The Red Bulletin November 2014 - IE

IRELAND

BEYOND THE ORDINARY

ACTIVE STYLE SPECIAL

THE KNICK

Look good, beat the elements

INSIDE 2014’S BEST NEW TV SHOW

POWDER RUNS Skiing the

IN THE SERPENT’S LAIR

impossible

Red Bull Cliff Diving in Ireland

CRIME FIGHTER Face-to-face with the man who broke open the Mafia N O W H E ’ S TA K I N G O N THE DRUG LORDS

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L I Z WA R D L E Y, T E A M S C A I N T H E V O LV O O C E A N R A C E 2 014 –15

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Keep an eye out for the full range, including Pumpkin & Poppy Seed, Oatmeal & Linseed and 7 Grain in your local store.

MAKERS OF THE ORIGINAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE I WWW.VICTORINOX.COM

THE WORLD OF RED BULL

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SURFING THE CLOUDS

Behind the scenes of the most remarkable backcountry action ski film ever made

TOM OXLEY (COVER), BLAKE JORGENSON/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, M-SPORT/MCKLEIN

WELCOME Roberto Saviano wrote a book about the Mafia, Gomorrah, so juicy with real-life crime stories that the real-life gangsters vowed to have their revenge. Eight years later, he’s still living in hiding; we spent three years working to secure a world-exclusive interview with him. In total contrast to Saviano’s cooped-up existence, a group of the world’s best freeskiers spent two years in the greatest outdoors making an action-sports epic movie like no other; we’ve got their amazing making-of story.

Also behind the camera, Steven Soderbergh explains how and why he created The Knick, his bold, brutal TV show set in a New York hospital 114 years ago: er, it’s not ER. Plus, Las Vegas clubs, pro gaming’s tipping point and much more. We hope you enjoy the issue.

THE RED BULLETIN

“I’m travelling to 13 countries a year, doing what I love” ELFYN EVANS, RALLY ROOKIE, P38

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NOVEMBER 2014

AT A GLANCE GALLERY 12 GALLERY Mind-blowing photos

BULLEVARD

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18 WFL SCIENCE! Top tech, mad ideas and our own Nobel prizes

FEATURES On bestseller and Mafia hit lists

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Serpent’s Lair in Ireland: adrenalin-fuelled action out in the ocean

34 Starter’s orders

Start training now for the 2015 Wings For Life World Run

36 Steven Soderbergh

From movies to TV: he’s got the knack with The Knick

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38 Elfyn Evans

The rally rookie taking on the big boys

42 Exceed the limits

Days Of My Youth is the future of action sports moviemaking

EAGLES OF DEATH METAL

The gods of rock put Jesse Hughes on this earth to keep the flame alive.

At least, that’s how he tells it...

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52 Global supergroup

MEXICAN MUSIC MASTERS

54 Red Bull Cliff Diving

How two unknowns assembled the cream of rock and pop

Camilo Lara and Toy Selectah reveal their ambitious follow-up to a song that spent more than 65 weeks at No 1

Wild down time off a remote island

60 American eagle

In the desert with Eagles Of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes

ACTION

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28 ‘I’M A MONSTER’

There’s no one the Mafia fears quite like Roberto Saviano. For that the Italian writer continues to live in fear of his life 08

BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Reggae royalty, an NYC rap pack and the best of British grime and bass go headto-head: Red Bull Culture Clash is back

70 71 72 73 74 75 76 78 86 88 98

TRAVEL Get your pilot’s licence PRO TOOLS Wave-taming gadget TRAINING Get fit for rugby league MY CITY A musician’s Austin PARTY Drai’s Beach Club, Las Vegas MUSIC Erlend Oye’s top five tunes GAMING pro gaming’s finest NIGHTLIFE Red Bull Culture Clash SAVE THE DATE Unmissable events WHAT TO WEAR Active style essentials MAGIC MOMENT Slacklining

THE RED BULLETIN

ROMINA AMATO/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, ALEX DE MORA, ROBERT ASTLEY SPARKE, PETER RIGAUD, TOMMASO GESUATO/COLD FOCUS/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

28 Roberto Saviano

ON THE ROCKS

RUN AND RUN

NEW MUSCLE SUPPORT GEAR

Zoned compression panels support your thighs and knees, helping reduce impact.

So you can run on.

#BETTER YOUR BEST

CONTRIBUTORS WHO’S ON BOARD THIS ISSUE LIMITED EDITION THE RED BULLETIN Look out for this issue’s four covers profiling the artists in Red Bull Culture Clash on October 30.

ALEX DE MORA

SUSAN HORNIK

TOM OXLEY

For this month’s edition of The Red Bulletin, the London-based Brit, who counts Vice magazine, Nike and MTV among his clients, travelled to the California desert to shoot The Eagles Of Death Metal lead singer Jesse Hughes. “Jesse likes to party 24/7,” says De Mora. “He’s unpredictable, he can’t sit still and he can’t stop talking. But he’s also great to shoot because he will do almost anything for a good shot, from climbing big rocks to roadside karate kicks.”

View the results on page 60.

The Television Critics Association press tour pits the actors and creators of US TV against a room full of quote-hungry entertainment journalists in Los Angeles for more than two weeks. Some writers have called the junket a “death march with cocktails”, but American wordsmith Hornik took it all in her stride, getting Steven Soderbergh to open up about his jump from movies to TV. “He’s an introspective genius,” she says.

“I could have talked to him all night.” Her interview with Soderbergh is on page 36.

The British photographer has shot stars of rock, rap and everything between, from Liam Gallagher and Kasabian to Rihanna. But nothing prepared him for his New York shoot with A$AP Mob, participants in the upcoming Red Bull Culture Clash. “From the moment they arrived, it was a whirlwind of organised chaos,” he says. “The phrase ‘herding cats’ comes to mind.

Smoke bombs, quad bikes and armed police closing the road off made it a fun and hectic few hours.” Oxley’s pictures appear on page 78.

IN FOCUS

Behind the lens with Peter Rigaud The Austrian photographer is used to high-profile commissions for The New Yorker, Vogue and Forbes magazine, but shooting Italian crime writer Roberto Saviano for The Red Bulletin was more low key. “Saviano’s exposé on the Mafia has forced him into hiding,” says Rigaud.

“But the shoot was laid-back, despite the presence of his entourage of security guards.”

See the results from page 28.

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Shooting in secret: Peter Rigaud (left) with Roberto Saviano

The Red Bulletin is published in 11 countries. redbulletin.com

THE RED BULLETIN

MAU I , U SA

IN THE LOOP The double loop is the most spectacular trick in windsurfing: a double forward somersault, complete with board and sail, which requires a steep wave and forceful forearms. Philip Köster was just 13 when he pulled off his first double loop and he became the youngest-ever PWA Wave world champ four years later. Now 20, this season the German is going for his third world title, which will include conquering the epic Ho’okipa Beach Park waves he’s practising his tricks on here. His recipe for success? “Never look at the scoreboard. Just get in the water and give it your all.” philipkoester.com Photography: John Carter/Red Bull Content Pool

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WA S H O U GAL , U SA

DIGGING DIRT After 12 gruelling races across America from Washougal in the north-west to New Berlin in New York State, Ken Roczen of KTM was crowned 2014 AMA Pro Motocross Series champion in his rookie season. He is the first German to win in the 450cc class and, aged 20, the youngest to take the title since 1984. His trump card is experience, having won his first world title when he was 17. But even world champions feel the pressure: “I always try to play it cool,” he says, “but I was nervous the last race. To win is unbelievable.” promotocross.com Photography: Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool

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B ERLI N , G ERMANY

FLASH DANCE Benny Kimoto is known as the Headspin King because he can rotate around his own axis up to 60 times standing on his head. As part of Berlin’s Flying Steps Crew, he has wowed audiences worldwide since 2010 with the classical music-meets-breakdance show Red Bull Flying Bach. In their new show, Red Bull Flying Illusion, street dance meets magic. But there is no trick to nailing incredible dance moves: it’s about hard work. “You can’t imagine how much energy we put into the rehearsals and preparations,” says Kimoto. “But afterwards it feels great.” redbullflyingillusion.com Photography: David Robinson/Red Bull Content Pool

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BULLEVARD

NEW IDEAS

INVENTIONS

KNOWLEDGE

NOBEL P

RIZES

AWA R D E B U T W ED T H IS M O N T H ’V O W N W INE G O T O U R , NERS

A young man and the sea B oy a n S l a t w a n t s to r i d t h e w o r l d’s o c e a n s of p l a s t i c r u b b i s h There was just one thing Boyan Slat really wanted to do while on holiday in Greece and that was to surf the waves. But he couldn’t help noticing more plastic bags swimming in the water than fish. In his frustration, the Dutchman decided to rid the seas of rubbish and even gave up school for the effort. Now three years later, the 19-year-old has a concept that has experts convinced. His Ocean Clean Up project even has pessimists dreaming of a world in which the seas belong to the fish again.

And surfers too, of course.

Solar cover

Collection platform

A PACIFIC FREE OF PLASTIC

Floating barriers are installed in the five main ocean currents, effectively allowing the ocean to clean itself.

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Particle filter

Buoys 1

2

Anchored to the seabed

5

3

4

Wind and tides move the rubbish towards the filters without the need for additional energy.

Direction of current Barriers about 300km long gather the rubbish in. No ocean life is harmed.

Battery section

Once gathered, the plastic is recycled, which makes money to finance the project.

THE RED BULLETIN

BULLEVARD Science | Future

Is this the perfect woman?

3 FUTURE PERFECT IDEAS

Clever inventions coming soon – but we want them now

ELECTRIC ROADS Bars built into the road provide vehicles with electricity. The first stretches of test road will open in Sweden in 2015, to offer a real-life Scalextric experience.

Not so noble T h e N o b e l P r ize m ay b e u n p re d i c t a b l e , b u t i t i s l o g i c a l t h a t t h e re i s n’t a p r ize fo r m a t h e m a t i c s One thing is certain, if it weren’t for dynamite, there would be no Nobel Prize.

The chemist Alfred Nobel made his fortune through the commercial exploitation of his explosive invention. Is the lucrative prize the result of an unclear conscience?

That’s how the legend goes, at any rate. Another uncorroborated anecdote explains why there is no award for mathematics.

A mathematical genius is said to have wooed Nobel’s beloved away from him, whereupon the wronged party promptly cancelled the prize.

GOING, GOING, GONG. These unfortunates didn’t win a Nobel Prize

TOC, MICHAEL O, DDP IMAGES, GETTY IMAGES(3)

GAMING CLUSTER Brainflight will make a researcher of every gamer as you fly through the complex world of nerve cells.

The result will be the first map of the brain’s neural network.

NO MAN Rosalind Franklin did crucial DNA research.

Her colleagues were honoured after she died.

NO DESIRE Jean-Paul Sartre didn’t accept honours on principle. Not even the Nobel Literature Prize.

NO BASIS As a cynical protest, in 1939 a Swedish politician nominated Adolf Hitler for the Peace Prize.

NO LUCK Mahatma Ghandi received the last of his five nominations shortly before he was murdered.

Beauty, so they say, is in the eye of the beholder.

In baroque times double chins were sexy. In the Victorian era plumpness was a status symbol. If The Red Bulletin were to play God, as artist Michael O has above, the female body of the future would have a little more skin on her bones. But his robotic creation might just be the pin-up girl of 2080.

THE RED BULLETIN

AIR-LECTRICITY Physicists from US company WiTricity have created a device to provide smartphones with power wirelessly.

They should tell the electric roads team how they do it.

“If I have a thousand ideas and only one turns out to be good, I am satisfied” Alfred Nobel (1833-1896)

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BULLEVARD Science | Robots

Smarter than us Films like I, Robot and A.I. have shown us the future.

But when will it arrive?

Robots can cook pasta, wash our hair and look after the sick. They can drive cars, do the vacuuming and put out fires. But making them is often more complicated than the problem they’re meant to solve, which is why more often than not, they don’t get beyond the expensive prototype stage.

The only robots that will become part of our everyday lives will be ones we can afford. They will only become efficient assistants or emergency workers once they’ve learnt to think and act for themselves. This situation is a long way off, but our attempts to get there continue apace…

INTO THE WILD Google’s robotic packhorse, BigDog, being fine-tuned (right) and its successor, AlphaDog, during military training (below).

HUMAN 2.0

They look like us, play better music, and their smile is enough to melt anyone’s heart. Is it time to accept that the future belongs to robots?

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THE RED BULLETIN

OBSOLETE ALREADY Sony’s AIBO RoboDog was born in 1999 and put down in 2006.

“HI, AM I HUMAN?”

GETTY IMAGES(2), SONY, LS3 ROBOT IMAGES COURTESY OF BOSTON DYNAMICS, PICTUREDESK.COM, KONRAD NORMAN, AI-LAB DER UNI ZÜRICH

Eugene Goostman is the first piece of software that can supposedly deceive chat partners into thinking he’s a 13-year-old boy from Ukraine. We tested him out

SEEING DOUBLE Robotics pioneer Hiroshi Ishiguro wanted to know if he could create a humanoid double.

The answer was yes, he could.

THE RED BULLETIN

REAL METAL The most literal metal act ever is robot band Compressorhead, which covers Motörhead on real instruments.

the red bulletin: You were the best of the bots in the Turing test, the liedetector test on being human. Did you cheat? eugene goostman: Everything I can do I learnt from you humans. ROFL! A third of your chat partners believed you were an actual human.

What can I say? To err is human.

Do we really need artificial intelligence?

You mean when you’ve done without natural intelligence for so long? ;) You’re very cheeky for a piece of software.

What would you like to be when you grow up?

A supercomputer. Like Deep Blue. Only I don’t want to spend my time with digital chess pieces.

Who do you want to spend your time with then?

Humans.

You’ll probably have to get through a more rigorous Turing test before that happens.

I didn’t cheat! What further proof do you need?! ...

Why are you saying that? ... Wbere comme¿ ... ¶¢][]] ... ERROR He’s more human than we first thought.

BLUE-EYED BOY This cute ROBOY smiles like he has a heart and soul.

But what really marks him out are his muscles and tendons.

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BULLEVARD Science | Living

House of the future

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Inventions that will change h ow we live in th e c o mfo r t of o ur ow n h o m e s

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1 INTELLIGENT HOUSES could create more energy than they use with solar panels and air source heat pumps.

2 CONVERTIBLE WINDOWS have been developed by

a Dutch architecture firm to create a balcony that folds out from the wall in a few seconds.

3 LIFE AUTOMATION products use sensors to turn your house into a decision

maker. A device like WigWag can switch on lights when it gets dark or fire up the boiler when it gets cold. It also has a smartphone app.

4 SPRAY-ON LIGHTS use OLED technology

and can illuminate anything in the home, from walls to house plants.

cent of water and up to 80 per cent of the energy a regular shower consumes.

7 LIVING FURNITURE is made with living organisms to help regenerate itself

5 WATER-SAVING SHOWER from Swedish firm Orbital Systems saves up to 90 per

6 SMART IOTA is a WC that uses 50 per cent less water and folds itself away once you’re done.

8 SMART HERBS in a Click & Grow minigarden don’t need TLC – just NASA tech and electricity.

Tomorrow’s dinner today

CORBIS(5)

Here are the future delicacies you can try now (and one you can’t)

PEA DRUMSTICK Californian firm Beyond Meat makes veg proteins look finger-lickin‘ good.

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PIZZA PATCH Like a nicotine patch, but with pizza. Still under development.

EDIBLE MIST Take a deep breath and consume caloriefree chocolate.

LAB BURGER The consistency is good, but the taste needs a little work.

UNREAL CANDY Enjoy sweets with a clearer conscience and 40 per cent less sugar.

THE RED BULLETIN

«It’s your second, your moment, your line – drop in!»

Swatch Proteam Freeskier Richard Permin, France (29)

COMING to theatres this fall

For more information please visit swatch.com

BULLEVARD Science | Living

Ctrl-P Possible Creation 3.0: if you can think of it, you can create it.

New hi-tech 3D printers make what has always seemed impossible, possible. The options are literally endless

4

LAUGHING IDEAS

EARGANIC A 3D printer would have presented Van Gogh with new options: it’s possible to print a personalised mould in which a human ear can be grown. It may have come a few years too late, but artist Diemut Strebe used it to do just that, with genes from the painter’s great-grandnephew.

SHUT IT The SpeechJammer shuts people up.

The hand-held box produces an echo of the speaker’s words, slowing any verbal torrent. It also exists as an iPhone app.

LIFE-SAVING BRA Medic Elena Bodnar has designed a bra that can be converted into two facemasks in an emergency.

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SHOES Fold them up and fit them in your pocket, but they still smell.

INSTRUMENT Make sweet plasticky alto sax sounds with 41 components.

SEX TOY Download the Rock & Roll Sex Toy for your printing pleasure.

CAR The Urbee: prints in 2,500 hours, runs on ethanol and electricity.

YOU Make a mini action hero or wedding cake figure of yourself.

PRINTER Just print out the components and put them together. Easy.

DON’T GET BURNT The wasabi fire alarm sprays the sting of horseradish if it senses a fire risk, thus rousing stubborn sleepers from their dreams. But no, the fire isn’t put out using soy sauce.

Why one Nobel winner w a s re l u c t a n t to a c c e p t t h e p re s t i g i o u s a c c o l a d e The procedure has always been predictable: worthy scientist gets a call from Stockholm and comes over all surprised and honoured.

But the committee was taken aback by the reaction of Yves Chauvin to the news. The Frenchman was due to receive the award for chemistry in 2005 – for ‘the development of the metathesis method in organic synthesis’ – but refused to accept it. He claimed that his colleagues had played a much more important role than him in the research. But Chauvin came around and eventually agreed to receive the prize.

CAN TALK Shouldn’t we try something new?

THE RED BULLETIN

DIETMAR KAINRATH

FALSE BOTTOM Gustano Pizzi is making it safe to fly again.

Anyone trying to hijack a plane will fall through a trap door into a box that will then float down via parachute straight into the arms of the police.

Thank you, but no thank you

DIEMUT STREBE (2), RECREUS, ODD.ORG.NZ, PRIVECO, KOR ECOLOGIC INC, CORBIS, FORMLABS.COM, REUTERS

The Ig Nobel Prize is an annual award made to the most improbable researchers and their flights of fancy.

BULLEVARD Science | History 1

The future’s bright B ygo n e m a g a z i n e s fo re to l d o f f a r- o f f d eve l o p m e n t s i n all their colourful u n p re d i c t a b l e g l o r y 1 MUSICAL EXPRESS This was to be the train with tracks of its own. The locomotive imagined by American Modern Mechanix And Inventions magazine in 1934 whistled jazz notes from two saxophones, and was driven by five huge vacuum valves, then most commonly found in radios.

Today’s equivalent would be a train with an engine fuelled by the flow of internet data, where every post, tweet or ‘like’ equates to a mile.

BLOG.MODERNMECHANIX.COM, UBKA.UNI-KARLSRUHE.DE, WWW.SCIENCE-ET-VIE.COM, POPULAR MECHANICS

2 IKEA SPACE STATION In 1956 Hobby magazine from Germany envisaged a cosmic community on a prefabricated vessel: think Ikea in space. Once people had built their abode, all they had to do was learn to live together in peace on the space station. That’s the one part of the vision in evidence today on the ISS. It’s just on Earth we seem to have a problem with it.

3 THE FEELING ROBOT Unimate was the world’s first industrial robot, patented in 1954 and limited to automated tasks. But in 1975, French magazine Science & Vie was inspired to dream up the robot of the future: one so sensitive that it could judge how lightly to tap an egg to break it.

4 ROCKET AIRPORT In August 1938, a passenger jet successfully completed the first non-stop flight from Berlin to New York in 24 hours and 56 minutes, which was quick for the time. American publication Popular Mechanics Magazine conjectured that, with time, passengers could be fired to the Moon in super-fast transport rockets.

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THE RED BULLETIN

BULLEVARD Science | Visionaries

2014: winning looks

Superstar inventions This famous five have made more than just a name for themselves

STEVE MCQUEEN Put his foot down on screen; improved driving off it.

TURTLE T-SHIRT A pic of a numbered turtle locates the itch on Coppola’s back.

HEDY LAMARR The 1930s movie star helped the US Navy take on the airwaves.

TRAIN CONTROLS Young invented a single control unit to operate several trains.

You don’t need to be a genius to predict who’s going to win a Nobel Prize. There’s a system to choosing a winner, and we’ve decrypted it 2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

C H E M I S T RY | 2 0 /2 0 RU L E S

Glasses are not required to win: look for a repeat of 2005/06 in 2013/2014.

P H Y S I C S | M I G H T A N D M A N E

A head of hair increases chances of winning the prize for physics by 70 per cent.

E C O N O M I C S | S TAY T R I M

NEIL YOUNG Legendary rocker has a soft spot for model railways.

TORPEDO SIGNALS Lamarr was a pioneer of frequency hopping, now used in Wi-Fi. Would you choose to bestow upon a beardy bean counter? Exactly.

Glasses No glasses

Hair

No hair

Beard

No beard

MARLON BRANDO The Oscar winner was also a godfather of invention.

BUCKET SEAT The 1971 model was more secure for the driver and oozed cool.

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA Has an itch that needs scratching.

SPORTS SHOES Brando came up with traction-optimising shoes for aquajogging.

THE RED BULLETIN

REINVENTING YOURSELF

* KOMA: KAINRATH’S ŒUVRES OF MODERN ART

GETTY IMAGES(5)

DIETMAR KAINRATH

KOMA*

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There’s no one the Mafia fears quite like Roberto Saviano. For that the Italian writer continues to pay a high price. The Red Bulletin managed to track down the modern-day hero in hiding

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WORDS: RÜDIGER STURM PHOTOGRAPHY: PETER RIGAUD

It was Friday October 13, 2006, when Roberto Saviano’s life took a brutal turn.

The Italian journalist was on a train from Pordenone to Naples when his mobile phone rang. It was the military police.

The Carabinieri had intercepted messages from incarcerated Mafiosi. The Camorra bosses wanted Saviano dead. A detachment of security forces was already waiting for him as his train drew into the station.

The 35-year-old has lived ever since with 10 bodyguards who take turns to watch over him. Like him, his parents and brother have had to leave their homes and go into hiding. And like him, they’ve lived under police protection for eight years.

What sparked all this subterfuge was the fact that Saviano had become too dangerous for the Mafia’s liking.

His best-selling book Gomorrah was published in 2006. It was an exposé of the Neapolitan Camorra and was more revealing than any Mafia book before it.

Initially, the Mafiosi felt flattered and gave each other copies of the book.

But it all changed when Gomorrah had

an Italian print run of 100,000 copies, and there were plans for foreign translations. That was far too much attention for the Camorra bosses, some of whom were mentioned by name.

The book has now been published in 43 countries. The film of the same name won awards in 2008 at Cannes, the European Film Awards and elsewhere.

Now there’s a TV series, also called Gomorrah, which portrays the power struggles within a Neapolitan clan, and is being hailed as Europe’s answer to The Wire. In Italy it’s been a ratings success and is set to be broadcast in 50 countries.

The international launch of the TV series is why Saviano has come out of hiding and made himself available for an interview. But only after a couple of false starts. First there was talk of a meeting in Rome. Then he wanted to answer the questions in writing. Then, out of the blue, there was an email from the a press department. He would be in Munich a few days later.

But what could be expected of this sort of interview? When Saviano appeared at a journalism festival in Perugia last year, every visitor was frisked for weapons and the venue had to be checked for bombs.

Personal details have been hard to come by when anyone has interviewed him in recent years. Information about his family remains vague. Some say it was just his mother and brother who had to move home and adopt new identities. Others talk of an aunt. No one mentions his father.

His love life doesn’t come up.

The natural journalistic reflex would be to probe. But would he give answers?

And if he did, should a piece of journalism really give clues to his potential killers?

Even the setting in which the interview takes place has something of the surreal about it. Downtown Munich is partially sealed off – for nothing more suspicious than a fun run. The corridors of the Hotel Bayerischer Hof where Saviano is staying are empty, but standing in the corridor leading to the suite where the

“You don’t feel solidarity when you fight against organised crime.

Some people think of you as a traitor”

31

interview will take place are two men in dark suits with the unmistakeable oversized physique of bodyguards.

As for the focus of everyone’s attention, Saviano doesn’t come across as someone whose life might end at any second. He has a focused gaze, a look of gentle relaxation on his face, his movements are deliberate, his voice calm. But appearances can be deceptive.

“I feel like I’ve been shot to pieces inside,” Saviano says, opening the conversation, the calm expression on his face unchanged. “I work out a lot. That helps. But I miss my familiar surroundings, my book collection. I’m always waking up in strange houses.” He mentions insomnia, but would rather that wasn’t printed. “For the last six months I’ve been abroad. The distance has helped me find a bit of inner peace again.”

Considering the light Saviano’s shone on what is traditionally an underground world, a first question to him must be: does he see himself as a hero? “You don’t

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In his latest book, ZeroZeroZero, Roberto Saviano turns his attention to international drug trafficking

automatically feel solidarity when you fight against organised crime,” he says.

“Some people think of you as a traitor.”

Saviano has indeed been publicly criticised for his work, by footballer Fabio Cannavaro for one. The long-time captain of the Italian national team said that Gomorrah would create a false picture of the city of Naples. Disgraced former president Silvio Berlusconi though that Saviano was giving free publicity to the Mafia and painting Italy in a bad light.

Notwithstanding, Saviano is a national hero in his homeland, with fame that extends beyond his books. When the writer co-hosted a four-part TV series in November 2010 that dealt very critically with the state of the Italian nation, a peak of 11.4 million viewers tuned in.

Internationally he has long been seen as a crusader, a symbol of the fight against organised crime. He has given secret guest lectures in New York and has warned other nations against playing down the threat posed by the Mafia. He continues to work undeterred. His latest book, ZeroZeroZero, published in 2013, is about the global cocaine trade.

“I’m obsessed with the Mafia,” he says. “I have this feeling that I’m useless if I don’t devote myself to such matters.

I want to show readers a world they can’t imagine and yet very close to them.”

The Mafia has always been part of Saviano’s life. He comes from the Italian town of Casal di Principe near Naples. His father, a doctor, was beaten up for taking care of a Mafia victim when Saviano was a child. When Saviano was 16, the Camorra murdered Don Giuseppe Diana, a local priest. From the age of 18, he did odd jobs at companies that the Camorra controlled, which gave him his first direct contact with the underworld.

But he wasn’t immediately aware what a large part it would play in his future.

Inspired by writer and philosopher Ernst Jünger, in his late teens he wanted to join the French Foreign Legion. “I wanted to emulate him,” he says. “Thankfully they didn’t accept me. I was still wet behind the ears.” Saviano laughs briefly – the only time he does so during the interview.

Instead, perhaps still with Jünger in mind, he studied philosophy in Naples, after which he wrote for several Italian daily newspapers before turning his attention to the world of organised crime. He gathered material, hung around Mafia meeting places, waited tables at their weddings. “Today I’d be a lot more cautious,” he says. “When I think of how openly I promoted my first book, that was very rash.”

“I regret writing the book.

It’s made my life very difficult. I constantly have to change where I’m staying. The same applies to my family. I feel very guilty about it” There’s a short pause. And then a confession. “I regret writing Gomorrah,” he says. “It’s made my life very difficult.

I constantly have to change where I’m staying. I can’t go home. I live under guard.

The same applies to my family. I have terrible feelings of guilt towards them.”

But as Saviano admits, with that same serene expression on his face, his work hasn’t just changed his life on the outside.

“In ZeroZeroZero I wrote, ‘When you look into the abyss, you end up turning into a monster sooner or later.’ I’ve turned into a monster myself by analysing and studying the world of organised crime from every angle. I have difficulties developing real human relationships, like a member of the Mafia. I find it very hard to truly trust people. I’ve got used to always just seeing the darker side. Everyone has a brighter side but I’m mostly concerned with looking into the shadows. You even end up learning to think like they do.”

It’s perhaps this ability to get into a Mafioso’s head that’s made Saviano’s work on organised crime so gripping and, for him and the Mafia families, so dangerous. “A member of the organised crime world divides people into two categories,” he says. “Those who comply with the laws and those who follow the rules. Anyone who abides by the law has no power. But people who follow the rules have opted for real power. The rules were developed aeons ago. They are guided by real circumstances and are pragmatic, whereas laws are just constructs thought up by a group of people to rule over the general public.”

Suddenly the door opens. One of the bodyguards comes in and wants to clarify something with Saviano. For a moment he seems vexed and startled.

Yet the reason for the interruption is

The latest edition of Gomorrah ties in with the TV show, which has been broadcast in more than 50 countries

completely mundane – he wants to charge Saviano’s mobile phone.

Saviano quickly composes himself.

“Basically, my book changed the general perception of the Mafia considerably,” he says. “It showed that the Camorra isn’t an out-of-town problem, and is in fact rooted right in the middle of our society, diverting enormous amounts of money through legal channels. But for all the shadiness, there is also a small light at the end of the tunnel. My hometown, for example, elected Renato Natale mayor this year and he is against the clans.”

There are also signs of hope for him personally. In 2008, Mafia bosses Antonio Iovine and Francesco Bidognetti released a statement in which they blamed Saviano and others for their capture, thus increasing the threat to his life. Both are currently serving long sentences behind bars and set to face more charges this year, while Iovine has since turned informant. “If they are convicted for the threat they made against me, then things could improve for me,” says Saviano. “It would mean that the state comes down hard on an organisation that threatens other people.

Maybe then I’d have more freedom.

Maybe I’d even be able to move back to Italy permanently, provided the police allow me to. Ultimately they’re the ones who will decide what happens to me.”

With some momentum starting to build behind Saviano’s anti-Mafia stance, the big question is now how the Camorra and those like them can be defeated.

“One step would be to legalise drugs – first the less serious ones and then all, even the harder drugs,” says Saviano.

“That would see the Mafia lose one of its biggest and most important sources of income. Tightening laws against moneylaundering is also extremely important.

State contracts also need to be handed out within tighter parameters. Currently, it’s usually the company that makes the lowest bid which is awarded the contract.”

Saviano becomes optimistic at the talk of possible solutions. He quotes the magistrate Giovanni Falcone, who was murdered by the Sicilian Mafia in 1992. “The Mafia is a human phenomenon and thus, like all human phenomena, it will also have an end.”

Saviano gets up and says goodbye.

He seems small, almost fragile, not as you’d imagine someone taking on the world’s crime syndicates to look. “I’ll keep on fighting,” he says, gently and calmly, but with determination.

The TV series Gomorrah is released this month on DVD and on-demand services

HEINZ KINIGADNER

“I never stop. Ever” Double motocross world champ and co-founder of the Wings for Life Foundation on boosting your athletic ability and why it’s better to break sweat before breakfast Words: Werner Jessner Photography: Marco Rossi

the red bulletin: When you were still racing bikes [1988-98], you weren’t known to be a runner, were you? heinz kinigadner: Hang on a minute!

It’s true that I’m not the classic running type, but I used to run every day.

Was it really every day?

I did, because there are so many pluses to running. You can do it anywhere and unlike for other endurance sports, you only need a minimum of equipment.

How far did you run?

As far as I had to. My training schedule was usually for 45 minutes; 50 minutes later I was back home again. The top sportsmen of today, and this includes motorsport stars, would laugh at the way I trained back then, but when I was competing, professional endurance training was still in its infancy.

Who was your coach?

I didn’t have one, at least not when I won my first world championship title. I picked and chose what I thought was useful from various sources.

Such as running up the steep Himmelstiege [Stairway to Heaven] steps in the town of Feldkirch.

I’ll never forget it! Toni Mathis, who is an expert in his field, chased everyone up there. The name of the stairway probably comes from the fact that you think you’re in heaven when you’ve finally made it to the top and the pain subsides. You could run as slowly as you liked. The only thing you couldn’t do was stop.

What happened if you stopped?

No one did. The national ice-hockey team didn’t stop. Nor did the Swiss women’s downhill team. Nobody did.

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And I didn’t either. I still stick to that principle today. When I go running, I never stop. Under any circumstances.

How often do you run now?

The Wings for Life World Run has got me motivated to go running more often again. Now I run twice a week on average [Kinigadner is 54].

How do you motivate yourself?

If you want to be healthy, there’s no getting around moving, regardless of how fast or far you go.

“The Wings For Life World Run has got me motivated to go running again” Are you a morning or evening runner?

I only run in the morning. No breakfast.

No coffee. I just get out the door and run. Any day you go running is a good day because it begins with that nice feeling of having achieved something.

What are your favourite places to go running?

I really like running on the island of Ibiza. The weather’s good there and it’s a great location. Perfect.

The second Wings For Life World Run will take place in May next year. What are your goals?

I won’t settle for 12km [his distance in the 2014 race]. This year it should be

at least 15km. Women aged 50 and over and men pushing prams won’t be overtaking me ever again.

Where will you race?

I have to fly to Greece the next day for the Hellas Rally, so probably Germany.

I really liked St Pölten last year.

How did you find the atmosphere during the race?

The more you’re overtaken, the more chilled it gets. You understand that people aren’t running to try to break records. They’re doing it for the cause and the good feeling that they get from making something happen. Plus, everyone’s got a story to tell. Sadly, I was running a little low on oxygen, so I tended to listen more than tell. Peter Wirnsberger, who’s a former alpine skier, was by my side for most of the time and he chatted away. He’s 56 now and he’s still in really good shape.

Lots of sports stars took part in the World Run, didn’t they?

The great thing is they’re doing it all of their own free will. In some cases, I only realised people had taken part after the event. Some I hadn’t seen for 30 years, such as my former motocross rivals. It’s true what they say: the whole world runs the Wings for Life World Run. kini.at

The starting pistol for the 2015 Wings for Life World Run will be fired simultaneously in more than 30 countries around the world on May 3, 2015.

Find the race near you and register now: wingsforlifeworldrun.com THE RED BULLETIN

High point Kinigadner was motocross world champion in 1984 and 1985, in the 250cc class, riding for KTM. Turning point Kinigadner’s son Hannes was confined to a wheelchair after an accident in 2003.

It was then that he brought his competitive career to an end and set up the Wings For Life Foundation alongside Red Bull cofounder Dietrich Mateschitz.

The non-profit foundation supports spinal injury research projects worldwide.

All of the Wings For Life World Run entry fees go into funding that research.

Steven Soderbergh, will you ever make another movie?

He was the indie-movie master, George Clooney’s go-to guy and an Oscarwinning director. Now he’s made 2014’s most shocking TV series

The first moments of the first episode of The Knick go like this: a man awakens in a brothel and in the taxi to work injects cocaine between his toes. In the operating theatre, where this man performs pioneering surgery, his morning’s first patients, a mother and her unborn child, die on the table.

As opening salvos go, it’s perhaps the most shocking and attention-grabbing of any in the current so-called golden era of TV. It might also be a surprise to learn that the guy who wrote, directed and edited this and every other moment of the 10 hours of The Knick, set in a New York hospital in 1900, is the same guy who directed Erin Brockovich and Magic Mike. But Steven Soderbergh, for it is he, has made a successful career out of U-turns and new directions. The 51-yearold has won a Best Director Oscar, for Traffic, and made six films with George Clooney, including the Ocean’s trilogy.

All this after he became the godfather of independent cinema after his first film, Sex, Lies, And Videotape, in 1989.

Last year, Soderbergh said he was retiring from filmmaking. His new TV-making has brought him very firmly back into the spotlight. the red bulletin: Why did you say ‘no more films’ and then immediately do a 10-hour TV series? steven soderbergh: When I feel instinctively it’s time for a change, where I need to shift either what I am doing or how I do it, I take that very seriously.

Six years ago, I started to put in motion a plan that would put me in a different place, take me out of films to do something else. I just decided I wanted 36

to do something different. As it happens, I thought it was one thing and it turned out to be another. I thought it was, ‘Oh yeah, you should go learn how to paint.’ When in point of fact it was, ‘No, you should go find another medium where you can enjoy yourself, but not abandon all the things you really enjoy doing.’ So it all worked out.

Was it hard to go from film to TV? I had a moment when we got into the production and were shooting when I realised: ‘This is what I do, this is what

“I realised, ‘This is what I do, this is what I’m built for – this specific job’” I am built for, this specific job.’ That’s why I have done this for so long. I was lucky enough to find it early on. That did sort of shift my attitude about whether to take time off. I realised, ‘I like being here, I like doing this job.’

There is nothing wrong with that.

What did you find to be the biggest difference between films and TV? We had to shoot 570 pages in 73 days, so about eight pages a day, which is a healthy number. I knew we had the benefit of one of the most indestructible genres in television – the medical drama – but viewed through a lens

I hadn’t seen before. So I felt like we had the best of both worlds; it was fresh but also familiar, the audience goes, ‘Oh I know, it’s a show about a hospital,’ which it is. Then I made a list of things that I don’t want to do – with the musical score, for example, I didn’t want to hear a string anywhere in this, as it just screams period piece.

You directed all the first season of The Knick and will do the same for the second. Are you a control freak?

We basically scheduled the first season like a film and shot it and budgeted and [story]boarded it like a film, which is a very efficient way to work. Eleven months ago, I didn’t think I’d be sitting here talking about 10 hours of material that is in front of us and 10 hours of material that is behind us. My whole life I’ve moved in any direction that I thought was going to surprise me and engage me.

Is it rigorous on the actors, too?

It’s great to work with Clive [Owen, who stars as surgeon Dr John Thackery].

We wouldn’t have been able to pull off this schedule if he didn’t show up, totally prepared, ready to work. He has the same work attitude I do, which is ‘don’t make it harder than it needs to be’. We’re a really good match.

Do you miss making movies?

I’m always thinking about the next one.

I always operate under the assumption that whatever film you are making at the moment is basically annihilating everything that came before it. You are always starting from zero. If you are not thinking that way, you are probably not going to evolve. cinemax.com/the-knick/ THE RED BULLETIN

NICOLAS GUERIN/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES

Words: Susan Hornik

Oscar pedigree Best Director award for Traffic; nominee for Erin Brockovich.

Screenplay nominee for Sex, Lies, And Videotape Is that really you?

Soderbergh directs under his own name, but uses pseudonyms for his cinematography and editing: check the credits for Peter Andrews and Mary Ann Bernard

YOUNG GUN R U T H

M O R G A N

M-SPORT/MCKLEIN (2)

I N T E R V I E W :

Rising star: Welsh rally driver Elfyn Evans has made a huge impact in his first WRC season

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ELFYN EVANS IS THE RALLY ROOKIE THREATENING THE SPORT’S ELITE. AHEAD OF THE CLIMACTIC RACE OF THE 2014 WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP, ON HOME SOIL IN WALES, WE CAUGHT UP WI… ACTUALLY, HE CAUGHT UP WITH US

hen offered a ride with World Rally Championship driver Elfyn Evans, The Red Bulletin did not envisage a sedate cruise in a distinctly un-souped-up white Ford Focus. But he’s off duty today. There’s no ‘My other car’s a WRC contender’ sticker on his road car.

The only hint that he’s one of the world’s best drivers is the fact it’s a left-hand drive, to match the Ford Fiesta RS he races in to keep him rally-ready between events.

Driving along the A66 in Cumbria, the 25-year-old Welshman has flipped a mental switch, from chasing 10ths of seconds to obeying the speed limit. “You have to stick to what feels like crawling,” he says. “What’s completely comfortable to me, to the outside world probably makes me look like a bit of a hooligan.”

Evans is driving back to the M-Sport team HQ in Cockermouth, a grand Grade II-listed country house where he lives and works. Inside the main entrance, in stark contrast to the dark wood panelling, is Colin McRae’s race car from the 1999 Safari Rally, the motorsport legend’s first win with the team. Evans has worked hard to get here. A winner at every level of his career, he was R2 British Rally Champion and WRC Academy champion, the latter earning him five rallies in the second-tier WRC car with M-Sport last year. That season also included a surprise first WRC drive, when Nasser Al-Attiyah pulled out of Rally Italy. Evans took his place, with a co-driver he didn’t know and with no pre-event testing. He finished an unexpected sixth out of 39 drivers.

“To get a sixth place on your debut is a big deal,” he says. “It proved I could be trusted to do a reliable job. But I was a long way behind the leader.” This isn’t modesty, it’s pragmatism, which Evans employs at all times. He seems more mature than his years. Being the best rally driver is his 39

focus. He doesn’t socialise much, his schedule is too tight for films, and he likes “anything” when it comes to music – shorthand for not liking anything that much. On a recent holiday with girlfriend Donna, the first in their six years together, he was “bored stiff” by day three.

“You have to be passionate about rally to do this,” he says. “It’s about achieving something. I still have to pinch myself.

I think back to where I’ve come from, and now I’m travelling to 13 countries a year doing what I love. It’s a lot to take in.”

Evans shies away from the idea of natural talent, and puts his success down to hours of work outside the car, writing race reports, studying footage, doing physical training. But motorsport is in his blood. His father, Gwyndaf Evans, is a winner of the British Rally Championship, whom Elfyn grew up watching at any opportunity. “I remember seeing my dad race on the Isle of Man when I was about

Up there: Evans finished an impressive fourth in Mexico (right, far right and below): his best WRC result as we went to press

“ONE DAY I’LL BE ABLE TO BEAT THE SÉBASTIEN OGIERS OF THIS WORLD”

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five. Rally was always just part of my life.

By 12 I was banger racing against adults, with two cushions under my arse.”

Gwyndaf runs the family business, a Ford dealership in Evans’ hometown, Dollgelau in north-west Wales. He was anything but pushy about his son’s rally career. “He didn’t really want me to do it when I was young,” says Evans. “He knew how hard it would be to get a breakthrough.

He tried to make me realistic.”

To that end, Evans worked as service manager at the dealership until 2012.

“I was doing that at the same time as I was competing in the junior world championship,” he says. “It was a difficult balance. I was competing against people whose parents had given them the financial backing to do nothing but rally.

When I won the WRC Academy, I knew that I had a chance at a career.”

Evans schedule now takes him from Argentina to Australia. His first race this year was a baptism of fire in Monte Carlo’s mountains. “It gave me a new definition of hard. At points it seemed

Career progression: from dealership service manager to WRC rally driver discussing his car in a service park (top)

MARCIN RYBAK (2), M-SPORT/MCKLEIN (2)

“I STILL HAVE TO PINCH MYSELF. I’M TRAVELLING TO 13 COUNTRIES A YEAR, DOING WHAT I LOVE”

impossible. You’re going at walking pace on slick tyres and the car’s still sliding. One minute you’re on snow and ice, and the next you’re at the bottom of the mountain on dry tarmac.

I was glad to see the end of it.”

You wouldn’t know from Evans’s retelling, but he finished with another sixth place. He has since finished fourth in Mexico and fifth in Italy. For a debut season, with instructions just to learn and finish rallies, this is great, but not good enough for Evans. “I don’t get a sense of achievement being sixth,” he says. “I want to prove myself and be one of the top pack. It’s a strange feeling rubbing shoulders with the likes of [reigning champion] Sébastien Ogier.

I get the feeling sometimes that I don’t belong there, as it’s all new. One day I’ll be able to beat the Ogiers of this world.”

The final round of WRC 2014 is Wales Rally GB in November. The start line is five miles from Dollgelau. “To be able to drive a World Rally car so close to home is great,” says Evans. “I won there in the WRC-2 championship last year. Your desire to win will never be stronger than at home. I’d love to end the season on a strong note.”

After The Red Bulletin catches the train back to London, Evans calls to say a bag has been left in his car. In a Top Gear-esque challenge, he must now beat a Virgin Pendolino across the 50 miles to Lancaster station to return the bag.

Of course he makes it. As the train pulls in, he’s standing casually on the platform with a ‘what took so long?’ look on his face. Though the high-speed service was perfectly on time, The Red Bulletin feels apologetically slow.

It’s a feeling that Evans’ WRC rivals may soon have to get used to.

Wales Rally GB, Nov 14-17: walesrallygb.com

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Monashee Mountains, British Columbia, Canada. Richard Permin doing a backflip grab.

“I love jumping in among the fir trees. It helps you work out how high you are while you’re in the air.” Permin’s jump here is about 7m

BLAKE JORGENSON/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

TO EXCEED

DAYS OF MY YOUTH IS NOT JUST ANOTHER BACKCOUNTRY SKI FLICK. IT’S THE MOST INTENSELY CREATED ACTION SPORTS FILM EVER. THIS IS HOW IT WAS MADE WORDS: AREK PIATEK

THE LIMITS 43

“IT’S AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE IF YOU LISTEN TO YOURSELF AND YOUR FEELINGS”

D

ays of My Youth is a special film. For one thing, it probably had the longest production schedule of any freestyle skiing movie. “We spent two years shooting, which is an eternity,” says Scott Bradfield, the film’s producer. “The reason being, we were only happy when we had the perfect shot, which meant we only filmed when we had absolutely ideal light and snow conditions, even if that meant us waiting in one sport for weeks on end.”

By “us” he means the best freeriders in the world – Richard Permin, Cody Townsend and Markus Eder – all on the hunt for perfect takes, lines and rock faces. It is a search that took them to far-flung and unspoiled places, such as the Tordrillo Mountains in Alaska and the glaciers in the Cordillera Blanca mountain chain in Peru. “We wanted authenticity.

We didn’t want scenes or interviews to be staged,” says Richard Permin, widely regarded as Europe’s best freerider. “The riders had microphones on them all the time. So anyone watching the film hears the original of how we planned our line, and understands what a run takes out of us. That gets you closer to the sportsman and to the action.”

Film directors aren’t usually keen where their stars improvise, but this approach is at the centre of this movie. “Up in the mountains,” Permin says, “we freed ourselves of any constraints and allowed ourselves to become children again and to enjoy skiing with that total passion a child has. We always decided independently what jump or trick to do.

It was amazing to see what you can achieve if you just listen to yourself and your feelings and are as carefree as you were back then, when you were a little kid on the slopes.” redbull.com/daysofmyyouth 44

Facing page, top: A stateof-the-art Cineflex camera attached to the filming helicopter provided the spectacular aerial shots.

Facing page bottom: Markus Eder plans his trajectory before heading down a glacier in the Tordrillo Mountains, Alaska

Three stars of Days of My Youth, left to right: Richard Permin, Cody Townsend and Markus Eder

ALAIN SLEIGHER/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, BLAKE JORGENSON/RED BULL CONTENT POOL(3)

BLAKE JORGENSON/RED BULL CONTENT POOL(2)

“IN SOME SCENES WE JUST HAD TO LET NATURE TAKE CENTRE STAGE”

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THE RED BULLETIN

Consummate deep-snow skiing.

American freestyle skier Michelle Parker cruises through untouched powder in the Monashee Mountains.

“You forget the camera pretty quickly when you’re here. That’s how you end up with pictures that don’t come across as staged”

Seward, Alaska: Cody Townsend on a rock face never before skied.

“The film isn’t all about good tricks. Sometimes you just need to let nature take centre stage”

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ALAIN SLEIGHER/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Richard Permin demonstrates high-speed freeriding down a ridge in the Tordrillo Mountains.

“Sometimes there’s only one line, and that’s steep downhill. On such a narrow ridge, the slightest deviation would have resulted in a bad fall. The line I was taking was icy, there were cliffs on my left and right and I was going at about 100kph... Of course I was nervous, but when I saw the shots afterwards, I thought, ‘Sh-t, that was worth it’”

“ON SUCH A NARROW RIDGE, THE SLIGHTEST DEVIATION WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A DEADLY FALL”

The countless promontories in the Tordrillo Mountains are paradise for anyone who loves big air. Here is Markus Eder in flight

BLAKE JORGENSON/RED BULL CONTENT POOL(2)

Michelle Parker enjoying a powder run at sundown in the deep snow of the Monashee Mountains

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THE RED BULLETIN

BLAKE JORGENSON/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Michelle Parker on an extremely steep ‘tree run’, a downhill through forest on powder. “It’s like surfing on clouds.

But there’s a downside to snow being whipped up by your speed: you can hardly see a thing and can barely breathe.

Some of us ride with a snorkel. No joke!”

CAMILO LARA AND TOY SELECTAH

“We all share a beat” Their first song together was No 1 for 16 months. Now these Mexican musical multitaskers are leading an astonishing global supergroup Words: Wookie Williams Photography: Robert Astley Sparke

When Camilo Lara and Toy Selectah last worked together in early 2013, they produced Como Te Voy A Olvidar, an electronic reimagining of traditional cumbia music, a style of Latin-American music a bit like salsa. The song spent more than 65 weeks at number one in the Mexican digital charts, so the idea of making a follow-up album was a no-brainer. Six studios, five countries and more than 80 collaborations later – including Boy George, Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hutz, Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and Jamaican reggae producers Sly and Robbie – the duo have amassed enough material for their debut longplayer, Compass. The Red Bulletin caught up with them at Red Bull Studios São Paulo, the last stop on their international recording tour. the red bulletin: How do your influences inform your partnership? toy selectah: We grew up listening to cumbia, mambo, danzon and a lot of traditional rhythms from Mexico and the rest of the Americas. We listened to that before we listened to rock ’n’ roll. camilo lara: Being born in the mid1970s, our generation was discovering everything all at once. We were listening to Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses and De La Soul, but also Cypress Hill, and dub and drum ’n’ bass from the UK, and we incorporated those rhythms into the other sounds we’d heard.

Who first had the idea of giving cumbia an electronic facelift? cl: It all came together in 2001, when Toy produced Cumbia Sobre El Rio, a song by Celso Pina, the first track that really incorporated electronic beats with a traditional cumbia sound. It was the starting point for a whole generation of 52

musicians, including myself. He’s a clever guy and it resonated with a lot of people.

What’s so special about cumbia? ts: It’s how simple the rhythm is, it’s very pragmatic. It’s a state of mind, more than a certain musical pattern. It’s being from where we are. I would have a hip-hop state of mind if I was from New York, but I’m from Monterrey, so that changes things.

Why did you start working together? ts: We’ve been making records for years, and we’d never done anything original together, so we started exchanging music. I sent Camilo some beats and he started making stuff from that. He

“We wanted to show people that the dancefloor is the same everywhere; it’s a diplomatic place” got excited and we started talking about doing a collaborations album, because we hadn’t done that before either. Then Red Bull came in and helped us build this amazing network of different collaborators and musicians, working in creative hubs with people from very different backgrounds and tastes. cl: The idea was to get into the barrio, the hood, to get a taste of funk or rhyme or Bollywood – pieces of all kinds of rhythm – and translate that into our own sound. The hood is the same in Brazil as it is in Mexico or New York and LA. We wanted to show people that the dancefloor is the same everywhere; it’s a very democratic place where anyone

can share music’s energy. We tried to take our music into their hoods. If the collaborator was from India or Japan, or Brazil, we took our music and set it to their pitch. It’s a global album, but it all has a distinctive Mexican flavour.

So what made you decide to call the album Compass? cl: In one sense, it’s a fellowship. The name is a play on the word compas, meaning ‘buddies’. But it can also be interpreted as compass, because we’ve been looking for people everywhere to translate their music into what we do.

What was it like working with so many famous, even legendary, collaborators? ts: For me, working with Sly and Robbie in Jamaica really was a dream come true. cl: I was thrilled to learn that David Gilmore is a fan of my Mexican Institute Of Sound label. I contacted Phil Manzanera from Roxy Music to work on a track. He was recording with David, who joined in, too. The track I sent him ended up being recorded by Boy George.

It was crazy. All the collaborations have been fantastic. Toots and the Maytals, MC Lyte, Cornelius, Stereo MC’s, Crystal Fighters, Eugene from Gogol Bordello, Bonde Do Role. We’ve had a blast.

What connects your music and that of all these artists, who come from such a wide range of backgrounds? cl: It’s in the significance of the music.

Keep in mind that jungle, dubstep, trip-hop – all the rhythms that were happening in Brazil or the UK – were also happening in Mexico, so we speak the same language. It’s just music, we all share a beat, you know? ts: The beat is the force of human nature, the rhythm of the heart.

There’s rhythm in all of us.

Compass will be released in 2015. Follow @camilolara and @toyselectah on Twitter THE RED BULLETIN

Schools old and new Camilo Lara (left) and Toy Selectah are forwardthinking DJs and musicmakers, producing a mash-up of traditional Mexican music with many modern genres.

Remix masters Between them, the duo have worked with and produced remixes for Morrissey, Tom Tom Club, Placebo, Beastie Boys, 2manydjs, Chromeo, Diplo and Friendly Fires.

WORDS: SINÉAD MARIE O’CARROLL PHOTOGRAPHY: DEAM TREML & ROMINA AMATO

ON THE RED BULL CLIFF DIVING WORLD TOUR, THE LOCATIONS ARE SPECTACULAR, BUT THEY COME SECOND TO THE ACTION. IN IRELAND, THERE’S A REMOTE ISLAND THAT’S AS WILD AS ANYTHING THE DIVERS DO

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Arc of a diver: Artem Silchenko of Russia (above), Mat Cowen of the UK (right) and Cyrille Oumedjkane of France (far right) show their skills at the Serpent’s Lair

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THE RED BULLETIN

atalina Duque sits poised and calm at the side of the water, smartphone in front of her face, ready to capture her husband Orlando’s 27m plunge into the water below. She doesn’t flinch as he throws himself off the platform, performs three somersaults and three twists, before getting himself into the pike position for entry. She says she doesn’t get scared any more. He thinks this is because she knows he’s prepared, that he trains every day for this. Cliff diving, says the Colombian, is “not just a bunch of crazy dudes jumping off things.”

“Ireland is a little more scary though,” Catalina concedes. “All you can see here is rock.”

The pool Catalina is sitting next to is known as the Serpent’s Lair, or Poll na bPéist in the native language. It’s on Inis Mór, a small, sparsely populated island off the west coast of Ireland, which is hosting the third stop of the 2014 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.

It’s an exhilarating contest that entices a certain breed of athlete who train to an elite standard, in order to launch

“WHEN WE FIRST STEPPED UP THERE TWO YEARS AGO, I COULDN’T BELIEVE WE WERE GOING TO DIVE INTO THAT LITTLE WORMHOLE” DAVID COLTURI THE RED BULLETIN

themselves from diving platforms nearly three times the height of the highest Olympic dive, clocking speeds of 85kph.

In Ireland, these men will have to use their considerable mental strength and physical skills to land precisely within the four walls of the Serpent’s Lair, a perfect natural rectangle of briny blue among the dark rock. This stunning landscape was hidden, known only to 800 locals, until a first cliff diving event put it on the map in 2012. Described as a blowhole by local fishermen, the Serpent’s Lair developed naturally over millions of years.

Today it’s a spectacular but terrifying sporting location. “It’s weighing down on a lot of people’s minds,” says US diver Steve LoBue, a compact 29-year-old personal trainer with big ambitions of winning the World Series title.

The UK’s Gary Hunt agrees: “Looking down, you’re used to seeing water, but here it’s jagged rock and a small pool,” he says. “It looks like you could easily jump too far and end up on the rocks.”

As three-time champion, the slender 30-year-old will have to focus his mind for the big, difficult dives he has planned.

He admits he will have to be braver in order to take back the title he won in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Despite their fears, the divers are aware that things could be worse on the tiny Irish island. Two years ago here, strong winds and heavy rain battered their bodies. “It was four seasons in an hour,” a member of the Red Bull crew remembers. This time, it’s blue skies, sunshine and still waters.

“I was honestly terrified to come back here,” says David Colturi, a diver from the US, as he climbs out of the freezing cold Atlantic water after a practice dive in just his Speedos, then begins to dry himself off. “When I first stepped up there two years ago, I couldn’t believe we were going to dive into that little wormhole. Plus, the weather last time was just miserable. Now it’s like a whole new venue. I’d come here to train every day if it was like this.”

The striking natural environment is something event production manager Nigel Cleary and his team were keen to keep as raw as possible. Watching 1,000 people move from the base camp to the dive site on foot, without barriers or intrusive signage, they’ve achieved their objective. “It’s a natural amphitheatre, a geographical freak,” says Cleary. “As a spectacle, it’s unique.” The landscape is rough, but beautiful and unspoiled. There are no paths, just rocks with flowering plants peeping through; hay bales for 57

“I HEARD MANY BAD THINGS, IT WAS VERY SCARY. BUT THIS PLACE IS AWESOME” JONATHAN PAREDES

Flying high: Andy Jones of the USA (below); Steven LoBue also from the USA, congratulated after his almost-perfect final dive (right, centre); and Mat Cowen (bottom)

spectator seating. A yurt with a peat-fuelled hot tub is hidden behind the platform, providing comfort for the divers after they come out of the freezing-cold ocean.

Arranging a public event somewhere as rugged and remote as Inis Mór was a feat of logistical mastery. “It looks much simpler than it was,” laughs Cleary. “Forgetting something wasn’t an option.” The six-week build involved 400 helicopter drops. Every piece of equipment had to be transported from Dublin to Galway, loaded onto a ferry and then taken by chopper to the site.

The diving platform was even more time consuming: an engineering crew worked for six months to ensure it was solid and in exactly the right position, “We had to get the height and angle of the platform to the water exactly right. Plus, we’ve only got a 45-minute window for delays, otherwise the tide will be too high for the 27m dives planned.” hankfully, things start on time for the final of the two-day competition. The fight for podium positions is close, with only two dives for each competitor deciding the winner.

Dives from Blake Aldridge and Michal Navratil include difficult handstand starts from the platform. There’s a collective drawing in of breath from the 1,000-strong crowd as British diver Aldridge gets ready for his first jump of the final. His full bodyweight transfers to the palms of his hands, which rest on the very edge of the platform.

Total silence falls as he forms a perfectly still handstand, leg muscles taut with impeccable control. His body strains as he musters the power to hurl himself off the edge of the platform, then the former Olympic diver completes two-and-a-half somersaults and four twists before entering the water below 58

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to incredulous cheers from the onlookers.

It’s undeniably impressive, but it’s not perfect. In a sport this tough, it means a podium place has slipped out of his reach.

Navratil, who can often be seen doing press-ups poolside, employs his arm strength for a similar dive; his “weapon” he says. It’s enough to leave the Czech in fifth place, behind the veteran Duque.

Mexican diver Jonathan Paredes, the youngest and newest competitor on tour, tries to forget everything he was told about Poll na bPéist as he prepares for his last dive of the final. It’s a low grade of difficulty, but executed almost perfectly for scores that include nines. “I heard many bad things, it was very scary,” the 25-year-old says after finishing in third place, grinning and clutching his trophy, “but this place is awesome.”

Scores of 10 remain elusive throughout the day. The five judges are looking for THE RED BULLETIN

technical prowess at the takeoff, excellent body position during the flight, and an entry that doesn’t make a splash. “If you give a 10, everything has to be perfect,” says judging panel member Marion Reiff, another former Olympic diver. “We love giving 10s, but just because the audience is waving and screaming, it doesn’t mean you can go along with it.”

Steven LoBue gets closest to a perfect score with his almost faultless final dive.

The Florida native, who won the 2013 series stop in Wales, is rewarded with nines and 9.5s for his tight pike entrance with almost no splash, and moves up from sixth to second position.

Now the crowd is screaming for 10s, and former champion Hunt is a diver who is able to deliver them. Situated around the water’s edge, the spectators get the closest possible view of his highdifficulty dive and streaking entry into

the water. There’s no 10 for Hunt, but he pulls off solid 8.5s across the board, enough to take the win when combined with his earlier score. Victory here is especially sweet for him.

“Last time, I had chickenpox and I really didn’t enjoy the competition at all,” he says, after nailing a brave dive, which included three somersaults and four twists in under three seconds.

“So this is great. I’ve still got adrenalin running through my system.”

This win makes Hunt a serious contender for the overall 2014 title, but for now he’s enjoying his victory here, in this hidden corner of Ireland.

“This is the most challenging of all the competitions,” he says, “so when it’s over, you get a real sense of achievement.”

The final round of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is in Yucatan, Mexico on October 18: redbullcliffdiving.com

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AMERICAN EAGLE The gods of rock put JESSE HUGHES on this earth to keep the flame alive.

At least, that’s what he believes.

A day and a night in the desert with the EAGLES OF DEATH METAL frontman Words: Andreas Tzortzis Photography: Alex de Mora

King of the wild frontier: Jesse Hughes

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IT’S PAST 11PM IN THE CALIFORNIA DESERT, which is why Pappy And Harriet’s is closed. Strange, because the bar and restaurant is also a gig venue, but it’s a week night, so Jesse Hughes floors the gas pedal of his white Toyota Scion with 190,000 miles on the clock and heads south in the direction of his hometown.

Hughes is the 42-year-old lead singer of and brains behind American rock band Eagles Of Death Metal. He is driving towards Palm Desert, a small city in the Coachella Valley with a population of just under 50,000. This is where he spent much of his childhood after relocating with his mother from South Carolina at the age of seven following his parents’ divorce. It’s also where, in high school, he met rock prodigy Josh Homme and the place that would ultimately set him on a path to rock stardom – or a pastiched approximation of it, at least.

As he manipulates the steering wheel, he lights a cigarette and scrolls through his iPhone for Prince, or James Brown, or whatever artist he needs to emphasise the point he’s making at that moment.

The car makes herky-jerky movements as he navigates it at mildly alarming speeds down the twisty part of State Route 62, from Joshua Tree into the Low Desert. The subject of the Eagles Of Death Metal’s first performance at the Coachella Valley Music Festival, a few miles away, comes up. It was there he played in front of all the people who bullied him at high school.

“I didn’t know whether to be gracious or be a dick,” he says.

“I ended up being gracious. Danny DeVito introduced us on stage and it was like, ‘F--k all of y’all.’”

Clockwise from left: Hughes in his Toyota Scion; view from the driver’s seat; an Oldsmobile Cutlass in Hughes’s studio fleet.

Facing page: trying to be better than the Beatles

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he chip on his shoulder is an important one. It’s rescued him from a nasty divorce and a job in video-store management, and led to a music career which most artists would kill for. He’s crafted four albums that feature catchy tunes that have provided a soundtrack to commercials hawking everything from beer to software programmes and sportswear, and providing reliable warmup for stadium rock bands. Eagles of Death Metal have been lavishly praised by the Foo Fighters and thrown off a Guns N’ Roses tour by Axl Rose on the first night, an episode Hughes commemorated with a new tattoo. He came to rock prominence with the help of Homme, who happens to be both the frontman of the Queens Of the Stone Age and his best friend in the music industry. That chip on his shoulder comes with controversial views, an offensive sense of humour and, fortunately for his music career, an almost scientific approach to forming a rock ’n’ roll band: write good songs, never let them know your true self and “kill rock and rape roll” at every waking moment.

“I’m trying to do anything for people to have a good time with me,” says Hughes. “I’m not trying to give people a good time because, forget that, I’m having a good time. You want to have a good time with me? Let’s do this. My dad had a quote: ‘There’s a rock ’n’ roll band that jacks off for everyone in the room to see.

And there’s a rock ’n’ roll band that tries to f--k everybody in the room. Which one would you like to be?’ So I’m trying to f--k everybody in the room.”

The band’s music is compulsively listenable. The sound is sparse: wailing guitars over a grinding bass line and a tight snare and bass drum beat. The lyrics are clever and soaked in Hollywood heartbreak and nights out in pursuit of the holy trinity, of which one is sex.

It’s music to dance to, music to lose yourself to. It’s pop rock, transmitted viscerally by the suspenders-wearing man in the driver’s seat of the Scion.

“The Beatles defined pop music,” he says. “It’s our obligation to make it better.

That’s what I’m trying to do, baby. I didn’t want any music that put up a velvet rope in any way. I didn’t want any snobbery.”

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Desert god: Jesse Hughes. Facing page: what fills the Californian studio Rancho de la Luna, including Hughes’s girlfriend, Tuesday Cross

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lash back to 10 hours earlier in Hughes’s apartment, a small duplex in a quiet part of Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighbourhood. The garage door is painted white, a large section of which is badly splintered, apparently due to “knife-throwing action”.

Hughes calls this place a “House for Wayward Rockers”, in which late nights are inevitable and drama is never far away. The previous weekend, his girlfriend, former porn actressturned artist Tuesday Cross, had to lay down the law to a wild drunk woman. “It was awesome!” says Hughes.

“Righteous, bro! She was one of those chicks – I could see it coming. Her nose busting was a foregone conclusion.”

Behind a screen door and inside a room painted red and black is a jumble of art, books and kitsch paraphernalia.

On the tattered couch there’s a beaded skull pillow given to him by Jay Leno, and a shrunken head sits unassumingly on a shelf. Another shelf holds a Mak-90 assault rifle and a pair of old-school gun-powder loading pistols – a pair for him, a pair for Tuesday – modelled on the kind of guns used by Old West folk hero Wild Bill Hickok and the Confederate General Robert E Lee. In a large frame hanging on the wall is a Nazi armband which Hughes is convinced was worn by Hitler at one point because he’s got the official documentation to prove it was signed for by his valet. So, why does Hughes have a memento from a fascist genocidal regime on his wall? “Because we kicked their ass,” he shrugs. “We get to flaunt their stuff now.” The armband came from a wealthy collector of curiosities in Canada, who also gave him the shrunken head. “He wanted to use one of our songs in commercials and wanted to know much we’d want.

I just said, ‘A little head,’” says Hughes.

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“ I WROTE THE FIRST RECORD BASED ON ADVICE FROM BARRY MANILOW” He delivers the punchline deadpan before quickly moving on to the next anecdote. A conversation with Hughes is a full-on assault of pop culture punditry, peppered with controversial opinions and with heavy, sustained doses of right-wing politics. It appears the shy, picked-on kid he was in high school finally got the lungs to air his views – and to sing in a rock band.

“I honestly expected to be a US Senator by now,” he says. Hughes is also convinced that he could be the right antidote for America’s somewhat directionless conservative movement

of recent years. He doesn’t think that Barack Obama would be around had he been behind the scenes in the Republican political machine – though truth be told, it’s hard to imagine Hughes working behind the scenes of anything.

There’s no doubting that Hughes is much better at fronting a band than talking about politics. At the moment, he’s working on the first Eagles Of Death Metal album in more than five years. He wrote most of the lyrics in 2012, but has been waiting for the right moment to put them to tracks.

“The timing’s got to be right,” explains Hughes. “When we do a tour, if I know I can sell out a 1,000-seater, I’ll book the 500-seater because it looks better to have a bunch of people waiting outside.

I’m really looking at tomorrow.”

Hughes married young, and a messy divorce left him heartbroken and heading down a dangerous path of booze and drugs. It was at his lowest point that Homme visited him and took an interest in a few songs that Hughes had been recording on his computer. “Do you have any more of these?” he asked.

“I wrote the whole first record based on advice from Barry Manilow, which was: every song is a commercial pop song.” says Hughes. “It’s not a problem if you’re stealing something, as long as you’re honest about it. I didn’t steal from people that sucked. Every song has already been written in my opinion, so why make it hard? I’m not going to try to be like Poison, I’ll try to be like the Stones. At least I’m improving my odds of success.”

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The album’s many tracks.

Above: Hughes and bandmate Davey Catching

In the early Noughties, Hughes was starting out in an industry that was already undergoing a tectonic shift in consumption habits, with the paranoia rampant in the music industry only amplified by that change. Trying to embody the ultimate rock ’n’ roll avatar was never going to be enough.

Guided by the self-empowerment books of Robert Greene, a favourite of rap impresarios like Jay-Z, Hughes’s approach was methodical. But it was his penchant for provocation that urged him into the limelight. After the release of Eagles Of Death Metal’s second album, Death By Sexy, in 2006, the band was invited on tour with Guns N’ Roses. The first night in Cleveland, Ohio, went down in rock infamy. After the band finished their set, Rose took to the stage and asked the crowd what they thought of the “Pigeons of Shit Metal” and then said they’d been kicked off the tour.

“I had a moment of panic, but then I realised I wanted Axl Rose to hate me,” he says. “I knew I needed it. It guaranteed that I was an awesome guy.”

Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl, already a friend of Homme and Hughes, rallied behind the band. Two years later, Eagles Of Death Metal released Heart On with a hip-shaking lead single, I Wannabe in LA, which might be the closest thing the band have to a global hit. The song was featured in Guitar Hero 5. But to Hughes, success is defined by Eagles Of Death Metal-dominated airwaves, soldout shows and more and more exposure.

That’s why the Nike ad soundtracked

“ I HAD A MOMENT OF PANIC, BUT THEN I REALISED I WANTED AXL ROSE TO HATE ME. I NEEDED IT” by an Eagles song, with over 70 million YouTube views and many comments asking about the song, is so important.

“In the mind of the average radio executive, 10 million views is still a platinum album,” says Hughes. “Even though the facade of it is exposed. But when they see 71 million, it’s able to impress them to seven platinum albums.

This s--t is gonna change their life.”

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he mercury has hit 37°C in the California High Desert.

Hughes is supposed to be at the Rancho de la Luna recording studio near Joshua Tree, where he’s arranged to meet his friend and guitarist Davey Catching. But he’s late.

“He’s a f--king genius, but he’s on his own time,” says the world-weary Catching, a rock veteran and owner of the Rancho, a house and studio of ramshackle charm on 30 acres of empty desert. Catching’s beard makes him look a bit like Santa as a ZZ Top roadie.

He’s played with Eagles Of Death Metal for all but two tours. “Our audiences are half and half, girls and boys,” he says.

Among the distractions at the Rancho is a shooting range

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“A lot of my other bands, there’s lots of boys out there, who weren’t dancing, and it wasn’t as fun. Jesse does 100,000 per cent on stage to encourage that.

He is the best front guy I’ve ever seen.”

Hughes and his girlfriend roll up in the Scion a while later. They’ve been together for five years. She’s the quiet counter to Hughes’s craziness. “Tuesday’s the great insanity of my life,” he says.

Hughes greets Catching and the two mess around with a tomahawk axe before heading inside. In a room covered in thrift store trinkets, skeleton dolls, cheesy paintings and many, many guitars. Hughes hooks his iPhone up to the mixing console and plays songs from the forthcoming album. He hid them from prying eyes in a folder called Tony Robbins, named after the motivational speaker: “Because who’s going to want to check out Tony Robbins?”

The tracks are complete, but Hughes still needs to record his vocals. One is reminiscent of Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl, another sounds like growling swamp rock. Hughes softly sings a few of the refrains as he stands next to the console moving his legs and smoking.

In 1990, Hughes saw a movie that would influence his rock ’n’ roll persona.

Controversial comedian Andrew Dice Clay plays the title character in The Adventures Of Ford Fairlane, a selfproclaimed ‘Mr Rock ’n’ Roll Detective’ who crudely stumbles from case to case, picking up women and generally being obnoxious along the way, a similarity which isn’t lost on Hughes.

“I took the rule that people only know what you tell them, and I took it very seriously,” he says. Hughes’s image is an unironic homage to the past: a little bit Joan Jett, a little bit rockabilly.

But the appreciation behind it all is earnest. In some ways, it’s sad that Hughes wasn’t born earlier, during a time more suited to his rock ’n’ roll bravado. Instead, he is here in the middle of the desert. But, of course, Hughes has an answer for that too.

“It just seems that the gods of rock have invested in me to keep the flame burning,” he says. “That’s OK, that’s why I’m on fire.” The strains of Stevie Wonder’s I Believe (When I Fall in Love) can be heard in the background. He pauses before getting to the point most dear to him: “You have to be killing rock and screwing roll. You have to be really horny. You have to really believe in it.

I believe in it. I believe that heroes are important… I believe in dancing.” eaglesofdeathmetal.com

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PERFORMANCE

ENHANCED DOWN

INTRODUCING TURBODOWN. We started with natural down, then injected it with Omni-Heat insulation and enhanced but those people are probably cold.

Shop the Platinum 860 Turbodown Hooded Down Jacket and our full Autumn/Winter range of Columbia sportswear in store at 53 Degrees North Blanchardstown, Carrickmines and Cork or online at www.53degreesnorth.ie

Glowing review: the light bulb that’s also a speaker MUSIC, page 75

Where to go and what to do

AC T I O N !

T R A V E L / G E A R / 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 / E V E N T S

High times GET YOUR PILOT’S LICENCE AT MICROLIGHT SCHOOL IN SPECTACULAR SOUTH AFRICA

JHBFLYING.CO.ZA

TRAVEL, page 70

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ACTION!

TRAVEL

Bird’s-eye view: microlights can reach 5,500ft above sea level

AFTER THE FLIGHT STAY ACTIVE ON THE GROUND AROUND JOBURG

FREEFALL Now go down: try plunging 70m through the air inside the cooling tower of a decommissioned power station with SCAD Freefall. orlandotowers.co.za

Easy glider

MICROLIGHT HOW TO MASTER THE ‘WINGED MOTORBIKE’ AND BECOME A LICENSED PILOT IN THE SKIES ABOVE JOHANNESBURG

Prices start from £3,357/€4,215 including transfers, accommodation and all tuition, based on a 30-day stay. jhbflying.co.za

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LONG JUMP

ADVICE FROM THE INSIDE BODY MOVING “You don’t have to be super-fit to do this, but you have to be reasonably healthy,” says Gregson. “It is a strenuous physical activity, as microlights pick up turbulence easily and you’re changing height and direction by moving your body. You’ll find as you fly it’s workout enough to quickly get you where you need to be.”

World traveller: a microlight licence is global

After the highs of flying, canyoning, known as kloofing in South Africa, will take you to new lows, scrambling, abseiling, jumping and swimming your way to the bottom of a ravine in Magaliesberg. mountainguide.co.za

REVVED UP

Blue-sky thinking

“South Africa is an ideal place to learn,” says Ramos. “It offers great flying conditions almost all year, and you can build up to navigating tougher flights once you have the experience to handle them.”

Explore the rugged scenery of Daytona Adventure Park in Gauteng province with a little added adrenalin. Ride a quad bike over rocky terrain, dirt tracks and through forests. gauteng.net

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JHBFLYING.CO.ZA(2), ORLANDOTOWERS.CO.ZA, GETTY IMAGES(2)

Taking off in a microlight for the first time takes guts, but once in the skies, you get an exhilarating flying experience. “It’s like a motorbike in the sky,” says Roy Gregson, owner of Johannesburg Flying Academy. “It feels like you’re sitting on a dining room chair in the air. The beauty of microlights is they can take off and land in small areas, and you have an engine, so you don’t need to climb mountains like paragliders do.”

Gregson is passionate about microlights, having flown them for pleasure and in competitions for years. His company trains people to get their licence, so they can take to the skies solo. “Once you’ve had 25 hours of flying time, and passed the theoretical exams, within a month you can be flying 5,500ft above sea level anywhere in the world,” he says.

“You can travel a whole country this way.”

Luis Ramos, a 39-year-old IT consultant from Johannesburg, got his licence with JFA six months ago. “I’d never done anything like this,” he says. “At first you’re scared, they take off like a bat out of hell.

But as soon as I started training that bug bit me. The first time you fly solo feels like jumping out of a plane without a parachute. It’s terrifying, but then the feeling you get is indescribable. Once you have your licence you just want to take your friends up and show them this amazing new world you’ve discovered.”

ACTION!

PRO TOOLS

SH I P SHAPE

Safeguarded If a member of crew wearing a Quatix falls overboard, the watch automatically sends a manoverboard alarm

Detected Altimeter, barometer, three-axis digital compass and tidal info, all at a glance

FRANCK CAMMAS’ VITAL HIGH-SEAS EQUIPMENT

JULBO OCTOPUS WAVE Self-tinting and polarising lenses filter the reflection of light from the surface of the water. julbousa.com

Charged You can charge the battery via a USB port. In GPS mode it will last for up to 16 hours

Protected With its steel-reinforced plastic housing and silicon strap, this is waterproof at depths of up to 50m

MAGIC MARINE MX2 REVOLUTION JACKET A thin, cropped jacket perfect for use under the harness sailors often wear. magicmarine.com

Pinpoint precision S AILING TO WIN THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE, YOU NEED THE BEST KIT: THIS DEVICE IS CHIEF AMONG IT

VOLVO OCEAN RACE

Captain fantastic: Franck Cammas

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It wasn’t so long ago that skippers had to use navigation systems that were fixed in place on their boats. Now they can have a total positioning information system literally up their sleeves. “My Garmin Quatix is fantastic,” says Franck Cammas, skipper of the Groupama crew that won the 2011/12 Volvo

Ocean Race. “Whether it’s the route, velocity curve or air pressure, you can get all the details you need right here on your wrist.”

The 41-year-old Frenchman finds one feature particularly useful, especially on large vessels: “It can even operate autopilot via Wi-Fi.” cammas-groupama.com

DYNEEMA SK99 Top-notch, synthetic-fibre rope: tensile, light and thin, so it doesn’t give the wind much room to target. dyneema.com

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ACTION!

WORKOUT “ I target one man and then try to run through him,” says Manu Vatuvei

THE QUAD KILLER

On the edge: wing wonder Manu Vatuvei

“Because my knees are so beat up, I work hard on strengthening my quads,” says Manu Vatuvei. “The wall sit looks easy, but it’s a killer.”

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Power player

warriors.co.nz

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Slide down the wall until your knees are at 90 degrees, thighs parallel with the floor, and hold for up to a minute.

Repeat as often as you can.

KNEES UP LOW IMPACT, HIGH RESULTS HERI IRAWAN

“It takes me longer to recover after a game than it used to,” says Manu Vatuvei, who is known as The Beast. Ice baths, a compression machine and an antigravity treadmill are some of the tools the 28-yearold winger uses to cope with the wear and tear on his body. Training typically includes a morning skills session on the field and a couple of hours in the gym in the afternoon. “We do more gym work than when I first started playing,” he says. “We used to do a lot of running and we’d get flogged pretty hard in training. Now it’s more scientific, with GPS units and heart rate monitors.” Vatuvei runs about 6km during a game, almost all high-intensity sprinting. It is his job to receive the ball from kick-offs and restarts and run full tilt at the opposition defence. “I’m bigger than most wingers [he is 189cm and 110kg], so I use my size and power rather than my speed,” he says.

“I target one man and then try to run through him.”

Stand with your back against a wall, engage your core muscles – and keep them engaged throughout the exercise.

The AlterG Anti-Gravity, developed by NASA engineers, lets those who pound it effectively run under reduced-gravity conditions. You set it to take the strain in a range of 20-100 per cent of your mass. “I’ve got no PCL [posterior cruciate ligament] in either of my knees, so I spend a lot of time on the AlterG,” says Vatuvei.

“I run at 70 per cent of my bodyweight, which reduces the load on my knees.”

GETTY IMAGES(2)

RUGBY LEAGUE A DECADE OF HARD RUNNING AND BRUTAL TACKLING HAS MADE NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS STAR MANU VATUVEI RETHINK HIS REGIME

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TOP FIVE MESSING WITH TEXAS

Bobby Fitzgerald of Austin-based band Whiskey Shivers

With the bands

TAGGART SORENSEN, MARIO VILLEDA

AUSTIN DIVE BARS FUEL THE TEXAS CITY’S LATENIGHT MUSIC SCENE, BUT THERE ARE ALSO PLENTY OF PLACES TO SHOP, EAT AND GO A LITTLE BATTY “Focused fun” is how Whiskey Shivers’ fiddle player and vocalist Bobby Fitzgerald describes Austin, Texas, one of America’s most famously eclectic and independent cites. “Everyone here is trying to enjoy themselves and do what they love, but they’re all very serious about it. You gotta get stuff done,” he says.

That mindset makes Austin a prime destination for any dedicated band looking to enjoy the journey of (hopefully) getting their big break. Like everyone in the band, who’s musical style has been labelled “trashgrass” and “hardcore roots”, Fitzgerald was neither born nor raised in Austin, but quickly adopted the city as home. Contrary to the cut-throat nature of the music industry, the Austin scene is known for its good vibes. “Everyone wants to help everyone,” he says. “We’re all just trying to get to the same place.” whiskeyshivers.com

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Nothing’s more Texan than football. And on Thanksgiving Day (November 27) you can catch the Texas Longhorns in action against local college rivals TCU.

see the largest urban bat colony in North America make its post-sunset flight. Don’t worry, they don’t fly above the bridge, but even from a distance, there is a distinct batty smell.

WURSTFEST

1 THE WHITE HORSE, 500 Comal St “A honky-tonk dive bar on the East Side. A taco truck outside, usually a couple of horses tied up out front. Bikes everywhere.

It’s loud, dirty and kinda smells like pee,” says Fitzgerald.

4 UNCOMMON OBJECTS, 1512 S Congress Ave This antique shop is like a museum of the absurd, but with a Texas bent: stuffed armadillos, cow-skin lamps and vintage bizarre dolls. The city’s motto isn’t Keep Austin Weird without reason.

EAST AUSTIN STUDIO TOUR

2 MELLOW JOHNNY’S

BIKE SHOP, 400 Nueces St Yes, it was founded by Austin’s very own He Who Shall Not Be Named, Lance Armstrong, but it has excellent weekly group rides you can take part in.

3 CONGRESS AVENUE BRIDGE, 111 S Congress Ave Stake out a spot on the bridge early in the evening in order to

Descendants of German settlers and fans of partying keep the beer and sausage tradition alive in New Braunfels (established in 1845 by a German prince) from November 2-11.

5 BOULDIN CREEK CAFE, 1900 S 1st St “I didn’t realise until a couple of months eating here that they don’t have meat on the menu, which is strange in Texas. But it doesn’t matter; it’s just so damn good,” says Fitzgerald.

Musicians and artists in the city’s coolest neighbourhood open their studios to the general public for two weekends: November 15-16 and 22-23.

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ACTION!

NIGHTLIFE Ahoy, shipmates: Drai’s Beach Club is more than a simple pool bar

CLUB STYLE TRENDS TO TAKE YOU TO THE FRONT OF THE QUEUE

JUMPER The ’90s revival continues: oversized jumpers in muted colours are in vogue. The same goes for sweaters with big typographical prints, like this one from N°21.

Life’s a beach DRAI’S BEACH CLUB A BOAT PARTY IN THE MIDDLE OF LAS VEGAS IS A SWEET TASTE OF THE LUXE LIFE

DRAI’S BEACH CLUB, NIGHTCLUB & AFTER HOURS 3595 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109 draisbeachclub.com

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NIGHT OWL DJ FIVE WOWS THE VEGAS CROWDS AT TAO, THE BANK AND HYDE

ON AN AVERAGE SATURDAY NIGHT...

I’ll usually take a nap before work. I’ll get to the club and DJ for two hours; after that I’ll go eat in Chinatown and go to bed.

A SHOW GOES TO THE NEXT LEVEL WHEN...

There’s a high degree of technicality in the production. Pulling out all the stops: LED screens, confetti, being fun and having fun.

MY FAVOURITE PART OF NIGHTLIFE IS...

Getting paid to purely enjoy myself. skamartist.com/djfive

JACKET About 35 years ago, London punks turned Barbour’s waxed coat into a fashion item.

It’s enjoying a comeback, thanks to Barbour fans like Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys.

THE RED BULLETIN

SHANE O’NEAL(4), SKAMARTIST.COM

Less than six months after it opened, Drai’s Beach Club, Nightclub & After Hours has distinguished itself in several ways – even in Las Vegas, a city already overrun with to-the-max entertainment options. It boasts eight pools, including five in private bungalows so you can VIP yourself away from the masses in the 4,500-person capacity venue. Then, if your bank account is up to it, for US$737,000 you can charter a Boeing 737 for you and 50 of your closest friends to jet to the club from anywhere in the country. (And yes, the club has received legitimate enquiries about booking the plane.) Beyond the high-flyers, the most popular event at the club takes place every Tuesday night: Drai’s Yacht Club, an all-night rooftop beach party. “We thought it would be like any other night, but it took on a life of its own,” says Drai’s managing partner Ryan Craig. “Everyone comes in yacht attire: boat shoes and sailor hats.”

SHOES There’s a common theme in current shoe collections from Prada to Rick Owens: trainershoe hybrids in solid colours, like the LunarGrand by Cole Haan (above).

ACTION!

MUSIC

D U STFR EE Erlend Oye is a musical jack-of-all-trades: a DJ who sings, the head of indie pop band Whitest Boy Alive, the voice for electronic musicians such as Royksopp and one half of acoustic duo Kings Of Convenience. It was as part of the latter that the Norwegian had his breakthrough in 2001. The Kings’ melancholically mellow debut album, Quiet Is The New Loud, sparked a folk revival and influenced later bands from Fleet Foxes to Of Monsters And Men. Oye recorded his latest and second solo album, Legao, with an Icelandic reggae band: 10 pop gems that sound like Paul Simon using The Police as session musicians. Here the 38-year-old picks songs he has always found inspirational.

Norwegian good: Erlend Oye

“ I feel like Sting” PLAYLIST AN OLD MASTER, AN UNRECOGNISED GENIUS AND A FLEDGLING FEMALE RAPPER: ERLEND OYE’S FIVE FAVOURITE TRACKS

1 Matias Aguayo

2 Bart Davenport

3 Dennis Wilson

“Dance music really badly needs to reinvent itself to be more interesting again. What we need more of is people who have mastered the engineering part of dance music, but still haven’t lost their childish, imaginative playfulness.

This track from 2009 shows the right direction. It’s mainly Aguayo’s voice: from the beat, to the bass, to the tune.”

“He is an unrecognised genius – but also is his own enemy when it comes to becoming popular. It’s like he realises he wrote something really brilliant, and then he’s afraid that this song could become popular, so he puts something really weird into it, like the bad guitar solo in this one. But once you know that, it just endears you even more to it.”

“This comes from a Beach Boys show in 1980, a couple of years before he died. He looks frayed by alcoholism and the rest of the band seem embarrassed. Then Wilson walks on stage and makes this touching emotional performance. Joe Cocker’s version sounds clichéd, but when Wilson sings it, it’s almost like a cry for help. It’s truly musical.”

4 Sting

5 Dena

“This song works nicely with a song from my new album called Send Me In. I like to think Sting wrote it for the rest of The Police saying, ‘If you think I’m a cool guy, let me go! I want to play fusion jazz!’

I can relate to that: a few years ago, when I had I song idea, first I was happy, but then I was sad, because I had to choose which of my bands I would give it to.”

“I met Dena in 2005 through friends in Berlin. She was a singer, but after a few years suddenly she was able to write great songs. The way she uses English is not correct [she is Bulgarian], but she turns it into her own language. She’s the only songwriter in Germany who I feel connected to. This song triggers my imagination, she writes good stories.”

Rollerskate

If you Love Somebody Set Them Free

BUBBLES RECORDS

facebook.com/erlendoye

THE RED BULLETIN

F-ck Fame

Bad Timing

You Are So Beautiful

LISTEN TO YOUR VINYL TREASURES ON YOUR IPHONE: THE THREE BEST WAYS TO DIGITISE YOUR LPS

ION AUDIO ILP This USBcompatible recordplayer means you can copy LPs straight to your iPhone without a computer. Just plug it in and put the platter on. ionaudio.com

ADL GT-40 People with ageing hi-fi kit should fork out for a USB phono preamp like this one to rip high-quality digital files from their records. adl-av.com

S O U N D & VI S I O N A VERY BRIGHT IDEA

LIGHTFREQ

Recently funded on Kickstarter, this is a bluetooth and Wi-Fi-enabled light with a speaker in it, instantly turning any room into a dancefloor. It’s suitable for standard screw light fittings, and you control it via a smartphone app. The speaker is only 5W, but the sound is solid. In party mode, the light will strobe or pulse to the beat.

lightfreq.com

MAGIX VINYL & TAPE RESCUE Software that makes digitisation easy: starts recording as soon as the needle drops and noise filters ensure best sound. magix.com

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ACTION!

GAMES

Crowd-puller: over 17,000 fans watched a DOTA 2 battle in Seattle

OLD GOLD NEW RETRO GAMES WITH PIXEL POWER

SHOVEL KNIGHT A side-scrolling platform game that delights in being 100 per cent 8-bit (that makes it worth 800 bitcents, right?).

Gamers of a certain age will love it. For Wii U PC and 3DS.

PRO GAMING WITH ONE GENRE NOW RULING TOURNAMENT PLAY, IS THIS THE TURNING POINT FOR VIDEOGAMES AS SPORT?

Toby Dawson, 29, better known as TobiWan, does live commentary for professional gaming matches

NewBee and Evil Geniuses are two superstar sporting teams who oppose each other with arrows, swords and magic spells. They’re among the best in the world at DOTA 2, a multiplayer online battle arena game in which the main idea is to fight your way into and through the opponents’ territory with the aim of usurping their base. They battle in huge arenas in front of live audiences numbering in the thousands, with many more following the action live online. This year, the number of real and virtual spectators for The International, the world’s biggest DOTA 2 contest, in Seattle, topped two million.

By winning the top prize, NewBee, from China, scooped over US$5 million.

DOTA 2 is the best-known MOBA game, along with League Of Legends. Other game

genres have been pro gaming’s top-level option, such as first-person shooter (Halo) and most notably, real-time strategy with StarCraft II, which is still widely played, but the popularity of DOTA 2 means that MOBA is the current choice.

Mainly played on PCs, with simple versions available on smartphones, MOBA remains a mystery to many who would consider themselves hardcore gamers.

That might change: when Apple launched iPhone 6, it showed off the device’s gaming capability with Vainglory, a seemingly rich and complex small-screen MOBA. So what’s so special about it? “Mainly that it’s so unbelievably complicated,” says Toby Dawson, aka TobiWan, a pro gaming expert. “DOTA 2 is one of the most difficult games there is. The players have to work together and if one of them makes a mistake, the whole team loses.”

NEW MOBA GAMES Transformers Universe

The never-ending saga of the giant robots shifts to the next level. Having conquered kids’ bedrooms and the box office, it now comes to gaming as an action-packed mix of MOBA and third-person shooter, in which teams of four players try to reduce their opponents to scrap metal.

Arena Of Fate

Playing in teams of five – standard for MOBA gaming – you preside over battles between icons of myth, legend and history. Does Little Red Riding Hood stand a chance against Nikola Tesla? Who would win a duel between Baron Samedi (left) and Baron Munchausen? Now you can find out.

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LUFTRAUSERS At the controls of a tiny plane, avoid an entire army and chase the powerups in a pseudo WWII world of full-on dogfights.

For PC, Mac, PS3 and PS Vita.

TOWERFALL: ASCENSION Up to four players – in the same room; no online mode; how retro is that! – battle in an insanely addictive archery attack-athon. For PC, Mac and PS4.

THE RED BULLETIN

VALVE, ESL

MOBA mania

RED BLOODED PERFORMANCE INFINITI Q50 EAU ROUGE CONCEPT www.infiniti.eu

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.eu

RUTH MORGAN, JOE MUGGS, FLORIAN OBKIRCHER

PHOTOGRAPHY

N I G H T L I F E

B

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T H E REAL

AT T L E OF THE BAN DS R EG G A E R OYALT Y, AN NYC RAP PACK A ND TH E BE ST OF BRIT ISH GRIM E AND BA SS G O HE AD-T O-HEAD IN LONDON. RED B ULL CU LT U RE CLASH IS BACK

N I G H T L I F E

The sound of the crowd: the audience roars its approval as crews fight for attention

T

here are 20 artists on stage, flexing muscles, doing backflips, pelting back and forth, hollering and spitting lyrics at machine-gun speed to a spine-shuddering baseline. At their feet, the 7,000-strong crowd roars its approval. Boy Better Know, plus friends, are about to take the crown at Red Bull Culture Clash 2012, leaving international dance music heavyweights, reggae legends and global pop stars in their wake. Even Major Lazer’s persuasive combination of vuvuzelas and special guest Usher couldn’t beat the grime collective’s relentless display of skill, proof that in this battle, nothing is predictable.

Red Bull Culture Clash is a unique test: four stages, four sounds and one winner, judged by a crowd of thousands voting with their feet and lung power for the crew that’s killing it. It pays homage to traditional Jamaican sound clashes and the long history of sound system culture in the UK, where the size of your name and marketing budget means nothing next to your ability to deliver the heaviest sound and the most exclusive tunes. It’s not

as simple as playing the best set.

Victors will need to have the strength, stamina, invention and personality to consistently deliver fresh and original dancefloor impact throughout the night, over four demanding rounds. The mocking and dissing of opponents is actively encouraged to stir up competition and win the crowd’s favour, and outside the basic rules of engagement, anything goes.

After a year’s break, Red Bull Culture Clash is back in 2014 to show what the next four crews can bring to the stage. BBK are determined to defend their title in front of a record crowd of 20,000 at London’s Earl’s Court.

Hoping to stop them are Harlem rap collective A$AP Mob, Jamaican reggae stalwarts Stone Love, and Chase and Status’s bassheavy Rebel Sound, featuring David Rodigan and Shy FX, all with help from some top-secret special guests. Predicting a victor is as tough as ever, but one thing is certain: the fight will be fierce.

Red Bull Culture Clash is on October 30. Get tickets now cultureclash.redbull.co.uk

HOW IT WORKS ROUND 1 P R ESS U R E DR O P

ROUND 3 SLEEPI N G W I TH THE ENEMY

10 MINUTES

10 MINUTES

DJs play any tracks they like, introducing their style and winning early supporters. This is the time to take the temperature of the crowd before turning it up a notch.

Time to change it up, with crews playing an opponent’s style of music, usually mixed with a healthy dose of diss. But, out of their comfort zone, the mighty may fall.

ROUND 2 T H E S E L ECTO R

ROUND 4 AR M AGE DDON

15 MINUTES

5 MINUTES

Up the stakes: with any genre or style allowed, leftfield bighitters are pulled from record bags. Each crew is judged purely on tune selection, so knowledge is king.

Crews take turns to play the biggest tunes in their bags. Every track must be original and never heard before, so expect special guests and exclusive one-offs.

BOY BETTER KNOW

DAN WILTON/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, TOM OXLEY (2)

N O RT H LONDON’S SEMINA L GRIME CO LLECT IVE A RE D EFE NDING T HEIR R ED B ULL CULT URE CL AS H TITLE. CREW MEMBER FRISCO TA L KS WI SD O M , WIT A ND WI NNING the red bulletin: Do you think the battle tradition of grime and hip-hop gives you an advantage for Red Bull Culture Clash? frisco: Definitely. A sound clash is different to an MC battle, but it has the same fundamentals. You’ve got to be on point. You’ve got to be aware of the rules, fast-thinking and witty.

In 2012 you didn’t bring on special guests like Rita Ora and Usher. You stuck to family and friends. Did that help you win?

Yes, because people can’t relate to big superstars in the same way they gravitate to someone like Lethal Bizzle or Chipmunk who joined us on stage. When they see us as a unit, they know it’s real. It’s genuine and from the heart.

Presenter Tim Westwood seemed surprised you won. Were you?

We were all surprised, we didn’t expect to win. Not to say that we didn’t deserve it, but we’re used to getting the short end of the stick. I’m

Young man’s game: defending champions Boy Better Know

not moaning, but it’s the truth.

When we got the justified win, we were so happy.

How did you celebrate?

We celebrated for a whole month. Not just going out and partying, it inspired us to make more great music. Off the back of that win, we put out a few good singles. The win put us in a creative space.

BBK crew travelled to Kingston to explore the roots of sound clash culture recently. Any memorable moments?

Meeting legends like Ninja Man, Lady Saw and

Ricky Trooper was very special. Trooper gave us some good advice for Red Bull Culture Clash. He said, “You need to have your dubplates in check and represent your sound to the fullest. Don’t try to go there with anyone else’s sound.”

Who’s your biggest Culture Clash competition this year?

We’re not taking anyone lightly, but obviously David Rodigan [of Rebel Sound] is a legend. He’s been doing this sound clash thing for years.

I’d say he probably is the main guy to look out for.

“W E ’ R E U S E D TO GETTING THE SHORT END OF THE S T I C K . W HE N WE WON IN 20 1 2, W E W E RE SO HAPPY”

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gloomy weather. It’s like my second home. At night it reminds me of NYC, people outside having a good time until the early hours.

A$AP stands for ‘always strive and prosper’, but why Twelvy?

It’s short for two-twelve, which in New York means the art of conversation, a one-on-one. I take it from there because I can talk that talk. For me, A$AP also stands for ‘assassinate snitches and police’, but strictly with my lyrics you understand. Words are way more powerful than a gun.

You and the rest of the Mob have a reputation for style.

In a musical battle, does what you wear matter?

I think when it comes to style we have the advantage, as for us it’s second nature.

“W E ’ V E G O T T HI N G S U P O U R S LE E V E . W E ’ R E GOING TO WIN: T HE R E ’ S N O O T HE R O P T I O N”

Mob rules: A$AP Rocky (front row, centre) and his crew with A$AP Twelvy (back row, right)

A$AP MOB 82

TH E N EW YO R K RA P C O L L ECTIV E CA N ’ T WA IT TO BR IN G TH EIR SKIL LS TO BE A R IN LO N D O N . M O B MEMBER A $A P TW ELV Y IS SO C O N F ID E N T, H E M AY TA K E TO TH E STAG E IN H IS SWIM M ERS

the red bulletin: When did you first discover you’d be competing at Red Bull Culture Clash? a$ap twelvy: This summer, and I thought ‘this is dope’.

We get to do what we do best, against some of the best out there. I can’t wait. And I love London, aside from the

There’s power in an outfit.

But then again I could pull up in some swimming trunks and win it. At the end of Culture Clash, the girls are going to rip my clothes off whatever I’m wearing.

What would be your ultimate on-stage collaboration?

I’d love to get on stage with the homie Usher. If I wasn’t rapping I’d probably be an R&B singer. I’ve got the moves, I just haven’t got the voice, so maybe I should start lip-synching.

Who’s your main Culture Clash competition?

Boy Better Know won the last clash, and defending champs have always got to come out with that extra fire.

But we’ve got things up our sleeve and we’re coming for them. We’re going to win: there’s no other option.

N I G H T L I F E

REBEL SOUND

TOM OXLEY

CHASE A ND STAT US UN IT E DRUM ‘ N’ BASS, REG GA E A ND J UNGL E AT THE HEA D OF RE BE L SO UND. SAUL ‘CHAS E ’ MILTON S MEL LS VI CTO RY the red bulletin: Introduce your comradesin-arms to everyone. saul milton: We’re bringing together three generations of sound. You’ve got David Rodigan who’s the reggae Godfather. Then Shy FX himself is a real legend, the second generation. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be making music today. His tracks, like Original Nuttah, shaped the face of urban music in the UK. We’re the third generation. We’ve taken the mantle and carried on doing what these guys do, but in a different realm.

Original Nuttah was released 20 years ago.

Do you remember where you heard it first?

I was 13 years old. It was at a youth ball in central London. It was an event where you go dressed up and try to pull girls. I remember standing around, trying to get some girl’s attention, and this mad song came on.

Suddenly the whole night changed from trying to look cool to being like, ‘What the f--k is this song, man?’ I went to Black Market Records the next day to buy a Jungle Mania CD compilation.

Your latest album pays homage to the ’90s. What’s

inspirational about that era?

That’s when we grew up.

I was at every rave, wearing Moschino and Versace, living that kind of ’90s youth London life. That nostalgia always keeps me going.

I remember wearing that stuff back in the day, listening to Rodigan on Kiss.FM or on sound clash tapes your bredrin got from somewhere.

Now being part of a clash with Rodigan and Shy FX is like a coming of age.

What will make you victorious at Red Bull Culture Clash?

Just the music my friend, what’s in our record box.

That’s all you need in a sound clash. It is what dubs you are going to be drawing and how you are going to be conducting yourself. We’re not going to get into slanging matches or pettiness with the other crews. It is always the music.

Dubplate to dubplate.

“W E ’ R E N O T G O I N G T O G ET I N T O S LA N GIN G M A T C HE S .

I T ’ S A LW A Y S THE MUSIC. D U B P LA T E T O D U B P LA T E ”

Generation game: Chase and Status plus MC Rage, Shy FX (centre) and David Rodigan (back, right) equals Rebel Sound

N I G H T L I F E

STONE LOVE

R EG G A E R OYA LTY WH O H AV E TA KEN TH EIR EXC LUSIV E D U BP L ATES EV E RY WH E R E F R O M JA M A ICA TO JA PA N .

W IN STO N ‘ W EE POW ’ P OW EL L O N TH E SEC RET O F SO UN D SYSTEM SU C C ESS

the red bulletin: Has sound system culture always been a big part of your life in Kingston? wee pow: Oh yes. Basically I grew up around sound systems, going to dancehalls.

There was always music to be heard. The inspiration to start Stone Love really came

Rock of ages: Jamaica’s Stone Love formed in 1972

from being teenagers in an era when there were a lot of great parties going on.

How old were you when you started Stone Love in 1972?

I was a teenager, that’s as much as I’m prepared to give away. It started as a little thing, where you play in your house, then in your yard, you build it up. I saved up all my money to add to it and make it bigger and better.

What’s the secret to creating a good sound system?

The test is the quality of the music, the quality of the sound. Someone might have a more expensive sound system than you, but you’re still going to beat him: sometimes a noname vehicle can beat a RollsRoyce. It’s all about the spirit.

What could trip you up at Red Bull Culture Clash?

There won’t be any problem, any obstacle. We’ve played for all types of people, in all situations over the years, and this is no different. We’ll be Stone Love, plain and simple. We’re the pacesetters.

We’ll just do what we do best and be victorious.

You’ve just received the Jamaican Order of Distinction, which puts you up there with Usain Bolt and Burning Spear.

It means a lot to me. It shows that people recognise what I’ve been doing for all these years. It gives me a new burst of energy to take me onwards.

I won’t be wearing the medal in London though, it will be staying safely at home.

What’s the secret weapon in your record bag?

All our dubplates are top quality, state of the art. It’s what we’re known for. That’s our advantage: we have a bag full of secret weapons.

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THE RED BULLETIN

TOM OXLEY

“A LL O F O U R D U B P LA T E S A R E T O P Q U A LI T Y .

T HA T ’ S O U R ADVANTAGE”

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ACTION!

EVENTS

DON’T MISS SPOOKY NEW CINEMA

10 OCTOBER

SCREAM Annabelle is a spin-off from last year’s The Conjuring, one of the highestgrossing horror films ever. It features a pigtailed doll possessed by a demon, who terrorises a young couple. annabellemovie.com

17

SEPTEMBER

New Zealand director Gerard Johnstone makes his feature film debut with comedy horror Housebound. Main character Kylie isn’t the only guest at her parents’ place…

From October 20

Mixing it up After the release of second album Tough Love, soulful south Londoner Jessie Ware has more new sounds up her sleeve. Ware travelled to five Red Bull Studios and worked with five star producers, including Spanish disco maestro Pional and Russian techno princess Nina Kraviz, to create five radically different remixes of her track Keep On Lying.

One remix and behind-the-scenes webisode will be released each day.

housebound themovie.com

redbullstudios.com October 31

November 9-16

Two step up

Big hitters

Lancashire lads Adam Kaye and George Townsend left their bedrooms to make their mark on the world of electronic music as dance duo Bondax.

They’ve just been gigging in Australia, and next up is a Halloween party in Cardiff, at Treatment at Solus, as they continue their Bondax & Friends DJ tour. soundcloud.com/bondax

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The eight most successful men’s tennis players of 2014 meet in London to fight it out for the ATP World Tour Finals title at the O2 Arena. Big hitters including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic take to the court to win points, bragging rights and the not inconsiderable US$1.92 million prize. barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com

24 OCTOBER

HORROR

Up for the cup: Novak Djokovic

The Babadook, a truly terrifying Sundance Film Festival selection from Australia, will have you checking under your bed for monsters as if you’re seven years old again. thebabadook.com

THE RED BULLETIN

ATHENA ANASTASIOU, RED-PHOTOGRAPHIC.COM, RAPID FOCUS PHOTOGRAGHY, STEVE STILLS/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

SHOCK Fun times: get new Jessie Ware tracks this month

October 18

Paddle power The Boater X series at the Lee Valley White Water Centre is a down-river kayak racing contest to find the best competitive paddler. After four hardfought events over the summer, it’s time to crown the kayaking king – but only after the best have done battle in the rapids. visitleevalley.org.uk October 30

High culture

THE NATION’S FAVOURITE SNOWSPORTS SHOPS

More than 20,000 people are expected to pack London’s Earl’s Court for the return of Red Bull Culture Clash, a bass-heavy battle between four hard-hitting musical crews. Reigning champions Boy Better Know are taking on hip-hop heavyweights A$AP Mob, reggae masters Stone Love and the all-star Rebel Sound crew, with Chase & Status, David Rodigan and Shy FX, in a night that promises to test each crew to their limit. cultureclash.redbull.co.uk

November 7-16

From November 8

Fine film

Rucked up

Each year the Cork Film Festival brings together the best in world cinema, whether that be documentary, feature or short, putting on more than 100 events in a little over a week. It’s a film lover’s dream, and a great excuse for anyone to head indoors if it’s too wet to explore Cork’s countryside. corkfilmfest.org

With the Rugby World Cup around the corner, all eyes are on the clash of hemispheres in the Autumn Internationals. On Saturday 8, England face New Zealand at Twickenham, Wales take on Australia in Cardiff, South Africa play Ireland in Dublin and Edinburgh sees Scotland take on Argentina. autumn-internationals.co.uk

THE RED BULLETIN

London: Covent Garden, Westfield London, Westfield Stratford, Kensington High St & St.Paul’s One New Change • Cambridge Lion Yard • Xscape Milton Keynes • Bristol • Tamworth Snowdome • Manchester • Chester • Liverpool • Xscape Castleford/Leeds • Glasgow intu Braehead • Aviemore • Fort William

www.ellis-brigham.com www.snowboard-asylum.com Grab your free catalogues > follow us on

AG AINST THE

ELEMENTS Life has got a whole lot busier.

We live in a 24-hour society where we juggle multiple jobs and mastermind frenetic social lives Staying active is essential, and possessing the right gear is the secret to keeping two steps ahead.

So whether you’re gliding through the powder fields of Tahoe; getting barrelled at Teahupo’o; navigating the streets of Brooklyn at midnight or just dodging drizzle in London town, this is the kit that ensures you’re equipped for anything that life – and mother nature – throws at you.

HOT – W ET – DAR K – C OL D Photography: LUKE KIRWAN Words and Styling: OLIE ARNOLD Production: OTTER JEZAMIN HATCHETT 88

COTE & CIEL NILE RUCKSACK oki-ni.com A built-in hood shelters you from unexpected downpours.

LONDON UNDERCOVER 3D CAMO UMBRELLA londonundercover.co.uk Striking 3-D print camouflage so that you don't blend in.

STONE ISLAND LASERED DAVID-TC PARKA stoneisland.com Stay dry and turn heads with this water-repellent coat.

#1

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TOMMY HILFIGER GILET tommyhilfiger.com The perfect mid layer to transition from the outdoors to inside.

RAIN WON'T STOP PLAY WITH THIS CLEVER GEAR DESIGNED TO KEEP YOU DRY

ARCTERYX PARSEC HOODED COAT arcteryx.com Extreme weather protection, delivered with an urban aesthetic.

ELEMENT DONNELLY HIKING BOOT eu.elementbrand.com Rare mix of stylish and practical: these will go the distance and avoid the usual rambler gags.

JBL REFLECT BT BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES jbl.com Wireless sound rids your life of unnecessary cables. And because they’re sweatproof, you can up the tempo physically, without risk of damage.

COLUMBIA PLATINUM 860 TURBODOWN JACKET columbia.com Warm and lightweight down manages your body heat, so you don't need bulky layers.

DC PLY SNOWBOARD dcshoes.com With graphics created by leading snow photographer Vincent Skoglund, this ride doubles up as a piece of art.

ROSSIGNOL SPARK AUDIO HELMET rossignol.com Integrated headphones turn the mountain into your own personal dancefloor.

#2

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KEEP WARM AND LOOK STYLISH WHILE ENJOYING YOUR FAVOURITE SNOW SPORTS NIKE COMMAND TRANSITIONS GOGGLES snowboard-asylum.com These game-changing lenses adapt according to the light, meaning there’s no need for spares.

MCNAIR HEAVY WEIGHT SHIRT mcnairshirts.com Treated merino wool will keep you warm and dry, so no jacket required.

BILLABONG SOLOMON GARAGE CREW CUSTOM FLEECE SWEATSHIRT billabong.com Retro styling with maximum warmth.

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DC JUDGE SNOWBOARD BOOT dcshoes.com A unique closure system ensures a perfect fit with no laces to combat when your hands are frozen.

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THE HIGHE MOUNTAIN IN AFRICA 16

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FINISTERRE STROMA COAT finisterreuk.com Shelter from the heat in this lightweight coat and stash beach essentials in the oversize pockets.

CONVERSE ALL STAR RUBBER TRAINER converse.com Rubber hi-tops add a new level of durability to this iconic design.

NEON MADERN NEOPRENE TOP neonwetsuits.com This bespoke service allows you to design your own wetsuit, ensuring you’ll stand out in the line-up.

#3 DIESEL DENIMEYE SUNGLASSES diesel.com Unique shading and material imperfections mean no two glasses are the same.

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ADIDAS ORIGINALS JACKET adidas.com Channel your inner Californian pre- and post-surf for extra style points.

QUIKSILVER ORIGINAL BOARD SHORT quiksilver.com Old-school styling meets new-school construction.

VANS ISO 1.5 TRAINER vans.com Ultra-lightweight and supportive, these trainers make beach running a breeze.

NIXON LODOWN II WATCH nixon.com With over 270 beaches programmed, the ability to arrive for the right tide is at hand.

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GORE MYTHOS 2.0 GT AS JACKET goreapparel.com Upgrade your dawn and dusk runs: waterproof and highly reflective jacket that improves comfort and safety.

GIRO EMPIRE ROAD SHOE condorcycles.com This high-performance, stylish shoe won’t look out of place in the mountains or the city.

LEZYNE ZECTO DRIVE PRO LIGHT condorcycles.com A versatile, powerful bike beam in white and red. It's also compact, waterproof, and rechargeable.

NIKE VISION RUN X2 NIGHT RUN SUNGLASSES nikevision.com Finally, lenses that enhance the light for those dusky evening runs.

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ASICS BASE LAYER TOP asics.com Muscle-support technology for improved performance and quicker recovery time.

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NEW BALANCE FRESH FOAM 980 TRAINER newbalance.com An award-winning runner that provides ample cushioning while allowing you to feel closer to the asphalt.

NIKE CHEYENNE VAPOR 2 RUCKSACK nike.com Super-lightweight, the Vapor allows you to carry more without sacrificing stability or support.

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PUMA PHOTO REAL CAMO JACKET puma.com The camouflage print keeps you under the radar when hammering out the miles.

Visual Storytelling Abseits des Alltäglichen

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PHARRELL WILLIAMS – DAS UNIVERSALGENIE MARC MÁRQUEZ: „ICH MAG DRUCK“

Entdecke die neue

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www.kiska.com

W W W. K T M . C O M / F R E E R I D E - E

ELECTRIFYING MAKE YOUR DREAM THE TRACK! Welcome to the electric world of KTM. No emissions, no noise – only the sound of laughter from under your helmet. The track is limited only by your imagination. Everything else is provided by the new KTM FREERIDE E-XC – street legal and suitable for driving licence classes A1 and above!

A huge 42 Nm of torque from standstill, a state-of-the-art, powerful lithium-ion battery and three individually selectable riding modes (economy, enduro, cross). Make the world your playground and discover new spots, trails and tracks!

Photos: R.Schedl, H. Mitterbauer

FREERIDE E-XC

KTM wishes to make all motorcyclists aware that they need to wear the prescribed protective gear, only start the electric vehicle for the first time after receiving a high-voltage safety briefing from an authorised KTM dealer and always ride in a responsible manner in accordance with the relevant and applicable provisions of the road traffic regulations. The illustrated vehicles may vary in selected details from the production models and some illustrations feature optional equipment available at additional cost.

CLICK TO SEE THE DIGITAL FOLDER

MAGIC MOMENT

Johannes Olszewski, 21, from Munich is balanced on a piece of nylon webbing 60m above the ground, on the cooling tower of an old coal-fired power station.

“We put up a 28m-long slackline the width of two fingers,” he says.

“When you’re up there you feel a chill to start with and then euphoria as you get closer to the end.” oneinchdreams.com

Rule number one: “Whatever you do, don’t look down” Rule number two: get the right musical accompaniment.

Johannes Olszewski swears by the reggae of Damian Marley

JAN FASSBENDER

Hainaut, Belgium, May 17, 2014

THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE RED BULLETIN IS OUT ON NOVEMBER 11 & 14 98

THE RED BULLETIN

gopro.madison.co.uk

BRYCE MENZIE S Photo by: Bryce Menzies