good night. CORBIS(5)

1

WEAR MORE RED Psychologists have determined that people are more attractive in photographs with a red frame. Unlucky in love? A couple of items of red clothing will help. A pair of scarlet-hued boxers, at the very least.

THE RED BULLETIN

JHB 47960/RW As seen on DStv/SuperSport

SUPERSPORT 2, YOUR 24-HOUR CRICKET ALL-ROUNDER. Catch around the clock cricket action on SuperSport 2, your dedicated 24-hour cricket channel. Watch all matches live in HD, with exclusive documentaries, expert analysis and commentary from legends of the game. INTERNATIONAL: AUS vs RSA SERIES: BAN vs ZIM SERIES: IND vs SL SERIES: PAK vs NZ SERIES: AUS vs IND SERIES: RSA vs WI SERIES: NZ vs SL SERIES: NZ vs PAK SERIES: AUS/ENG/IND TRI-SERIES: ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015:

DOMESTIC: 5 – 23 NOV 2014 26 OCT - 28 NOV 2014 2 - 16 NOV 2014 11 NOV - 17 DEC 2014 4 DEC 2014 - 7 JAN 2015 17 DEC 2014 - 28 JAN 2015 26 DEC 2014 - 29 JAN 2015 31 JAN - 3 FEB 2015 16 - 26 JAN 2015 14 FEB – 29 MAR 2015

RAM SLAM T20 CHALLENGE: MOMENTUM ONE-DAY CUP:

2 NOV - 13 DEC 2014 23 JAN – 16 FEB 2015

Please check DStv guide for updated broadcast details

SNOWBOARD

“I took this during the early days of the trip,” says photographer Tero Repo. “I stayed back on the main boat while the guys went to this iceberg in a Zodiac. They had to be quick – get on, do a couple of turns, get off – because icebergs can be unstable.”

ANTARCTICA

CARVING ICEBERGS IS ONE THING, TAKING PICS TO PROVE IT QUITE ANOTHER. THE MAN BEHIND THE CAMERA TALKS ACTION AND ADVENTURE IN FROZEN PARADISE PHOTOGRAPHY: TERO REPO WORDS: PAUL WILSON

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‘ T HE GUYS USED SPLITBOARDS PRETTY MUCH ALL THE TIME WHEN THE TERRAIN ALLOWED’ 32

“We had Christoph, a pilot, and his tandem paraglider. He flew; I would just sort of hang there and shoot. In this paraglider shot, Lucas and Xavier are on their splitboards [a snowboard that splits into two skis]. On long flats, it’s much quicker to hike on skis than walk carrying a snowboard.”

T

o be the guy taking the photos on amazing snow adventures, you need to focus on three things before you take the lens cap off: “Minimising risk, not getting frostbite and staying alive.” So says Tero Repo, a man who has spent many years documenting snowboard and ski expeditions around the world while adhering closely to his own advice. “I’ve been in danger many times,” says the 36-year-old Finn, who has been on photoshoots when riders have caused avalanches, or tumbled down the slopes to serious injury. “The more time you spend in the mountains, the more bad things you will face.” A recent month-long trip to Antarctica was about as good as it gets: long sunny days of exploring icebergs and islands to find virgin slopes and lines with snowboarders Xavier de Le Rue of France and American Lucas Debari. As a skierturned-snapper, Repo is happy for others to be in shot. “I don’t miss skiing and snowboarding for fun. Now, it helps me do my job, which is to get great photos.”

Left: “A morning view from the boat, the Golden Fleece, a heavy 19m-long sailing boat: not an ice-breaker but it’ll break through 20cm of ice. We hired it in the Falkland Islands.” Above: “Lucas on the left, Xavier in the middle and the ship’s captain, Jerome Poncet.” Facing page: “The first mate is in the Zodiac, Lucas climbing, with Xavier and our guide Tony Lamiche behind him. That was a big iceberg.”

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THE RED BULLETIN

‘THE SHIP’S CAPTAIN WASN’T HAPPY ABOUT US GOING TO ICEBERGS: HE SAID THEY OFTEN COLLAPSE’

‘ M OST OF THE TIME IT WAS STEEP AND SCARY, BUT WE PICKED THE RIGHT MOMENTS’

Left: “I got a few good pictures without snowboarders in them, too. This one is of a penguin colony. Above left: “This is on land, not an iceberg. Xavier and Lucas hiking up to the lines we had scouted. They always wore the same colour gear,to identify them quickly: Xavier in yellow and Lucas in blue. They’re not penguins behind them; I think they’re Antarctic shags, a type of cormorant.”

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THE RED BULLETIN

This page: “We stayed in most places for a day or two, so we could see where the sun was hitting – it only got dark a few hours a day. Too late in the day and the snow is too warm; too early, it’s too hard. With no room for mistakes, we take it relatively easy and don’t rush the shots. That’s what I mean about minimising the risks.”

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Above: ‘Sailing into the sunset with a beer. I went thinking we’d maybe get one bottle of beer a day, but there was more – only for after shoots, though, back on the boat.” Right: “Tony the guide making a sort-of cast for Lucas. He tumbled and aggravated an existing wrist injury.” Main pic: “Lucas doing a frontside 360°, a normal trick for him, but in this landscape, it becomes amazing.”

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THE RED BULLETIN

‘I AGREE TWO THINGS WITH RIDERS: DO TRICKS YOU’RE GOOD AT WHICH LOOK GREAT’ THE RED BULLETIN

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‘ TAKING PICTURES IN ANTARCTICA IS GREAT WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH LIGHT’

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“The Zodiac coming in next to the Golden Fleece. This was actually a spot we stayed overnight. We were lucky with the weather being so good. It meant the preparations were perfect, relaxed. Not chasing around for a few hours of light. We could shoot between 4-10pm every day.”

‘ AT SEA LEVEL, YOU HAVE TO BE EXTRA-CAREFUL ABOUT CHOOSING THE RIGHT LINES’

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THE RED BULLETIN

Above: “Xavier on land. We would spend a day shooting, but always go back to the boat. Ten people on a 19m boat.” Left: “Lucas during our swimming session. We jumped from the deck. Nice warm water – a couple of degrees.” Facing page: “Xavier again. We looked for slopes like this with ridges above them, so I could stand in a safe spot and give a true idea of steepness.” terorepo.com

THE RED BULLETIN

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HANNIBAL LECTER’S LIFE LESSONS Mads Mikkelsen, star of Hannibal, touches on the important topics in this exclusive interview: life and death, heaven and earth. And cycling WORDS: RÜDIGER STURM P H O T O G R A P H Y: K E N N E T H W I L L A R D T / CORBIS OUTLINE 44

“ My constant companion is a feeling of insecurity. It could be helpful when you play fearful characters, but sometimes you play the hero�

M ads Mikkelsen, the biggest ‘foreign language’ star in TV and film right now, is looking a little dishevelled as he arrives to talk to The Red Bulletin. Mikkelsen, 48, best actor at the Cannes Film Festival two years ago and current star of Hannibal, hasn’t shaved and his shirt is tucked untidily into his jeans. But he’s wide awake and in excellent spirits. “Before I begin, I should perhaps warn you,” he says. “We Danes are very good at laughing at ourselves. There’s a wicked sense of humour hidden behind everything we say.” the red bulletin: You’ve played a Bond villain, Norse and Greek men of action and now Dr Hannibal Lecter. Why such extreme characters? mads mikkelsen: The answer is very simple: my life is boring, so a script has to move me. It has to be dramatic, exciting, crazy even. I need that counterpoint. Comedies, for example, I don’t really do at all. Unless they’re really nuts. Hannibal, the third season of which you’re currently filming, certainly isn’t played for laughs. Did you have any qualms about playing one of the most notorious fictional criminals? Not once I’d met Bryan Fuller, the show’s creator. He wanted to tell me the story in 10 minutes; he was still talking two hours later. He raved about Hannibal in the way a person would about a love affair. It was clear to me after we spoke that I definitely wanted to work with such a crazy guy. How deeply did you research the role of a cannibal? Hahaha, you mean, did I… … well, not take it to its ultimate conclusion, obviously, but how far? Apart from his eating habits, he’s a classic psychopath. Hannibal Lecter is no one-dimensional

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A former professional dancer, Mikkelsen moved into acting in the 1990s, making a name for himself as a drug dealer in the Pusher films

beast. Don’t make the mistake of trying to whittle him down. He loves art, music, good food, languages – and he also loves to kill. It’s a passion of his. There’s even a certain, erm, love about it. And I try to express that too… does what I’ve just said sound too crazy? Depends on your definition of crazy. Well, he’s one of the most terrible monsters we’ve ever come across. But aside from his cruelty, there’s a lot that we can learn from Hannibal. That life on the verge of death is more interesting, for example. Because it makes us realise that we should make the most of life every day. Hannibal has no time for niceties, either. He refuses to waste time on stupid people. There’s something to be said for that sort of attitude. And personally I’m absolutely fascinated by his incredible self-confidence. Why? Because I’m not a confident person. I’m unsure of myself every time I try something new, every time I work. That feeling of insecurity is my constant companion. Insecurity could be helpful when you have to play fearful, distraught, doubting characters, but sometimes you play the hero. How can you be insecure and play the hero? I have to forget my insecurity. I know, I know: it’s easier said than done. What I try to do is get into a sort of flow when I’m acting. At that point I’m not thinking, I’m just being. If I start thinking about it, if I become aware of what I’m doing, it will have 48

“ There’s a lot we can learn from Hannibal: that life on the verge of death is more interesting… and personally I’m fascinated by his incredible self-confidence” a negative effect. I have to redo the shot as soon as I realise that that’s happening. What if the director is happy with your work? Sorry, but there are no exceptions when this happens. I always insist on redoing the take because I know that it wasn’t good. I just know, you see? Regardless of whether or not the director is happy. Do you think you need to be a bit of a loner to succeed as an actor? In a certain way our job is both very social and very anti-social. When we’re working, we’re surrounded by people non-stop. We wouldn’t be able to do the job at all if that weren’t the case. At the same time, as an actor, you’re going through a process that’s exclusive to you. You have to find THE RED BULLETIN

and explore another life inside of yourself. You have to be completely alone for that, and you have to be able to do it regardless of how many people there are around you. You have to learn how to do that. There is something enormously inspiring in learning to follow solely your own thoughts and to listen solely to the music inside you. How do you learn to do that? Inner maturity? Years of meditation? Cycling. I cycle every day, if I’m alone for an hour or two; longer if there’s a group of us. Cycling is my drug. Ask any marathon runner or triathlete. We all know that feeling. When you’re sitting on your bike, almost spitting blood, your brain starts producing endorphins. They’re wonderful little things. You get addicted to them. I become frantic if I can’t cycle for a couple of days. So you are, in a way, a drug addict? Ha! To a certain degree, yes. Of course there are times when you’re just weak from exhaustion and get the flu. That’s a bad trip, if you want to put it in those terms. But normally you just end up with this great rush of adrenalin. Some people need danger to get the same kick and climb mountains. I’m not at all interested in that sort of thing. What I’m keen to do is to push myself to the limit, to the point where there’s really nothing left, where I just can’t do any more. That’s what fulfils me. What exactly is it that fulfils you? I’ve thought about that, about what it is exactly, but I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. Actually, I’m probably just addicted to sport. When I’m not on my bike, then I’m playing some sort of ball game – football, handball, tennis. When I do take a break, I watch sport on TV. What’s the most memorable bike ride you’ve ever been on? One time when I was on a bike in LA. A friend of mine had two racing bikes and challenged me to a race. I hadn’t ridden for a while at that point, but I wasn’t worried because I’m in pretty good shape normally. Next thing, we’re off: up and

“What I’m keen to do is push myself to the limit, to the point where there’s really nothing left, where I just can’t do any more. That’s what fulfils me” down the hills around Los Angeles. It was awful, I thought I was going to die. I didn’t have a hope of beating him, which was so incredibly frustrating. After the race I said to myself that I wasn’t going to put up with that again. So I bought myself a racing bike, trained on it, came back and gave him hell. It was huge fun, let me tell you. Do you regularly hold private races on public roads around Los Angeles against your friends? It’s not an everyday occurrence. But that time I really wanted to make amends. I just couldn’t take it. You do know it’s illegal to race on the streets? You’re right, of course. And it was dangerous, I have to admit. In the middle of the streets of LA there are these huge drain grates for rainwater. They’re too big to cycle over. Your tyres can get stuck in them – that could have nasty consequences even if you weren’t travelling at 50kph. I found myself hurtling towards one of those grates doing around 50kph. I saw it too late to avoid it. I knew I was either going to have a major crash or just leap over it. Thankfully, I made the jump. The grate just caught a tiny part of my rear wheel. Things were pretty close that time. Maybe you have a guardian angel watching over you? I am not at all religious. You can’t get anyone less religious than me. Sure, it would be nice if there were some kind higher being, but until we are more certain on that score, we’d be better off taking charge of our own lives. Our actions, our responsibility. I prefer to think of it that way. Did you get a kick out of your near miss? No, I was unnerved and frightened by it. As I said earlier, I’m not interested in danger. But you also said earlier that life was more interesting on the verge of death. Which doesn’t mean that you should risk it carelessly. You say that while smoking a cigarette. One-nil to you. I have tried to stop, but it hasn’t worked out. Just think of all the people you could give hell to on a bike if you had clearer lungs. You’re right. If I stopped smoking, I really would be able to go faster. Maybe I’ll manage to stop if I look at it that way. The third season of Hannibal is out in 2015: nbc.com/hannibal

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NEW UNDERGROUND

THE

THE MINIMALIST RHYMES AND GLITCHY LO-FI LOOPS OF GQOM, SOUTH AFRICA’S RAW NEW MUSIC SCENE, ARE BEATING A PATH FROM DURBAN TO BASS CAPITALS AROUND THE WORLD WORDS: KWANELE SOSIBO  PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRIS SAUNDERS

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Gqom vocalist Bhejane performs for a shebeen crowd in eMlazi, near Durban

Clockwise from left: Ceeyah and Manegerh, vocalists for the oBen 10 crew, hang out backstage; township taverns are a favourite venue for all-night gqom parties; Madanon spitting rhymes is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser

IN FRONT OF A SHEBEEN CROWD, not far from his mother’s house, Bhejane, in jeans and a black bubble jacket, jerks his hips in the opposite direction to his flailing arms. His energy is manic, but his movements match the staccato beat that, with his vocals mixed in, echoes through the hilly township. The teenagers in the front row take cellphone videos while mouthing along to a fairytale-like song about an ecstasy trip gone bad. The adults at the back watch incredulously, unsure what to make of this post-kwaito scene. Out of the limelight, Bhejane is a lanky and soft-spoken figure, his boyish looks contrasting with the image his booming baritone evokes. On record he

comes across as larger than life, menacing society with some memorable, rhetorical questions. “Ubani… islima… pahkathi… kwestraighti… nomakhwapheni? (Who is the fool between your real woman and your mistress?)” he chants in Zulu on Makhwapheni, a tongue-in-cheek song about infidelity. Just 21 years old, Bhejane is one of the leading lights of a rap style that has evolved specifically over gqom beats rather than kwaito tunes. He first came across gqom seven years ago, on unmarked mixtapes that were being put out by a DJ from Pretoria named Bin Laden. “It was popular, but it was never on radio,” he remembers. Taking its name from the hollow sound a drum makes, gqom is a mostly Durban-based music movement that has evolved out of the stagnant kwaito scene and Pretoria’s Bacardi house rhythms. Imagine a sound that strips kwaito of its sheen and flat vocals and rewires it as unruly, offbeat dance techno. Gqom is the soundtrack of a generation still trapped in the ghetto, unable to get their hands on a piece of the new South African pie. It is a sound steeped in township atmospherics – its successive waves of drugs, emerging dance styles and fast-changing tastes in fashion and slang. It is the sound of

youth who, thanks to smartphones and the internet, have assimilated global culture, while kwaito, basking in the mainstream, gradually lost its edge. In contrast to kwaito’s dependence on the studios and distribution channels of the formal music industry, gqom inhabits a gritty musical underworld. Tracks are produced in humble bedroom studios, and spread through taxi routes or as downloadable files on artist Facebook pages before making their way to cavernous inner-city clubs, RDP house parties or youth-oriented shebeens. Many of the genre’s bedroom producers have had to find their own way around cheap audio software like FL Studio, and the vocalists have a knack for socio-political humour and an economy of words. For the most part, these practitioners eke out a living crisscrossing KwaZulu-Natal playing gigs which hardly pay, if they pay at all.

L

ike all fresh genres, gqom is still evolving, but it has already attracted international interest. London DJ OKZHARP and Cape Town-based producer Jumping Back Slash have trafficked the sound to dancefloors overseas, largely drawing from sources such as Durban-born vocalist-producer Okmalumkoolkat and innovative local 53

music portal kasimp3.com, where tracks can be up- and downloaded quickly, at the click of a mouse. At the core of the scene, however, is one of gqom’s most prolific innovators: the reclusive Sbucardo da DJ. To track him down, you have to travel into a hidden, densely populated valley called Maoti, about 20km north-west of Durban. The sprawling shacklands in these hills have been replaced with basic, government-built houses and in a yard of one-roomed rental units, Sbucardo’s ‘studio’ can be found. His single room is bare, save for a queen-size bed, and the only hint that it doubles as a studio is an unadorned mic stand with its circular filter affixed. Here, Sbucardo uses FL Studio and a beat-up PC to construct minimalist works of genius. Sbucardo’s pieces have become indispensable for the new generation of gqom vocalists. Short and skinny, the 25-year-old recalls proto-gqom tracks being laid down as early as 2008 in the nearby township of KwaMashu. “Back then it wasn’t offbeat, though,” he says. “I came up with the offbeat from watching people dance – they would react even more to something a little offbeat, so I pursued that.” His first offbeat hit was Haibo Hey in 2011. “I put it out on KasiMp3 and then it just took off. It had my phone number on it and I used to get bookings from as far away as Richard’s Bay and Port Shepstone, just off that one song. The first place to book me was in the Eastern Cape, of all places.” Sbucardo says the idea of splicing one-note samples came a bit later, when he discovered the tonal richness a talented vocalist can offer. But all the vocalists Sbucardo now records are first-timers – his productions have galvanised a wave of 54

GQOM IS THE SOUNDTRACK OF A GENERATION

STILL TRAPPED IN THE GHETTO would-be rhymers who can turn township ills into sharp, entertaining verse. While some gqom tracks are roughedged, unmixed and unmastered, it’s the overall atmosphere of the music that commands attention. When it’s in the hands of more ambitious sonic experimenters like Lusiman or DJ Lag, the result often leans towards a psychedelic mash-up of electronic styles. Lusiman’s Wamnand’ uQoh (in which a woman recounts her first experience of ecstasy) was licensed by well-known kwaito DJ Cndo and went on to win her a 2014 Metro FM award for best female artist. It’s an achievement which bodes

well for the bankability of gqom, or at least for a sonically shimmery version of it. But broach the subject of broken beats with Lusiman, a 24-year-old land surveyor who lives with his mother, and he also claims it. “I never uploaded the songs,” he says. “I kept them. I never knew it was broken beat. I was like ‘Wow, they’re doing this now, and I’ve been doing it already.’” DJ Lag, who has mastered a hardedged and bouncy gqom aesthetic, also counts himself as the first to break kwaito’s staid beat. “I was just trying to create something that sounded like hip-hop, but on a house tempo,” says the talented 18-year-old, whose polished output belies his age.

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hile gqom producers duke for bragging rights, there is only one king of the genre’s vocal tradition. At his family’s home in a middle-class section of eMlazi, Durban’s largest township, the 21-yearold Madanon is a lively bundle of postpubescent ego. What sets him apart is a seemingly endless trove of catchy, chantlike sing-alongs, referred to as gimmicks. “When we’d go out to clubs – back then I used to be a dancer – I’d always be saying gimmicks on the dancefloor,” he recalls. “People would hear them and start copying them. My producer cousins told me about a beat (the late) DJ Njiva had made. I recorded it the first time I heard it. I filled it up with gimmicks and it just came together.” That track became the song Imsebenz’ Ikhona, an ode to drug-taking and a reference to a libertine party philosophy. Recorded in June 2012, it is a sevenminute, 30-second piece of free-wheeling, wanton abandon: a van careering down the hill of moral sanctity with no brakes. That song and his second,

Above: oBen 10’s hood – Savannah Park near Pinetown. Left: Lusiman in his bedroom studio. Opposite page top: Songwriter and DJ 031 on the decks. Opposite bottom: Gqom has a dynamic relationship with dance. Many of its producers are dancers and the genre was partly inspired by new township dance styles THE RED BULLETIN

IMSEBENZ’ IKHONA IS A SEVENMINUTE, 30-SECOND PIECE OF

WANTON ABANDON

Left: Highly respected hardcore gqom producer DJ Lag is based in Clermont, west of Durban. Below: oBen 10 vocalists Manegerh and Ceeyah flank their regular collaborators, the producer Ndakx and DJ Xtra Large

Opopayi, now stand as the founding anthems of gqom rap. Although ecstasy is still essential to the scene, the craze over ecstasy-laced lyrics seems to have peaked. “The genre is new and evolving so people write about the travails of life in general, like cheating and that kind of thing,” says songwriter 031, from the bedroom studio he shares with Sbucardo. For all the excitement a vocal tradition has brought to gqom, live performances are not always the slickest. At an event in eMlazi, on a chilly night outdoors, the crowd laps up Bhejane’s spastic, impossible energy as he contorts, spins

THE CRAZE OVER

ECSTASY-LACED LYRICS PEAKED and points the mic at the crowd. There is no dismay in noticing that he is lipsyncing to his own recorded vocals. At Sbucardo and 031’s eNanda party, Madanon’s gimmicks, usually tightly sequenced, are spat out free associatively on stage, as if he is sound-checking. In the open concrete courtyard of a local

shebeen, his set looks loose and unplanned, although he never seems uncertain while delivering it. Similarly, the oBen 10 crew have the rugged, stop-start charm of a dancehall show, but it’s by default because their DJ, Xtra Large, has yet to turn up. The youths lounging around probably notice, but don’t care. Some are too busy tripping; jaws clenched to the point of shivering, pupils hidden behind dark glasses. In a makeshift kitchen, away from the madding crowd, Nkwenkwe, a virtually unknown gqom vocalist, reflects on the genre’s future in the face of growing mainstream interest. “When Cndo took Lusiman’s song, it got a lot of hype. But since she licensed it, you hear nothing about Lusiman – it’s like he’s oppressed. Same thing with the Fearless Boyz’ Sgubh’ Ungakanani. Bhar (the kwaito star who licensed it) didn’t add or edit anything, but that song now belongs to him. In life, before you succeed, you must get robbed.” Lusiman – who says he got 30 per cent of the royalties for Wamnand’ uQoh – has reason to be more optimistic. “From the feedback we’re getting as producers, a lot of people are feeling it. Somebody from Australia hit me up wanting to buy my three-beat stuff. He also hit up Lag and said he was willing to pay for the tracks. That’s when I saw that this music is going places. Even in Nigeria, they know it and love it. On Channel O, they are calling it by its name now: Durban dance music, gqom.” redbullstudios.com/gqom

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BAAUER

‘I want to make music you can’t get online’ The man behind the Harlem Shake is now trawling the planet to find songs that don’t exist on the internet

The quest to find something new is as contemporary as they come, but it’s also a difficult one. Have an idea for Cheetosbased art? There’s already a Tumblr page for that. Want to see what happens when you connect hundreds of nine-volt batteries together? See YouTube. Need some really crazy sounds to put into Ableton Live for your latest remix? There are plenty of websites for doing that. Harry Bauer Rodrigues fits into that last category. The Philadelphia-born producer, known as Baauer, scored a hit in 2013 with his sample-laden dance track, Harlem Shake. The song became a viral sensation on YouTube when it was used as a soundtrack to thousands of videos in which ridiculously dressed people broke out in crazy dance moves when the beat dropped. This came around the time the music charts underwent a shake-up of their own, factoring in YouTube streaming data in the US chart and helping send Baauer to number one. With his pop crown secured, Baauer is now in search of new sounds, and he’s travelled to remote regions of Japan and the United Arab Emirates to find them. “This didn’t come from a lack of sounds – not at all,” says Baauer from Los Angeles, where he has set up a second home away from his usual stomping ground of Brooklyn to be closer to the musicians he’s working with for his yet-to-be-titled debut album. “You can find anything you want online. But I wanted to find something that you can’t find on the internet, which is hard.” From Japan’s ancient Imperial courts to visits with desert tribes on the outskirts of Dubai, Baauer scoured the countryside for unique sounds to inform his tracks. 58

He recorded bubbling sulphur deposits and the swooshing of falcons on the fly, as well as rare traditional instruments made from unusual raw materials. “One was a bagpipe that’s made out of a dead goat, like a goat’s body that’s been preserved,” says the 25-year-old, referring to an instrument similar to the gaida found in the Balkans and south-east Europe. “It still has the shape of a goat, which makes it really bizarre. You blow into a tube and it plays like a bagpipe. My friend played it a little bit and he was really good at it.”

‘We found bagpipes made from a goat, still shaped like a goat’ Baauer’s productions are recognisable by the bass and build he layers into each track. Higher, his Jay-Z-sampling collaboration with New Jersey hip-hop producer Just Blaze, ascends at a dizzying pace before the bottom drops right out, reminding you of the vibrant and very alive nature of modern electronic music. Then there’s Harlem Shake. The song’s cumulative YouTube views reached well over a billion in a few months, and there was a peak of more than 4,000 videos uploaded in a single day in February 2013. Experts put the song’s success down to its accessible 15-second build and bass drop that ends with a convenient death rattle. Its catchiness played to the internet’s

short attention span, so did the ease with which people could recreate the original video by a vlogger called Filthy Frank. All that was required was a camera phone, some friends to star in the video and a little editing before uploading. Baauer has learned lessons from his viral experience. Harlem Shake may have made him a star, but he barely saw a dime in direct earnings from it. He didn’t make the video that started the phenomenon, and he didn’t clear any of the samples that would have made the song legally legit. But he did get a lot of live bookings. “Now I know that you should always clear your samples,” says Baauer. “I was just sitting around my bedroom; I never imagined that the whole thing would happen like that in a million years.” Baauer’s sound-finding journey to the ends of the earth was made into a documentary for Red Bull TV. Inspiration from the trip has pushed the way the producer works in directions he didn’t think would be possible. “Now, with this Red Bull thing, going out to find new sounds around the world was perfect. They are all my sounds,” he says. “Wherever possible you should use your own recordings. Record yourself saying the sample. “It’s a fun little game to make songs only out of these sounds, and I’ve already ended up making three or four,” he says. “I’m using them in other productions, remixes and stuff. They’ve made an amazing palette. I’m like a painter who got a whole new set of colours after using the same ones for years.” Listen to Baauer’s favourite found sounds from around the world at redbulletin.com THE RED BULLETIN

BALAZS GARDI

Words: Brandon Perkins

Shake vs style The various videos featuring Baauer’s track reached one billion YouTube views in two months. By contrast, his colleague in the catchyas-hell category, Psy, took six months to reach that number with his 2012 hit, Gangnam Style.

ZAKHENI NGUBO

‘Always trust your instincts’ The Durban-born social entrepreneur aims to solve South Africa’s education crisis through mobile technology

Zakheni Ngubo is a busy man. His answer to South Africa’s chronic shortage of decent maths and science teachers is to digitise the school curriculum and create a virtual classroom for the benefit of learners everywhere. Pursuing his dream of developing a mobile phone app that can deliver top-quality maths and science teaching has seen him attending conferences and being nominated for awards across the globe. Ngubo recently returned from the Tech Open Air Conference in Berlin where he pitched his Syafunda project to tech venture capitalists; Syafunda is being considered for the Pearson Edupreneurs Programme award (worth R800 000 in seed funding), The Queen’s Young Leaders Award, and the University of Johannesburg’s Emerging Social Enterprise Award. the red bulletin: You’ve overcome township educational problems. How has this shaped your career? zakheni ngubo: I completed my matric in a high school with no maths teacher and as a result, despite my outstanding performance, I wasn’t accepted into university. So I enrolled in evening maths lessons and got into the University of Cape Town the following year. When my brother struggled with maths, I enrolled him in Saturday classes and he got a distinction, and a bursary to study at UCT. This led me to create Syafunda. Where I come from is at the heart of what we do: we put young people first and try to give them a chance of competing and contributing in a global economy. What about the Syafunda app? We are working on the content input 60

side so that anyone can add and edit content, particularly teachers who are not necessarily well versed in technology. And to avoid the high cost of data or lack of connectivity in rural and township schools, we are testing a wireless network that allows students to download content free without using 3G or ADSL. When will the app launch? On the technology side, the hard part is over. It’s now more about the operational side: customising and testing. Our mobile solution will allow teachers to manage

‘Where there is passion and purpose, prosperity always follows’ a virtual classroom, upload and share content, and engage with learners. We will launch in March 2015 with Grade 11 and 12 maths and science, then add content as we go, all the way to Grade 8. Tell us about your networking. The Tech Open Air Conference gave us some great international mentorship and exposure, and the Digital Edge conference in Joburg helped us to solve the question of access to smartphones and low-cost feature phones: we’ll deliver audio lessons with the video, worksheets and assessments. Has your outlook changed since Red Bull Amaphiko Academy 2014?

Where there is passion and purpose, prosperity always follows. I have learned that business is an endurance game and that teams are worth more than gold. How do you strike a work-life balance? I go back home to Durban as often as possible to those who inspire me to be more than an entrepreneur – particularly my one-year-old son and my fiancé. My family keeps me grounded and focused on what life should and could be. Any examples? I had my birthday recently and I was still working at around two o’clock in the morning when five tipsy girls burst into my apartment and sang “Happy birthday!” really loud. A neighbour had got together some people from the building to surprise me. But when they got to the part where they were supposed to say my name, they paused because none of them knew it! I burst out laughing. It made me realise that I need to be more sociable with people in the building where I live. When times are hard, how do you find encouragement? I draw strength from those who know that tough times are inevitable, but push you towards a solution. I am part of the Red Bull Amaphiko Academy WhatsApp group, which is a safe place to talk, and share experiences and encouragement with social entrepreneurs. Any advice for South Africa’s young entrepreneurs? It’s not about what, but about who, you become. Your dreams represent the essence of your soul, so do not give up on them. And always trust your instincts. syafunda.co.za THE RED BULLETIN

MUSA M. NXUMALO

Words: Roger Young

Zakheni Ngubo, 29, is the driving force behind the Syafunda mobile learning app

Dakar debut 1988 on a Yamaha motorcycle Dakar wins 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1998 for Yamaha. He switched from bikes to cars in 1999. He won in 2004, 2005 and 2007 at the wheel of a Mitsubishi; 2012 and 2013 in a Mini. He has also come second twice, in 2000 and 2014 and in 2003 came third. In 26 starts, he has only retired twice.

STÉPHANE PETERHANSEL

Can this man win the Dakar Rally for a 12th time? No one in the history of the great race has had close to the success of the 49-year-old Frenchman, with 11 wins from 26 starts. So what keeps him motivated – and why is he so good?

FLAVIEN DUHAMEL/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Words: Werner Jessner

the red bulletin: Having taken the start line for every Dakar since 1988, aren’t you bored of it? Stéphane Peterhansel: Discovering new places is my great passion. As the route changes every year, there’s always been something new to look out for. But the Dakar route is quite fixed [mainly France and north and central Africa from 1978 to 2007; through South America since 2009]. Do you satisfy your wanderlust in other ways? In September I cycled across Lesotho, for example. I’d never been there, it is surrounded by South Africa and as the Dakar is in South America now, it’s unlikely to take me there any time soon. Why did you do it by bike? You’ve got to prepare for the Dakar physically somehow. What about the mental side of things? Mo­torsport happens to be my second great passion, so Dakar is the perfect combination for me. I took part in Africa 18 times. The sky was different every single time, not to mention the sand and the smells. Where was the most memorable place? I really loved the landscape in southern Algeria. When it comes to the event as a whole, the route from Paris to Cape Town was the most diverse. In South America, everything around the Cordilleras is really spectacular. There’s wet, dry, extreme altitude. You’re really spoiled for choice as a traveller. Why do you think age isn’t an issue for winning the Dakar Rally? THE RED BULLETIN

When I was 35, I thought my fellow countryman Jean-Louis Schlesser was an old man! Today I’m still not as old as he was when he last won. So 49 is no age at all. Mentally I’m still young, and physically I feel as fit as a fiddle, too. How long will you continue driving? I signed a three-year contract with Peugeot Sport in June. I’d still like to win a sixth time behind the wheel of a car. I’ve won six times on my motorbike, so that would round things off nicely.

‘It’s about survival: I saw riders die in front of me and others are now in wheelchairs’ Why did you swap motorbikes for cars? It was partly about survival instinct. I’d ridden the rally 10 times on my motorbike and I never had a serious accident. I saw riders die in front of me and others are now in wheelchairs. Personally, I always had the feeling that everything was under control, but maybe that was deceptive. Another reason for the change was the boredom. With that helmet on, you’re always alone, in good times and bad. But in the car you can tell your co-pilot how you’re feeling.

What’s your favourite car? I’ve always had very quick cars, just four-wheel drives. In 2015, I’ll be starting out in a rear-wheel buggy for the first time, the Peugeot 2008 DKR. Even though I don’t have the feeling that the car can win, it’s the one I’ve had the most fun in. What makes it fun? The regulations allow buggies more suspension travel than four-wheel drives, which suits my calm and gentle driving style. The worse the course, the better the Peugeot. Who will be quicker this year, your teammate Carlos Sainz or you? Him still, for now. He’s got more buggy experience than me. Would you race the Dakar in a truck? I tried driving one last year. I won’t be doing that again. It’s nothing like driving a car. I can’t be bothered with it. You first excelled on a skateboard. What do you remember of that? The last time I skated was 10 years ago when I came across my old board when I was cleaning out my garage. It still worked well, but the sport has definitely changed a lot since my heyday, almost 40 years ago. We had slalom races back then. Young people now don’t even know that such a thing ever existed. Is that an admission that you’re starting to grow old for your profession? More that you’ve constantly got to be on the ball if you don’t want to fall behind. peugeot-sport.com

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KILIAN JORNET DOESN’T JUST CLIMB MOUNTAINS, HE RACES UP THEM (AND SKIS BACK DOWN) FASTER THAN ANYONE IN HISTORY. THIS IS HIS MASTERCLASS IN BREAKING RECORDS AND BOUNDARIES WORDS: NORMAN HOWELL  PHOTOGRAPHY: MATT GEORGES

BEYOND THE SUMMITS

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Running man: Kilian Jornet demonstrates what makes him supreme in the mountains, tackling the steep slopes around the village of Le Tour near Chamonix

“I’M JUST FOLLOWING WHAT PEOPLE DID IN THE PAST AND WHAT THEY WILL DO IN THE FUTURE. IT’S NICE THAT THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS OF APPROACHING A MOUNTAIN. WE’RE ALL IN THE SAME PLACE, BUT IN DIFFERENT WAYS”

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ilian Jornet is a man going places, fast. He runs in summer and skis during the winter. He is arguably the world’s top endurance athlete and, aged 27, has achieved more than many world-class competitors achieve in a lifetime. He wins races hundreds of kilometres long, runs across glaciers, speed-climbs mountains then skis down them. He has conquered some of the world’s iconic peaks at speed, unassisted, using minimum equipment and setting improbable records. When he can, he will stop, admire the view, eat berries, drink from streams. Mostly, however, he’s racing against himself. To some, the Spaniard is the pioneer of speedclimbing, a new and admirable sport; to others, he is demeaning the long tradition of alpinism and encouraging reckless behaviour in the mountains. He says he is just a mountaineer having fun. Having fun in Jornet’s world is running up and down Mont Blanc in 4 hours 57 minutes, and the Matterhorn in 2 hours 52 minutes. Or running the length of the Pyrenees, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, 850km and 42,000m of elevation, in eight days. Most recently, he tackled Mount McKinley in Alaska – at 6,186m, the highest peak in North America – climbing up on foot in snow and fog, then skiing down in 11 hours 48 minutes. Another record, another extraordinary feat of mountaineering.

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He is ideally built for what he does, weighing 58kg, 1m 71cm tall, with a resting heart rate of 34bpm and a lung capacity of 5.3 litres. Top cyclists and other endurance athletes fall within these parameters, but what makes Jornet unique is his range of achievements. As well as his speed-climbing feats, Jornet is a multiple world champion in ultra-trail running (long mountainous distances, typically 80-160km), sky running (shorter mountain races at 20-42km) and vertical climbing (lung-busting 1km sprint climbs). He has won most of the major ski mountaineering events held across the Alps, setting records for many of them. He plans to tackle Aconcagua, in the Argentine Andes, before the year is out, with Everest and Mt Elbrus in Russia on his to-do list. The Red Bulletin talked to him in the village of Le Tour, near Chamonix, while climbing a steep path to find a suitable location for the photoshoot. the red bulletin: What makes you run up mountains? kilian jornet: I am just following what people did in the past, and what people will do in the future. It’s nice that there are so many ways of approaching a mountain: really fast and technical solo climbing, BASE-jumpers, who have a completely different interpretation of the mountains, then there is me with my running approach. We’re all in the same place, but in different ways.

“I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE HAPPY. TO DO THINGS THAT LEAD TO UNHAPPINESS IS JUST STUPID” What first inspired you to do this? My father is a mountain guide and the guardian of a mountain refuge. He has a classical approach to mountaineering: big boots and backpacks. My mother is a teacher, loves racing, has a lighter approach to mountaineering, and has a deep sense of nature. She transmitted to me the desire to understand nature and how things happen. From the age of three to maybe 10 years old, after dinner, before going to bed, in our pyjamas, we would go and walk in the forest. I remember the first times I was afraid, my sister and I would cling to my mother’s legs and try and stay with her. But after a while we got used to our surroundings, and though you don’t know what is around you, you can’t feel the earth, there’s rain and wind, you start to feel more confident to walk in the forest at night and to start having fun. My parents gave me a great sense of responsibility. When we went hiking, it was never the case that they would be ahead of us. On the contrary, my sister and I were ahead and had to decide the route. When we got it wrong, they would go over it with us, help us analyse our mistakes. It was fun, as we had to remember landmarks, flowers and animals. THE RED BULLETIN

High achiever: Jornet is a multiple world champion in trail running, sky running and vertical climbing, and has set many ski mountaineering records

“IT IS BEAUTIFUL TO SEE WHEN ANIMALS MOVE. THEY MOVE SO SMOOTHLY AND IT LOOKS SO EASY. FOR US HUMANS, IT IS VERY TECHNICAL, YOU HAVE TO FOCUS ON WHERE YOU PUT YOUR FEET. WE ARE NOT REALLY BUILT FOR THIS”

Form and function: Jornet is ideally built for what he does. He weighs 58kg, is 1m 71cm tall, has a resting heart rate of 34bpm and a lung capacity of 5.3 litres

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Do you have the same sense of fun in the mountains now? I think it is important to be happy. To do things that lead to unhappiness is stupid. It does not mean that everything is carpe diem and just have fun in the moment. You must also search for things that make you happy. This means many times it will be hard and there will be suffering, but there will also be fun. What about the parts that are no fun? The suffering is always dramatic, because you are the one who is placing yourself in this situation. Suffering is tough, but if it comes from outside, it is a different mental state. For example, you are on an expedition and it’s really cold and stormy: you suffer, of course, but it is your choice, so you deal with it. Mountaineering is not just sport, it is a style of life. How much of what you do is talent and how much is skill? It is beautiful to see when animals move. They move so smoothly and it looks so easy. For us humans, it is very technical, you have to focus on where you put your feet, and you struggle, then you see a chamois [mountain goat] running and 72

realise that we are not really built for this. Running downhill is more about the approach than the step, more about the mind rather than the body. You need to think where and how you will put your feet, you have to keep running and playing with the terrain. It is about vision and coordinating it with the muscles. It’s about taking bigger risks, pushing all the time. Were you taking a big risk when you tackled Mount McKinley? Yes, it was bad weather. We were there 20 days and only had three days of sunshine. When we heard there was going to be a window of good weather, we decided to go for it. Early one morning the weather was really good, then at 5,000m it changed: I was in the clouds and the wind was blowing strong. It started to snow and I couldn’t see more than 20m. So the last 1,200m were really hard because I was on my own. That was tough. I didn’t know if I could get to the summit. When I did, it was such a great feeling to get my skis on, as the climb had been very hard – but the weather was getting worse. I was in dense fog, I could see just 2-3m ahead and it was snowing

“HOWEVER MUCH WE GO TO THE MOUNTAINS, TRAIN AND LIVE IN THEM, WE WILL NEVER KNOW EVERYTHING”

hard. I had to descend fast, to beat the record, so I was going straight down, practically on my back, as I really did not know what was ahead of me. I had memorised some landmarks, and as I descended I followed my tracks and those of other climbers who had walked up, and when I lost the landmarks, or the tracks, I would just veer left or right until I found them again. But I was really trying to go as fast as possible. And then I suddenly saw the tent at the finish line, 5m ahead of me. That was such a relief. Do you ever feel fear? It’s not fear, but there is an ongoing sense of worry. If we don’t like risks, or don’t accept them, we should not do these things. However much we go to the mountains, train and live in them, we will never know everything. We can only know a small part, and we need to accept that. When you are young, you look at a mountain and you see its beauty, you don’t see the risks. The more you grow in years and in experience you see the mountain through different eyes. You see the dangers and these are not the ones you expect, or that the books warn you about. It’s always the strangest things, the unexpected, the illogical. This you need to know and understand if you want to be in the mountains. You can be afraid when it is really icy and steep when you are skiing. You wonder to yourself if your skis will hold, but then you tell yourself the skis’ edges will dig in because I have the right technique. Same for rock climbing. People know their technical levels; what we don’t know is whether the rock is loose and will crumble in your hand, or if your skis are really on thin ice under a light covering of snow. You have to look to yourself, your technique, and when

you are older, you add to that the was possible. With Everest, if you go up knowledge of what is around as you learn the normal route, when everyone else to read the mountain and not just rely on is climbing, then you could have issues. your strength and technical ability. We will avoid the normal route and be alone on another side of the mountain. Why did you start the Summits There will be just four of us, no porters. Of My Life project? We might have some problems among I started it three years ago, but it has been in my mind for a very long time. ourselves, but not with others. When I was a kid, I had a big poster of Why no porters? the Matterhorn in my room and I read I don’t think I enjoy it at an intellectual mountaineering books so I knew the level, but the fewer things you have, the fewer problems you have, you have names of the summits, their histories. a simpler life. For example, I am used to These mountains have always been in moving house; I’ve done it often, maybe my culture as a kid. So when I started 16, 17 different times. The good bit is you doing my sports at 13, I became fascinated by the story of Bruno Brunod need to pack all your belongings, and that and his speed record on the Matterhorn, is when you see what you use, and what or Stephane Brosse when he did the you don’t. I don’t like to have things I don’t Mont Blanc record: these were use. I prefer to give to people feats that made me dream. who can use these things. These mountains, and these Do you apply this feats were both beautiful philosophy to your sport? and aesthetic. I see no real distinction How did you select the between ski mountaineering Mont Blanc crossing mountains? and running. For me it is all (altitude: 4,810m) The Matterhorn, well, because about being in the mountains, Route linking it is there. And because of so why have running pants Courmayeur and Chamonix. 8h 42m Bruno Brunod’s record, and ski mountaineering pants which was an incredible and climbing pants? One Matterhorn (4,478m) Beat the ascent and achievement. Then Mont piece of clothing should work descent record set Blanc, because of its place in for all. And I say this to my by Bruno Brunod, the history of mountaineering. clothing sponsor, but I do his childhood hero, The Aconcagua is the highest believe simplicity and in 1983. 2h 52m in Latin America. Mt Elbrus lightness are the way to Mont Blanc (4,810m) is the highest in Europe and enjoy the mountains. Do The highest mountain I also like the fact that in I take one ice pick with me, in the Alps. 4h 57m Russia they have this culture or two? Maybe I am a bit McKinley (6,186m) of selecting the best people extreme in this thinking, Summit of North but it is interesting because for mountain expeditions America and subject to Arctic weather. 11h 48m mentally it is the same: do I by getting them to speed need a car or not. It’s the same climb this mountain. Can Aconcagua (6,959m) Highest peak in South thinking. Maybe the level of you imagine a race from America. Attempt end engagement is different on Chamonix to the summit of of 2014 Mont Blanc? Impossible, but the mountain, as in one or two Mount Elbrus (5,642m) this is what happens in Russia, ice axes, but the fundamental Europe’s tallest and and that is why I like going philosophy is the same. I love toughest. One attempt there so much. McKinley is to be self-sufficient. I don’t failed. Attempt in 2015 a polar mountain with really want Sherpas carrying my Mount Everest tough conditions and Everest equipment. I prefer to think (8,848m) of course is the highest through everything I need. Top of the world. summit and now, with all the When I go on holiday with Attempt in 2016 my girlfriend, or friends, this commercial expeditions, it is is how we travel. We share, easy to climb. But if you don’t one spoon for both, for example. Going go up the normal route and avoid the to the Himalayas, everyone thinks is so fixed ropes, well, it is a huge mountain. expensive, paying Sherpas, cooks, and How do you feel about going up all the other extras, but once you have Everest, after the fatalities and paid for the flight and you carry all problems there earlier this year? your equipment, well, you may end Much of the trouble arose from how most up being a little more hungry and you people in the West approach climbing, in may suffer a little along the way, but it a very commercial way. When Ulie Steck will be much cheaper, and crucially, and Simone Moro were there they were a very different experience. climbing fast, so it was not in the mind of the Sherpas that climbing like that summitsofmylife.com

JORNET’S JOURNEYS

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Now hear less: the world’s smartest earplugs MUSIC, page 89

Where to go and what to do

AC T I O N ! T R A V E L   /   T R A I N I N G   /   N I G H T L I F E   /   M U S I C   /   P A R T I E S /   C I T I E S   /   C L U B S   /   W AT C H E S   /   E V E N T S

All the way to the NBA GETTY IMAGES

FROM COLLEGE HERO TO GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS SQUAD: RISING BASKETBALL STAR HARRISON BARNES REVEALS HIS KILLER WORKOUT ROUTINE TRAINING, page 78

THE RED BULLETIN

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ACTION!

TRAVEL

Woopy jumping: take off on your skis or snowboard

AND ANOTH ER THING SWISS HIGHS

ACT UP Bungee jump off the Verzasca Dam in Ticino, Southern Switzerland, and recreate the opening scene of James Bond film Goldeneye. trekking.ch

Biggest air of all Combining the thrill of snowboarding with the adrenalin rush of para-gliding, woopy jumping is becoming an increasingly common sight on the slopes of the Swiss Alps. Heading down an icy incline at around 50kph on a board is thrilling; with a delta-shaped, inflatable wing strapped to your back, the adrenalin is amplified. What would have been fleeting jumps are extended into periods of soaring weightlessness. Big air gets really big; up to 30 seconds of flight time if you’re really good. “It feels like flying,” says Emma Shore, a snowboarder from Canada who tried woopy jumping at Schwarzsee in Switzerland. “The wing is really light and when you’re gliding, it’s like you’re weightless.” With the wing on their backs and the piste glistening beneath them, woopy jumpers enjoy the kind of serious airtime that traditional snow junkies only dream of. The sport is in its infancy, with only handful of resorts offering lessons and kit hire in the Swiss Alps, the sport’s birthplace. But with its fast take-up and unique rush, it won’t be long before its popularity, like its participants, soars. “I’ve done plenty of boarding and I’ve grabbed a lot of air,” says Shore, “but hitting a jump with the wing attached is something else; it’s a real buzz.” jump.woopyjump.com

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ADVICE FROM THE INSIDE COMMIT TO IT “Decide what it is you want to do, ski or fly,” says Emma Shore. “If you hesitate when fully taking off, you’ll keep dropping and bumping off the ground. Embrace the wing, and take flight!”

JUMP OUT Take a helicopter tour over the Alps and then leap out at 15,000ft for a breathtaking tandem skydive experience. helicopterskydive.com

Achieve big air thanks to a paraglider wing

The right direction

“To steer, there are two options,” says Laurent de Kalbermaten, inventor of the woopy wing. “One’s like hang-gliding where you shift your centre of gravity; the other is creating a ‘differential’ pitch, which means pulling each steering bar to warp the wing.”

DROP IN Abseil down crevasses deep into a glacier, then climb your way out again under the guidance of the most experienced ice-climbing guides in Switzerland. swissalpineguides.ch

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GETTY IMAGES(2), FOTOLIA(2)

W OOPY JUMPING  YOUR NEXT NEW ALPINE SPORT: HALF PARAGLIDING, HALF SNOWBOARDING, ALL ACTION

ACTION!

MY CITY

Sopot

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Gdansk you very much: resident DJ Tomek Hoax

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“At first glance, Gdansk will remind you of other northern European port cities like Amsterdam or Bruges because of the brick churches and the canals,” says Polish DJ Tomek Hoax, of his home. “But Gdansk is unique. Together with neighbouring towns Sopot and Gdynia, it makes Tricity – Trójmiasto in Polish – which has something for everyone. Sopot is the party metropolis, Gdynia is an oasis of calm, and Gdansk is the old town stuffed with cafés, pubs and jazz bars. There are a million of us living in Tricity and everyone seems to know everyone. People are open to tourists and the tourists like that. There are more of them coming here every year.”

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WOJTEK ROJEK, LUKASZ PIETRZAK(2), TOMEK HOAX(2), FOTOLIA(3)

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1 SFINKS700 Franciszka Mamuszki Ave 1 “The best club in Sopot, where top DJs come to play. After short break it was re-opened by world-famous jazz pianist, Leszek Mozdzer. He’s often there and he likes to improvise on the piano with the DJs.”

EXTR A KI C K ACTION IN AND AROUND GDANSK

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2 KRZYWY DOMEK Jana Jerzego Haffnera 6 “The name means ‘crooked little house’. It’s a must-see, built by two Polish architects inspired by the bizarre drawings of Swedish artist Per Dahlberg. Inside are shops, bars and amusements.”

3 MURALS Zaspa district “An area with a flair all of its own. Street artists have painted huge graffiti murals onto the grey, communist residential blocks. If you want to see it all, factor in a two-hour walk. It’s worth it.”

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4 NEIGHBOUR’S KITCHEN Szafarnia 11 “This is the answer to ‘Where should I eat in Gdansk?’ The place has a high-end menu as well as offering things like burgers. They make whatever they can on the premises, including the burger buns.”

5 FOOD TRUCKS All over Tricity

“Our food trucks are legendary. Gaudy chow wagons seem to pop up wherever there’s something going on. My favourite is Carmink and Muka Bar, which does excellent falafel sandwiches.”

ICE-SAILING

WRECK-DIVING

WINTER SKATEBOARDING

Sailing boats on runners, glinting ice and high speeds: the frozen Masurian lakes are ice-sailing paradise.

Want to explore a sunken sea vessel as you dive? You can do that off the coast at Gdansk all year round.

A new outdoor skatepark that, thanks to the gentle climate in this part of Poland, can be enjoyed during the winter.

icesailing.org

balticdive.pl

abiskatepark.pl

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ACTION!

WORKOUT

Hoop to it: Barnes has shown he can score big in the NBA

Harrison Barnes: 6ft 8in up-andcoming NBA star

Put your ass into it BASKETBALL  GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS FORWARD HARRISON BARNES REVEALS HOW HE GETS INTO TOP COURT CONDITION “Doing things that make my body fire right, to be as explosive as I can, as fast as I can – those are things that separate the great athletes from the good ones,” says Harrison Barnes, the 22-year-old who has been working hard to replicate the form that earned him a place in the 2013 NBA AllRookie Team. The forward made a splash during his first season playing for Golden State Warriors after signing from the University of Carolina in the 2012 draft. But Barnes’s first-team opportunities were limited last season, so he and his personal trainer Travelle Gaines came up with a new routine. “We got his heart rate up and kept it there throughout each workout,” says Gaines. The focus was on his lower body, with a lot of squat work in the gym. “The NBA is really tough,” says Barnes. “When I’m training, I think about the guys who are difficult for me to guard from a physical standpoint and how I can improve on that.”

S Q U AT TO I M P R ES S “The biggest thing I work on is my hip mobility and my strength,” says Barnes. “I work out in low positions to make sure I’m strong enough to play defence while being explosive on offence.”

Watch Harrison Barnes demonstrate his fitness programme at redbulletin.com

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“Your feet need be shoulderwidth apart before you do the squat. Push the weights towards your ears to work your upper body a lot more.”

“You want to line up your knees above your ankles and push your butt out like you're sitting in a chair.”

“Strength is created by tension – you're gaining the most strength when your arms are locked.”

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“This greatly improves hip strength and hip flexibility,” says fitness trainer Travelle Gaines, who works closely with Harrison Barnes. “His first step is lateral quickness, which you need to play basketball. I use one of these with Harrison a lot."

HERI IRAWAN

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ACTION!

WATCHES

DO U B LE STU FF

ORIS BIG CROWN PROPILOT ALTIMETER It’ll show your altitude at up to 15,000ft (4,572m)

WHY THE ORIS BIG CROWN PROPILOT ALTIMETER HAS TWO CROWNS

TWO AND FOUR The crown at the two o’clock position sets the time and date. The barometer/ altimeter is adjusted using the crown at four o’clock. Wind the latter and the housing becomes waterproof at depths up to 100m.

Flying high

ORIS  THERE ARE LOTS OF PILOTS WATCHES, BUT ALMOST NONE WITH TWO OF THE MOST CRUCIAL FLYING TOOLS. THIS, STYLISHLY, HAS BOTH

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movements of indicators in gauges on the watch face. All parts of the barometer and altimeter are made from ultra-light materials: in the ProPilot, Oris has used filaments of laminated carbon fibre, a material that also has the added benefit of being incredibly strong. The watch’s very large housing – 47mm in diameter – is big not just because big watches are popular right now; it’s designed to accommodate these rare features and so that you can easily read air pressure or altitude, whenever you need to. oris.ch

The barometer/ altimeter only works if the ambient and internal pressure are equalised, which you do by unwinding the four o’clock crown.

NO SPOILERS Oris has developed a membrane of Gore­-Tex and a Teflon-like material to prevent humidity or dirt getting into the watch.

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ilots like to watches does its barometer/ be informed altimeter thing the same way. of pressure Changes in pressure are and heights, detected mechanically, by little pieces of pressurebut rare sensitive metal alloy, is the in a tiny capsule wristwatch that has both barometer and known as an aneroid chamber. altimeter. In 1963, (‘Aneroid’ literally Swiss firm Favremeans ‘without Leuba unveiled fluid’; pressure their Bivouac; in was first measured 1989, Revue Thommen The barometer and in barometers and released the Airspeed altimeter parts are such like using liquids.) Altime­ter. Now comes made by Swiss A delicate lever system a third, the Big Crown flight instrument then translates those ProPilot Altimeter from manufacturers Thommen Oris. Each of these alloy twitches into

UNDER NO PRESSURE

BACK IN TIME

Lucky man

JACK W HEUER TURNED GOOD FORTUNE INTO A FORTUNE, WRITES GISBERT L BRUNNER

Watch journalist Gisbert L Brunner bought his first Heuer Carrera 50 years ago

Jack W Heuer might just have been lucky. In 1969, his eponymous watch company presented the world’s first automatic chronograph with micro-rotor and waterproof square housing. As Heuer, known as JWH, had no money to spend on advertising, he decided to work with Jo Siffert. In return for JWH’s offer to switch his allegiance to Porsche, the Swiss Porsche dealer and Formula One driver stuck the Heuer logo on the Porsche 908.

A brand new Heuer Monaco also found its way onto Siffert’s wrist. “It was certainly an amateurish way of getting into the Formula One business,” JWH admits in retrospect, “but we were the first brand from outside the industry to get into this high-performance sport.” As part of the deal, Steve McQueen wore Siffert’s original overalls for the making of the movie Le Mans, in 1970. (Siffert died in a race accident at Brands THE RED BULLETIN

Hatch in 1971.) The movie’s props department also made sure that McQueen wore a Heuer Monaco, which instantly went on to become a cult chronograph. In 1971, luck came to JWH’s aid once more. While wandering through Saint-Imier in Jurain Switzerland, he met Swiss racing driver Clay Regazzoni. The winner of the Italian Grand Prix was on the lookout for chronometric equipment for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Ferrari circuit at Maranello. Thus Heuer became the official timekeeper of Scuderia Ferrari later that year, Enzo Ferrari himself inking the deal (the TAG Group bought Heuer in 1985). For more than 40 years, all Ferrari drivers have had the five-pointed Heuer logo on their overalls and a similarly marked gold automatic chronograph on their wrists. tagheuer.com

WATCH WISH LIST

Tri time THREE NEW MODELS FROM THREE LEGENDS OF WATCHMAKING Chopard Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition The Geneva-based watchmaker recently became the Official Timing Partner of Porsche Motorsport to celebrate the German car maker’s return to Le Mans. The first fruit of the partnership is the 45mm steel chronograph, of which only 919 exist. The black rubber armband mirrors the tread of a racing car’s slick tyres. chopard.com

Alpina Alpiner 4 GMT This super-sleek outdoor watch can take a knock or two. You can set it to show the time in a second time zone thanks to an extra hand. It looks great in all its forms: with the light or dark dial and the strap in leather or metal. alpina-watches.com

Tudor Heritage Black Bay

Clockwise, from left: Niki Lauda (left) and Clay Regazzoni sign their Heuer endorsements either side of JWH, early 1970s; Mick Jagger in 1977 wearing a Heuer Autavia; Steve McQueen at Le Mans in 1970

This Rolex subsidiary diver’s watch was a sensation when it first appeared in 2012, especially the burgundy bezel. This new blue version was an instant hit within minutes of its debut in March 2014; you’ll have to join the waiting list to get your hands on one. tudorwatch.com

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30-Hour Non Seth Troxler (above) plays two sets on Fabric’s birthday: the early shift at 10am and then again at the afterparty 20 hours later

- Stop PARTY Twenty DJs, 8,500 revellers and 200,000 beats: legendary club Fabric celebrated its 15th birthday with a marathon rave-up lasting from Saturday night to Monday morning Words: Florian Obkircher Photography: Alex de Mora

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Saturday October 17, 11pm

Oliver Bourke is ready to go. He has a toothbrush, hair gel and sunglasses in his jute bag. “Unusual nights demand unusual measures,” he says. The 25-year-old graphic desig­ner has a stubbly beard and is here to party. For 30 hours. Because London’s biggest and best underground house and techno club, Fabric, is marking its 15th anniversary with a huge party stretching over three days. Bourke has been standing in the 150m-long queue for an hour. “I’ve been coming here since I was 18. The DJs at Fa­bric have taught me everything I know about music,” he says. “And today 20 of the best DJs in the world are playing: Ricardo Villalobos, Seth Troxler, Craig Richards...” 84

11:02pm

On the facade of a threestorey Victorian brick building are heavy, metal double doors with the Fabric logo above and a barrier in front. The people with tickets are on the right. Those on the guest list huddle over to the left, as do those who think they are on it. “Here!” Four people holler at a dainty young woman with glittery make-up. She is Jo Neill, 25, an architect from Monday to Friday, but on Saturday she guards the door to party heaven. “Name?” “Andy Harris.” “Sorry, you’re not on the list.” “But… Seth Troxler promised me...” “Sorry, darling, please join the other queue.” On a normal night there are 300 people on Neill’s lis­t. Today it’s 842. Once you get past Neill, you have to go through a metal detector, then be frisked by the huge

bouncer and have your bag checked: “OK, in you go.”

Sunday October 18, 00:14am

The club is nicknamed the labyrinth and for good reason. Three underground dancefloors are linked via two broad brick stairwells. They are the club’s main arteries. Elsewhere, there are gallerias, bars, toilets and enough staircases and narrow passages to get lost in. There are no signs anywhere. “Room 3? Go left here, then right, then up the stairs. OK?”

00:18am

Keith Reilly is propping up the bar in Room 3. The man who runs Fabric has short hair and is wearing a black T-shirt. He smiles when asked about October 19, 1999. “That first night was chaos. We still had no electricity just three hours

before we were due to open with 3,000 people outside,” says the 55-year-old. “At the end of the night we realised that nobody knew how to lock up the club. We had to leave people here overnight, sitting with the money, because we didn’t know how to set the alarm.” Reilly’s idea back then was to organise a club run by music-lovers for music-lovers. “A place where clubgoers wouldn’t be judged because of what they were wearing,” he explains. “In the early 1990s, there were practically only posh clubs in London playing cheesy handbag house. If you wanted to do something more interesting musically back then, you’d be promoting your party in a room above a fish and chip shop in Hounslow.” Since then, more than 4,000 artists have appeared at some 2,600 events and about 5.5 million people have danced at the former meat cold storage unit. They are

expecting 8,500 on their birthday night alone. DJ Magazine voted Fabric the best club in the world in 2007 and 2008. The secret of their success is authenticity. “The Guettas and Aviciis of this world don’t perform at our place. We’ve turned down about £16 million-worth of offers over the years. We only book DJs who have vision and passion,” says Reilly.

1:15am

Room 1 is the centre of this party temple. Its bare brick walls reach 10m into the air. Fat metal pipes run along the ceiling. Green laser beams cut through the screen of fog. The decks are barely raised off the floor and are surrounded by a Perspex/metal fence about 2m high. You can hardly see the DJ, and that’s deliberate,

because the music takes the spotlight here, and it comes belting at every angle down onto hundreds of people from four huge speakers hanging on the walls. The floor has 400 sensors that turn sound waves into vibrations. The bass throbs so hard that your knees shudder while you dance.

4:15am

A beefy security guy watches over the metal door next to the club cash machine. Only those wearing a gold-coloured, plastic bangle with “rock star” written on it can get past. This is the green room where the important people hang out. Or the people who think they’re important. There must be 40 A-listers in a small, red room about 15m2. It’s hot and sticky. The little fan in the corner is hopelessly out of its depth.

THE BASS THROBS SO HARD THAT YOUR KNEES SHUDDER WHILE YOU DANCE

4:18am

Normski is one true rock star among those wearing rockstar bangles. He has a grey beard, gravelly voice and glittering eyes. There is always someone tapping him on the shoulder or hugging him. Normski taught many of the people here about house music. In the late 1980s, he presented British TV’s first-ever dance music TV programme, Dance Energy. The veteran partygoer’s self-assured motto is, “I don’t need night life. Night life needs me.” He has been a regular at Fabric for 15 years. “The place has hardly changed on the outside,” he says, “but that’s fine. People come for the music, to see the Champions League of the DJ world perform. I have met DJs throughout the whole world, humongous DJs, megastars. And if you say to them, where would you most like to play, everyone of them will tell you: Fabric.”

There are 245 staff at Fabric for the biggest night of the year, from bar personnel to the bouncers and the DJs themselves. One of them is Craig Richards (top row, second from right). He has been at the decks in Room 1 since the opening night 15 years ago. Bottom row, right: DJ James Jackson and club-scene veteran Norm­ski chat backstage about the club’s early days

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9:32am

Super Mario’s hipster younger brother comes backstage: Seth Troxler has curly hair, a moustache, love handles. “Seth! Seth!” Two women fling themselves around his neck to say hello. The American DJ looks exhausted, even though his set is only due to start in an hour. How do you plan for a gig at 10.30 in the morning? Do you go to bed the night before or stay up all night? “The latter. I’ve come straight from the airport. A couple of hours ago I was still performing at ADE festival in Amsterdam.”

11:45am

According to the schedule, Marcel Dettmann and Ben Klock should have wound down about two hours ago. The two regular DJs from Berlin’s legendary club Berghain have been sweating away at the decks in Room 2 for 11 hours now. They 86

finally play Idioteque by Radiohead to bring their set to an end. Dettmann looks remarkably fresh as he steps away from the console. “The first three hours dragged a bit, but then time flew by,” he says. Was that the longest set of his career? “No. I once did 16 hours in a row at Berghain.” Nor is this the end of his working week. In three hours’ time he flies to Amsterdam for his next gig.

2pm

Half-time. That’s 15 hours of partying done. Time to take a breather. Three young women do yoga on the leather futons next to Room 2. In Room 1, a group of young men are curled up by the wall like embryos, their legs scrunched up and their heads between their knees. One of them is Oliver Bourke. His eyes are red and shrunken. He doesn’t need to tell anyone he forgot to pack deodorant. He is determined to soldier on. “Two hundred

thousand bass drum beats,” he mumbles. “I worked it out. Thirty hours of techno and house. That’s about 200,000 bass drum beats. I don’t want to miss a single one.”

4:05pm

How do you keep your strength up at a marathon party if you don’t want to leave the club? There is a pizza van in the smoking area. A chef with a twirly moustache has made about 100 pizzas in the last four hours. The bestseller so far is the Smoky Seth, which comes with pulled BBQ pork and a hot chipotle salsa, based on a recipe from DJ Seth Troxler. “Good, solid food,” he says, when he sees Bourke. “Perhaps you’d better have a slice of Margherita. It’s easier on the stomach.”

7pm

A pharaoh with dreadlocks and sunglasses drags some cardboard boxes out of the green room. The contents: wigs in every tasteless colour imaginable, builders’ helmets, horse-head masks, dwarf hats, clerical robes, huge babies’ dummies. This is a Fabric birthday tradition: the only night of the year costumes are welcome in the club. The stunt gets quite a reaction. Within minutes, clubgoers are crowding round the boxes like children and rummaging through them. The fatigue of the afternoon seems to have gone. Normski is there in a tight, red cocktail dress, his torso dripping in sweat. He screams in a husky voice: “I still need a wig. Give me a wig!”

T HIS IS WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE AT STUDIO 54 BACK IN THE DAY

9:05pm

A bunny comes onto the stage and positions himself at a fortress made up of analogue synthesizers. This is Mathew Jonson, a Canadian techno expert. The beat kicks off. He plays with the controls like a man possessed. One of the ears falls off his bunny costume as he rocks his head back and forth.

10pm

All hell breaks loose. A 2m-tall Mr Blobby slowly clambers onto the stage and asks the one-eared bunny to dance with him. Breakdancers dressed in authentic Bavarian lederhosen go head-to-head against bare-chested builders. Seth Troxler gets involved and dances with the crowd wearing a baby’s bonnet and a stripper’s negligee. “Brilliant,” Bourke yells. He is wearing a Batman costume. “This is what it must have been like at Studio 54 back in the day.”

Monday October 19, 1:32am

Twenty-six hours of partying are making their presence felt: the floor is sticky, the place smells of sweat and the young men’s mating rituals are losing all inhibition. They cock their heads up like roosters and try to make eye contact with any woman dancing past them.

4:59am

The end draws near and Chilean minimal techno hero Ricardo Villalobos plays his big hit, Easy Lee. People raise smartphones to record the dying moment. Three... two... one... a-a-a-nd? Nothing. The beat just keeps on going.

5:20am

Bourke, still dressed as Batman, says, “You switch to marathon-runner mode as you come towards the end

of a long night out. You don’t think. You just keep going.”

6:10am

The DJ shuts down the decks. The beat gets slower and ends with a muffled rumble. The lights go on. The revellers blink and twitch. Vampires dazzled by the rising sun. Bourke whips out his sunglasses and says goodbye, sweaty and ecstatic. The party is over, 32 hours after it began.

The Berliner techno DJs Marcel Dettmann and Ben Klock (this page, bottom row, left) notch up the longest DJ set of the party marathon at 11 hours, from 1am to noon. What’s their tip to keep going? “Sleep the afternoon before the gig,” says Dettmann, with a grin

6:30am

Room 1 is empty and the cleaners have long since got to work. Everything is quiet, but for a ringing in the ears. The backstage door opens. A small group of die-hard goldbangle-wearers appear and head to Room 3. There are cardboard boxes with drinks in them on the dancefloor. The bar staff are already on their way home. Seth Troxler gets the afterparty going with a sexy space disco number. fabriclondon.com

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ACTION!

PARTY The Balearicstyle scene at Shimmy

CURIOUS CLUBS UNDERWATER, ON ICE AND IN A TREE – THE WORLD’S MOST UNUSUAL BARS

SUBSIX

Niyama, Maldives The world’s first underwater music club (6m below the surface of the ocean) can only be reached by boat. Watch fish swimming by from the dancefloor.

Ibiza in Mzansi   C APE TOWN TO PARTY LIKE A PRINCE, HEAD FOR SHIMMY BEACH CLUB

Shimmy Beach Club South Arm Road Cape Town Harbour shimmybeachclub.com

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CHILLOUT

INSIDER INFO DJ, PRODUCER AND CLUB OWNER SHAUN DUVET HAS BEEN ROVING THE NIGHT FOR 15 YEARS

Dubai, UAE An ice bar in the desert town: visitors wear hooded parkas and woollen gloves as the room is six degrees below zero. The interior consists of ice, glass and steel.

IF I WANT TO IMPRESS PEOPLE I TAKE THEM TO… Meet my wife. A LOCAL ARTIST EVERY SOUTH AFRICAN SHOULD KNOW IS… Black Coffee. FOR COCKTAILS I USUALLY GO TO… La Perla I TEND TO START A NIGHT OUT WITH A… Jameson and soda. I NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE AT NIGHT WITHOUT… Fun in mind.

BAOBAB TREE BAR

Limpopo, South Africa One of the oldest and widest baobab trees in the world (47m round, 1,700 years old) has a bar in its hollowed trunk, holding up to 60 people.

THE RED BULLETIN

SHIMMY BEACH CLUB(4), FOTOLIA(3)

Shimmy Beach Club is South Africa’s answer to the great lifestyle clubs of the Mediterranean. Just ask Goldfish, the SA electro duo who have partnered with Shimmy the last two summers to deliver their legendary Submerged Sundays sessions. “Shimmy is the only club on the continent that compares with the likes of Ushuaia Beach Club in Ibiza or Blue Marlin,” says Dominic Peters, the blonder half of Goldfish. Situated in Cape Town’s harbour, with views of Robben Island and Table Mountain, Shimmy comprises a host of themed bars, rooms and decks, a restaurant, pool and, of course, a beach. “It’s a place you visit for lunch and never want to leave,” says general manager Shaun Novitzkas. “Front and centre is the music. Our summer programme serves up 10 weeks of top local and international acts from our new stage, designed to mimic the Sydney Opera House, but made of transparent materials, so the views will not be impeded.”

ACTION!

MUSIC

TO P TI PS As a kid, Ariel Pink would make tape recordings of his weird folk-punk songs, producing the rhythms using a mouth harp or from his armpit. He was discovered in 2003 by American indie stars Animal Collective, who released his music through their label. Now this super-gifted madman of pop is riding the wave of his 10th album, Pom Pom, a crazy mishmash of new wave, slush, jingles and mangy freak rock. In response to a recent interview in which Pink said Madonna’s career has been on a downward slide, the 36-year-old wanted to put the record straight. And so, landing the opening blows of Pink v Ariel Pink, here are his Madge masterpieces.

Rose-tinted spectacle: Ariel Marcus Rosenberg, aka Ariel Pink

Long live the Queen  PLAYLIST  FROM ANTONIO BANDERAS BEACH FANTASISES TO MICKEY MOUSE MEMORIES: ARIEL PINK ON HIS TOP FIVE MADONNA TRACKS

1 Madonna

2 Madonna

3 Madonna

“Madonna was considered girl music in my school, but I didn’t care. When I was a kid, this song was the embodiment of happiness for me. It made me feel like I was listening to Mickey Mouse. Wanting my parents to pick me up from school and take me to the mall, just having a good time with them. Up to today, I think Borderline is incredible.”

“This is the saddest song Madonna has ever written. It’s strangely haunting. Very few pop songs ever get to be so scary. She’s singing about her mother’s death, her Catholic upbringing and conflicts with her father. It’s autobiographical, I think, and you can sense that. The single was a flop commercially, but I think of it as her most touching song of all.”

“Another sad one: her sad songs are the most incredible pop tunes. She’s not really known for her ballads, but it’s still clear from the first bar that this is Madonna. There’s a melodic simplicity to her songs. It’s like with Morrissey, this particular style she never stopped doing that makes her unique. Obviously she’s a very smart, cunning woman.”

4 Madonna

5 Madonna

“This is my favourite Madonna song. It has a pre-Sade vibe, it’s meant to be played for people to have a romance and martinis on the beach of Cancun with Antonio Banderas. Or at least it pretends to be that: perfect music for a romantic escapade with the flamenco guitars and hot dancing from the video. Madonna created a whole world with this song.”

“Her last classic great song from the early era. It came out in 1989, at a time when I was too wrapped up in working at a record store, discovering thrash metal and other even more deviant music, to follow Madonna. I still enjoyed Cherish, though. Listening to it, it makes me feel like I’m in church due to the wonderful girl choir in the background.”

Borderline

La Isla Bonita

SASHA EISENMAN, WARNER MUSIC, ROGER SARGENT

ariel-pink.com

THE RED BULLETIN

Oh Father

Cherish

THREE NEWCOMERS WHO WILL MAKE IT BIG IN 2015

ILOVE­ MAKONNEN The 25-year-old rapper, promoted by Drake, combines dreamy soundscapes with hard-hitting hip-hop. You’ll like him if you like: Future, Drake Hot hit: Tuesday

Live To Tell

FAT WHITE FAMILY This blues-punk six-piece outfit from the UK perform naked and brawl with fans. You’ll like them if you like: Nick Cave, The Fall Hot hit: Bomb Disneyland

D O N ’ T LI STEN U P NO BASS IN YOUR HEAD, MAN

DUBS These are the world’s first smart earplugs. They don’t just block sound; a frequency filter system built into the silicon and polymer retains the original sound pattern and reduces noise by an average of 12dB. Perfect for loud clubs, gigs and zoning out on public transport. getdubs.com

TINASHE A 21-year-old model, actress and singer whose R&B ballads have seen her storm into the superstar league. You’ll like her if you like: Aaliyah, The Weeknd Hot hit: Pretend

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ACTION!

WINGS FOR LIFE Evening all: run in a group at night. It’s better for everyone

RIGHT FOR NIGHT WHAT YOU NEED TO SHINE ON YOUR DARK RUNS

HEADLAMP: PETZL TIKKA XP Weighing just 85g (including three AAA batteries), this red-and-white light does not, as many do, fade as its power does. petzl.com

8

1

9

A trot in the dark EMBRACE THE DARK You’ve been at work all day and your regular running routes just aren’t as appealing in the cold evenings. Man up. Those familiar surroundings will be completely different in the dark. Your brain will compensate for the lack of visual stimuli and kick into gear. You’ll feel wide awake and your well-trodden paths will become invigorating.

2

INSULATE LATE SHOW Wrap up smart. Layers, with a waterproof outer. Long sleeves, long legs. Pay special attention to ears, head, hands and feet. Especially the feet; there’s nothing worse than cold, wet toes. Proper outdoor running shoes and Gore-Tex socks are the ideal combo.

3

TIME FOR REFLECTION Dress like a 1990s rave child crossed with a building site manager. Reflective and highly visible. You cannot have enough reflective kit, or use too many additional reflectors or lights. If people point and look at you – that’s the idea.

4

LIGHT THE WAY A headlamp works both ways. Even the most well-lit urban runs will have dark nooks and corners it will illuminate. And it is perhaps the most effective signal to others.

5

KEEP IT OLD-SCHOOL Darkness changes your sense of time and space. Don’t plan special night runs: choose favourite stretches you know like the back of your hand.

6

WISE IN THE WARM-UP Get loose before you go outside. The cold will affect you less and you’ll be raring to go quicker. But don’t get sweaty: the cold will hit a moist brow extra-hard. If you’re arranging to meet other runners (see point 8), do so indoors. Warm up at the last possible moment and begin your run right away.

7

KEINE NACHT MUSIK No headphones. Not even the ones that claim to let you hear the essential noise of the streets along with your music. It’s dark and you see less, even in well-lit urban areas. You will need your hearing to help you focus and stay safe. If you are one of those who ‘needs’ tunes to run, this will help wean you off that.

SIGN UP NOW!

The starting pistol for the 2015 Wings For Life World Run will be fired simultaneously in 35 locations in 33 countries around the world on May 3, 2015. Can you be the global race winner? Find the race near you and register now: wingsforlifeworldrun.com

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IT’S NOT A RACE You are not going to break any PBs running at night. Running after sundown is a miles game, not a speed trial. Set a distance and don’t worry about time. Keep a separate set of records if you need to get your stat-isfaction.

10

THE END GAME You should plan to be in a hot shower ASAP after you finish. If that isn’t possible, have a complete change of dry clothes and shoes in your car boot/under your desk. Towels, plural, for drying off and rubbing warmth into cold limbs. If you wear a hat, have a dry one ready to put over damp hair. A hot drink is a very good idea.

11

EAT TO TREAT Eat the same as you would after any run: a mix of complex carbohydrates and protein, in a ratio of about 4:1 in terms of weight. The usual chicken pastas and smoothies are fine, but they’re not warming, are they? Try oatmeal or porridge, topped with fruit. Easy and comforting.

JACKET: PUMA NIGHT CAT POWERED Light, breathable, warm and reflective, it has rechargeable, builtin LED lighting on the shoulders, back and arms. puma.com

SHOES: PUMA FAAS 600 V2 NC POWERED Rechargeable LED lights to match the Night Cat jacket (above). Tons of cushioning and support where you need it in a shoe weighing just 275g. puma.com

THE RED BULLETIN

BALASZ GARDI/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

N IGHT RUNNING  WINTER SHOULD NOT MEAN GOING COLD ON OUTDOOR EXERCISE. IF WANT TO GET FIT FOR 2015, SO YOU CAN TAKE PART IN A RACE LIKE THE WINGS FOR LIFE WORLD RUN ON MAY 3, THIS IS HOW TO BEAT THE DARK NIGHTS’ RETURN

HIVE MIND AND BODY Running as part of a group is great motivation. You will feel less inclined to mope off home if you know you will let others down by doing so. There is also safety in numbers, and always someone who has remembered an extra pair of gloves to replace those you left on the kitchen table.

/redbulletin

Visual Storytelling Beyond the ordinary

Ellinor Olovsdotter has the flu. The rising star known as Elliphant often gets sick when she visits LA, she explains, raspy-voiced and half naked, completely unself-conscious about her

THE CAPTAIN OF ADVENTURE ALL-ROUND ACTION HERO WILL GADD IS A LIVING LEGEND IN THE TRUEST SENSE.

„MEINE EINZIGE ANGST IST DIE ANGST SELBST“

„MEINE EINZIGE ANGST IST DIE ANGST SELBST“

body. The globe-trotting former model from the wrong side of the tracks is part of a Nordic

SIMPLY THE BEST

new wave of fierce dance-pop divas, alongside fellow Swedes Icona Pop, Robyn, Lykke

Experience the new

redbulletin.com

ACTION!

GAMES

Universal appeal: a sandbox in space with endless possibilities

NICE MICE PHAT CONTROLLERS FOR PC AND MAC GAMES

TT ESPORTS LEVEL 10 M From the firm that supplies mice and keyboards to pro gaming organisations, an aluminium work of art born with the help of the BMW design department.

Every world in the palm of your hand   U NIVERSE SANDBOX ²  THE ULTIMATE GOD GAME: BUILD, RULE AND DESTROY MOONS, WORLDS, GALAXIES… THE LOT It’s a space simulator like no other: The Sims meets Elite meets Stephen Hawking’s archives. In Universe Sandbox2 you control time, gravity and all celestial objects and happenings within them. If you want to play a sort of intergalactic pool where the balls are planets and the pockets are black holes, you can. If you want to sit for hours watching comets cross your carefully constructed galaxy, then you can do that, too. Find a rock and terraform it into a new Earth with a perfect climate. Then ravage that planet with ice storms and toxic gas. The first Universe Sandbox was created after 15 years of work by one man, Seattle programmer Dan Dixon. He is now the head of a team of computer scientists, astronomers and climate modellers who ensure their game is realistic and incredibly detailed. The open-ended format, with no scores, levels or enemies, is polarising: you will love or hate this after two minutes of playing it. But the lovers will be entering a world of worlds that is truly compelling. The satisfaction of seeing your allpowerful handiwork pay off is immense, be that a chain-reaction of exploding suns or harmoniously perfect solar system just being a solar system. When the sole purpose of Universe Sandbox2 for a game is to have ideas above your Windows, Mac & Linux station, as it is here, then it’s a winner. 92

TWO MORE MASSIVE SPACE GAMES LOGITECH G502 PROTEUS CORE For surgical precision: the Proteus Core is currently the most accurate gaming mouse on the market. Can also be used as a spaceship in your sci-fi home movies.

Space Engineers Kind of like Minecraft in the Universe Sandbox universe. You play as the galactic maker of the title and build ships and space stations, mining asteroids for raw materials or raiding other ships for bounty. Han Solo would be at home here. For Windows.

Kerbal Space Program A race made up of little green men, the Kerbals have their own NASA-like set-up building and flying spaceships. In this game, which has been praised by the space industry for its realistic rocketry, you are the guy in the lab coat and the pilot’s suit. For Windows, Mac and Linux.

MAD CATZ R.A.T. 9 Crazy design but with superintelligent innards, and it can also be easily adjusted so that you have the perfect thumb position, whatever the size of your palm and digits.

THE RED BULLETIN

L

IGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

Q & A

LORENZO RICHELMY

LOVE ACTUALLY

You don’t know him now, but Lorenzo Richelmy will soon be famous. In new Netflix drama Marco Polo, filmed in Asia, with a Game of Thrones-size budget and out on December 12, the 24-year-old Italian plays the legendary explorer. Not bad for a guy with a handful of Italian film and TV roles, who barely spoke English

Big Bang Theory star Simon Helberg is branching out into movies, writing and co-directing with wife Jocelyn Towne in rom-com We’ll Never Have Paris. Here are the flicks that fire his moviemaking heart

DON FLOOD FOR NETFLIX, JOE PUGLIESE

Words: Geoff Berkshire

the red bulletin: How does a rookie Italian land the lead in a US TV series? lorenzo richelmy: My agent said that the Italian casting director didn’t like me, and that I should make a video and send it to the main casting director in the US. I asked a director friend to help. So we did it with my girlfriend playing Kublai Khan in my friend’s room. I didn’t hear anything for two months; then I got two callbacks, then nothing. I was going to America for the first time, for a film festival, and I was at the airport in Philadelphia when I found out I’d got the part. As well as English, what else did you learn to play Polo? I had six weeks after I arrived in Malaysia. I did four hours of physical training per day. We had a Chinese stunt team teaching us Wushu, Japanese guys teaching sword fighting and then a fight choreographer. After that, two hours of horse riding, one hour of archery and two hours of English. Had you ever visited Malaysia before? I travelled in my childhood, through most of south-east Asia except for the Philippines THE RED BULLETIN

Annie Hall (1977) “This is perhaps the most romantic movie ever made. It’s also as brilliantly revelatory in its slapstick and one-liners as it is in its insight about the human condition.”

Sideways (2004)

“ I had three days off in seven months. The training was intense, but so was the entire shoot” and Malaysia, so it was good for my list! I loved the heavy humidity and hot weather. We shot in Kazakhstan, Venice and Malaysia. Acting in the cold [in Kazakhstan] is much worse than acting in the heat. How full-on was the shoot? I had like three days off in seven months. The training was intense, but so was the entire shoot. Is it an honour for you to play such a famous Italian? He’s not a hero, but he’s a big

name. In Venice, he’s the most important man who ever lived. When John Fusco, the show’s creator, first spoke to me about Marco Polo, it was like he was a college professor and I was totally ignorant. Did you know Netflix before? In Italy, it doesn’t exist. When they told me, I thought, ‘Oh, on the web? And they’re paying me to go to Malaysia for it?’ But for me it’s great. It won’t be out in Italy for at least two years. I can stay in Rome and maybe go to China and be famous. Then at 40, I can be Bill Murray in Lost In Translation and make drink commercials in Tokyo. That’s my plan. Marco Polo premiers December 12 netflix.com

“The protagonist is a character whose biggest obstacle is himself. It’s shot so beautifully and simply. The tone is masterful, with comedy and tragedy being interwoven, but always coming from a place of truth.”

Modern Romance (1981)

This movie is not afraid to show a character in a less than favourable light: self-destructive, neurotic. It looks at relationships and the built-in struggle between autonomy and full-blown selfishness in the funniest way I’ve seen.” We’ll Never Have Paris opens January 22

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ACTION!

SAVE THE DATE Dakar 2015: the new marathon stages will see cars, trucks, bikes and quads go it alone for two days

January 4-17

Rally raid This year’s Dakar Rally route criss-crosses South America, taking in 9,000km across Argentina, Chile and Bolivia. Innovations for the 2015 race include extending the marathon stages to cars and trucks, meaning that competitors will be without their support teams for two days, during which they have to carry out their own maintenance and repairs. Former Dakar champ Giniel de Villiers again spearheads South Africa’s challenge, but Peugeot’s return to the proceedings will also be closely watched. dakar.com

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January 29 - February 1

Without a paddle Three big nights beckon at the 25th Up the Creek music festival just outside Swellendam. None of the bills run concurrently across three stages, so you don’t have to miss a thing. Highlights include Zebra & Giraffe, Shortstraw, aKING, Manouche, Black Cat Bones, Taxi Violence, the Kiffness and Diamond Thug upthecreek.co.za

THE RED BULLETIN

DON’T MISS

December 13-21

J-Bay rocks

MORE DATES FOR THE DIARY

The Jolly Dolphin will be packing them in during holiday prime time this year. The likes of Jack Parow, Fokofpolisiekar, Roger Goode, Locnville and Goldfish will be getting the party started and making sure that Jeffreys won’t be remembered just for the waves this December.

16 DECEMBER

WHAT THE EFF?

jollydolphin.co.za

December 27

Serious meat matters

Party starters: Goldfish hit up the Jolly Dolphin at Jeffreys Bay

There’s nothing quite like Ox Braai to take the Christmas revelry to the next level. The sleepy hamlet of Bathurst, inland from Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape, is better known for its pineapple farms, but 25 tonnes of wood and 30 spit braais roasting 2.5 tonnes of meat will change all that. Not to mention the party that goes on till sunrise the next day. facebook.com/oxbraai

The two-week run of Nick Rabinowitz’s new show, What the EFF?, starts at the Fugard in Cape Town. Expect a hilarious dissection of the absurdities of everyday South African life. nikrabinowitz.co.za

20 DECEMBER

December 12-16

THAT’S THE POINT

MARCELO MARAGNI/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, BELIA OH, CHRIS SAUNDERS, JONO

Choppy challenge

The Cape Point Challenge is the toughest one-day surfski race in the country and heavy currents, summer winds and spectacular views come with the territory when you paddle 50km around the Cape of Storms.

The Formula 2 Powerboat Racing World Final stops off in Sasolburg for a weekend of high-powered adrenalin on the Vaal River. The six-stop world tour concludes with a date at the high altitude venue, and although the series has been dominated by Europeans, local lad Wynand de Jager will be hoping home water advantage pays off.

surfski.co.za

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freestategrandprix.co.za

JANUARY

December 20

December 25

December 30-31

December 31-January 3

All aboard

One-man band

Electric vines

Rez Fest

The Mother City Queer Project’s legendary dress-up party forges ahead with a Royal Navy theme this year. The dressing-up action goes down at the Cape Town City Hall the weekend before Christmas. Tickets are for general access or for the ‘Royal Enclosure’. A fabulous affair is in store either way. mcqp.co.za

The 2014 edition of DJ Shimza’s annual One-Man Show is held at Mehlareng Stadium in Tembisa. Kicking off on Christmas Day, it’s an opportunity to spread the festive cheer by donating to the designated orphan charities and getting down to some awesome tunes spun by Shimza and friends. Twitter: @Shimza_dj

Ring in the New Year at this mellow two-day music festival at Arabella wine estate in the Robertson valley. Once you’ve been dropped off by the shuttle bus running from Cape Town, you’ll find some of the best festival camping facilities around and an opportunity to skydive. The line-up’s not bad either. electricvines.co.za

If you want to go really big for this New Year’s celebrations, Rezonance Festival is where you need to be. The music starts on New Year’s Eve and winds downs four days later. Four stages, an idyllic dam and the best local purveyors of psytrance, progressive, techno and dub complete the generous package. rezonancefestival.com

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NEW YEAR KICKS OFF High-flying Chelsea won’t be able to afford a New Year’s Day hangover when they visit underperforming Tottenham Hotspur for the first London derby of 2015. chelseafc.com

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Golden, Canada March 25, 2014

“ At 3am, under 4,000W spotlights, Pep held his line” Mike Brown, co-director of Afterglow, on freeskier Pep Fujas

AFTERGLOW SCREENGRAB

Every ski movie is proclaimed to be a ski movie like no other. It’s true in the case of Afterglow. There’s hardly any white in it. All of its backcountry action takes place at night, slopes and runs vibrantly illuminated by huge spotlights and LEDs on the skiers’ suits. You really haven’t seen anything like this before. Watch the film now: search Vimeo or YouTube for ‘afterglow’

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Epic moments from the world’s best clubs and festivals: Strobelight Anthems on rbmaradio.com

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