SOUTH AFRICA
BEYOND THE ORDINARY
MOTHER CITY MAKEOVER
AWESOME
SHOT!
6 designers re-think Cape Town
Photos of the year
ON THE WILD SIDE High altitude slacklining
Dave Grohl
ZOMBIE KIDS DECEMBER 2014 R30 incl VAT (R4.20)
Barcelona’s party-starters
EXCLUSIVE: the legend reaches into your mind and music’s future
MAKERS OF THE ORIGINAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE I WWW.VICTORINOX.COM
THE WORLD OF RED BULL
62
MACHINE DREAMS
The secrets behind how Roland Sands makes the world’s most sought-after motorcycles
DAVID CLERIHEW (COVER), DAVID HARRY STEWART
WELCOME The best thing about our cover star this issue, Dave Grohl, is his energy. Not in a chakrasand-star-signs way, but in an actual, lift-theroom way. The guy has presence. He’s funny and honest and has a marvellous beard, as you will see from our exclusive interview and photoshoot. Equally energising is the creative scene in Cape Town, where South African designers are producing outstanding work re-imagining how we experience the world. Elsewhere, we stayed up late at for an amazing night of electronic dance music with the DJ duo who rock the best parties in the world. All that, plus action, adventure, sports and music and culture from across the globe. We hope you enjoy the issue. THE RED BULLETIN
“People have forgotten what it’s like to rock out” DAVE GROHL, PAGE 22
07
DECEMBER 2014 WIRED FOR SOUNDS
Partying hard until the early hours at Barcelona’s Razzmatazz nightclub with local heroes The Zombie Kids
76
AT A GLANCE BULLEVARD 12 BEST OF 2014 The Red Bulletin’s heroes and villains of the year
FEATURES 22 Dave Grohl
An exclusive and revealing interview with the rock ’n’ roll legend
30 Action pic special
A round-up of spectacular images
44 Colin Jackson
Champion hurdler’s next challenge: Wings for Life World Run in 2015
46 Johnnyrandom
Making amazing music with bike parts and then teaching a blender to sing The Cape Town creatives who are re-imagining how the city sees itself
56 Walk on the wild side
48 70 WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL 2014
The Cape Town creatives re-imagining how the city sees itself, proving that design doesn’t have to be flashy
High-altitude slacklining takes tightrope walking to new heights
ALL POWER TO HIM
How street trials cyclist and YouTube legend Danny MacAskill fell in love with an electric motorbike
30 56 HIGH-ALTITUDE SLACKLINING
A nerve-racking test of balance, walking between huge buildings on a swaying trope hundreds of metres in the air 08
AWESOME SHOT!
From F1 star Daniel Ricciardo to upside-down medallists, this is your VIP viewing of the finest photos of 2014
62 The ultimate bike
Brad Pitt and Mickey Rourke ride Roland Sands’s incredible creations
ACTION! 70 71 72 73 74 76 82 84 86 88 90 98
PRO TOOLS Electric motorbikes TRAINING Tone up for high diving TRAVEL Zombie games in NYC MY CITY An electro trio’s Toronto GAMING The latest Call Of Duty NIGHTLIFE DJ duo The Zombie Kids CLUB The Assembly in Cape Town MUSIC Jazz according to Flying Lotus ENTERTAINMENT Michiel Huisman SAVE THE DATE Unmissable events WATCHES For all wrists and pockets MAGIC MOMENT Big airtime biking
THE RED BULLETIN
YUKY LUTZ, SYDELLE WILLOW SMITH , BLACK&RAD, DAN KRAUSS, SON STAR/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
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THE ALL NEW YARIS
CONTRIBUTORS WHO’S ON BOARD THIS ISSUE “When Roland Sands gets on the bike, he’s like a man transformed ” David Harry Stewart with Roland Sands, page 62
MARCEL ANDERS
YUKY LUTZ
DAVID HARRY STEWART
For this month’s edition of The Red Bulletin, the German music writer interviewed Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl at London’s Berkeley Hotel. “His people had rented an entire floor of the five-star hotel and they were very stressed outside the suite,” says Anders, who has also interviewed the likes of Pink Floyd, U2 and Keith Richards over the course of a 20-year career. “But Grohl wasn’t stressed: he’s laidback, the most down-to-earth guy you could meet.” Read the interview on page 22.
“It was impossible not to get great shots that night,” says the Spanish photographer of his mission to document the electronic dance scene at Barcelona’s Razzmatazz nightclub. We commissioned Lutz to follow Spain’s biggest DJ duo The Zombie Kids as they played a two-and-a-halfhour set in front of a home crowd. His insider knowledge made him the perfect man for the job. “I had many legendary nights there when I was a teenager,” says Lutz. “I know it like the back of my hand.” See the results on page 76.
The American photographer visited Roland Sands at his motorbike workshop in Los Angeles, where he customises rides for everyone from Mickey Rourke to Brad Pitt. But it was only when he suggested they take one of his bikes to the LA riverbed that the shoot really warmed up. “When he gets on the bike, he’s like a man transformed,” says Stewart, whose work has appeared in Time Magazine, Esquire and Harper’s Bazaar. “I’ve never seen someone so comfortable on a bike.” Read the story on page 62.
THE RED BULLETIN WORLDWIDE
The Red Bulletin is published in 11 countries. On the cover of the latest US edition is rising music star Theophilus London
BACKSTAGE
Photoshoot of the month Dave Grohl David Clerihew has photographed everyone from Lionel Messi and Steven Gerrard to Usain Bolt and Victoria Pendleton. But rock star portraits are something else. “It’s quite different shooting a musician,” says Clerihew. “Dave Grohl came in and we got started as usual, but we also got chatting. It turns out he’s really into skeet shooting.” Between them, Dave and David nailed this shoot, too.
10
Watch behind-the-scenes footage from this month’s cover shoot at our new website: redbulletin.com
THE RED BULLETIN
WINGS FOR EVERY TASTE.
CRANBERRY. LIME. BLUEBERRY. AND THE EFFECT OF RED BULL.
B U L L E VA R D
BEST OF 2014 THE YEAR I’LL NEVER FORGET
6,000 km
Victoria
Halifax
THE YEAR OF MY DREAMS
THE YEAR TO BE FORGOTTEN
Researchers wanted to see what would happen if they put a Toronto robot out on the streets…
Y E P, T H I S T H I N G H E R E
OUR MAN OF THE YEAR hitchBOT made his way across Canada and in doing so, he proved the smartness of technology and the kindness of humans Last summer, an immobile robot travelled 6,000km across the world’s fourth biggest country. Friendly drivers picked him up along the way (literally). Made and monitored by scientists and roboticists at Canadian universities, hitchBOT got from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Victoria, British Columbia in 21 days. The robot could speak and hear, thanks to mics and sensors. His journey was a victory for artificial intelligence and the decency of normal folk.
12
“Would you like to have a conversation?” hitchBOT was the perfect passenger, but could also keep quiet if required.
…they got their answer. He wasn’t stolen or destroyed. People picked him up and talked to him. hitchbot.me
THE RED BULLETIN
BEST OF 2014
GADGETS OF THE YEAR Tech that took the breath away
OPEN SPACE ARTS SOCIETY, NORBERT GUTHIER(2), ONTARIO, REUTERS, CORBIS(5), WWW.OMONE.COM, PRESS@USB.ORG, JAMES K LOWE, PICTUREDESK.COM, GEPA PICTURES/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
Her 2014 Bangerz Tour was 80 dates on four continents. The estimated final gross is north of US$100 million
Levitating Sound Om/One is the Death Star of Bluetooth speakers. Awesome.
nd
a -hits 5. L a g L e G A h her m in 201
Boring But Brilliant At last – in USB 3.1, a connector to connect all your devices.
I Nop world w, oitf the same R A B d th e p n d l e s s
re ,a nque ect more o c s u s ha o exp y C y r othing. S e l i M of cl l ack
Foam Game At an ace World Cup, talk of the vanishing 10-yard mark was soon forgotten.
BEST OF 2014
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
THE RED BULLETIN
JUNE
Conchita Wurst Austrian drag queen wins Eurovision
HEROES, MONTH BY MONTH They did great work this year
MAY
Lorde Royals wins a Song of the Year Grammy – a pop princess rightly crowned
Wes Anderson Hilarity from cinema’s most stylish director at The Grand Budapest Hotel
HIMYM After nine years, the final season showed how Mother and Dad really met
Juno Scientists finally understand this protein that helps sperm find the egg
Nico Rosberg The F1 driver wins the rebooted Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg
13
BEST OF 2014
YELLOW SLIVER ANNIVERSARY
HAPPY BIRTH-D’OH! The Simpsons turn 25 on December 17, three days after the 559th episode is broadcast in the US. Here’s the very best of Homer J Simpson
The three sentences that will get you through life. Number one: “Cover for me.” Number two: “Oh, good idea, boss.” NUMBER 3: “IT WAS LIKE THAT WHEN I GOT HERE.”
Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. THE LESSON IS, NEVER TRY.
Every time I learn something new,
MARGE, BUT WE ALREADY OWN A BOOK.
IT PUSHES SOME OLD STUFF OUT OF MY BRAIN.
What’s the point of going out? We’re just gonna wind up back here anyway.
It takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen.
I WISH GOD WERE STILL ALIVE TO SEE THIS. BEST OF 2014
JULY
Please don’t eat me! I have a wife and kids. Eat them!
ALL OF LIFE’S PROBLEMS.
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
Apple Watch The watch that can do everything, apart from delete U2 from your iTunes
Monty Python Britain’s greatest comedy team (with one American) reassemble 25 years after their previous live shows, for one final comeback tour. Tickets sold out in 43 seconds
14
Maryam Mirzakhani The first woman ever to win the Fields Medal, the greatest prize in mathematics
DECEMBER Orion Mars, here we come: NASA plans first test launch of its new manned spacecraft
Constantine From Hellblazer comics via Keanu’s 2005 film, a hellishly good TV show
Foo Fighters Grohl’s gang release their eighth album, the rather splendid Sonic Highways THE RED BULLETIN
PICTUREDESK.COM(2), CORBIS(2), APPLE, WARNER BROS., SONY MUSIC, NASA
Oh my God, space aliens!
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to,
BEST OF 2014
N O, T H I S I S A B S O L U T E LY N O T A H O R O S C O P E
YOUR FUTURE, TODAY Choose who you are, then we’ll tell you how your 2015 will pan out
S K AT E R
GO - K A R T E R
WINDSURFER
B I G WAV E R
FREEDIVER
SKYDIVER
X- F I G H T E R
FREERUNNER
MTB-ER A I R R AC E R
HOW IT WORKS: Choose your action type from the wheel of fortune, then match it to the predictions below. We guarantee we can see into the future as well as anyone on Earth
TOM MACKINGER
F1 DRIVER KITESURFER
• FIRE • WAT E R • AIR • EARTH
• WINDSURFER •
• SKYDIVER •
• A I R R AC E R •
• F1 DRIVER •
• X- F I G H T E R •
• GO - K A R T E R •
“Go with the flow” is your mantra for New Year and beyond. If you’re patient and don’t force the issues, things will work out by themselves.
A new encounter will bring chaos and opportunity to your life. If you fear the new, the fear will kill you.
Flying high in 2015, you will be presented with many new opportunities. Bear in mind that it’s important to always travel light.
A dream start to the year will continue in the same hectic vein. But just because you’re out in front doesn’t mean you have to keep going faster.
Life is one huge crossroads. Which way should you go? The answer? It doesn’t matter. Just don’t stay rooted to the spot.
You are the luckiest devil of next year. Whatever you turn your hand to will come off. But remember: keep your foot off the brakes.
• S K AT E R • Keep cool! It will awaken a sense of trust and security in others. Never forget to look out for your friends. THE RED BULLETIN
• FREERUNNER • You’re always on the move, chasing your dreams. Just how it should be. Don’t forget to watch your step, though, or you’ll end up flat on your face.
• MTB-ER • Your passion will impress the people around you – one in particular. Then you’ll need a mountain bicycle made for two.
• KITESURFER • You’ll meet an old friend who’ll set your life on a different path. Ask yourself if it’s what you really want.
• FREEDIVER • No time to be bored in 2015 with new doors opening, especially in your romantic life. But know this: nothing in love comes for free.
• B I G WAV E R • You will finally receive a piece of news that you’ve long been waiting for right at the start of the year.
15
BEST OF 2014
NFL ESP: Coleman feels the vibrations created by other players
NEW SOUNDS OF 2014 Our pick of the year’s best music
SCHOOLBOY Q From South Central LA, the 28-year-old released Oxymoron, an incredible gangsta rap album.
N sD E G : L E hawk
S eattle Seastory. P I L U R of the S er in hi
O k ColemanBowl winn D A R E k Derric f Super
FKA TWIGS Her mundanely named LP1 is anything but. A trippy R&B high point from the underground.
ac dea Fullb the first wa s
SAM SMITH Having guested on other artists’ songs, Smith achieved global acclaim with his own first album.
EAR
DO IT HIS WAY Frank Sinatra would have turned 100 in 2015. But we still have much to learn from him
“For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught.”
16
“I’m for whatever gets you through the night – prayer, tranquillisers or Jack Daniel’s.”
“Then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like ‘I love you.’”
LADY GAGA A duet album with Tony Bennett is not the sort of “different” we want from the Queen Of New.
THE RED BULLETIN
GETTY IMAGES(2), UNIVERSAL MUSIC(2), INEZ VINOODH
F
THE Y F O P O L
BEST OF 2014
THE BEST QUIZ OF THE YEAR
KAINRATH
Q1: ARE YOU ALWAYS RIGHT?
How our resident artist saw the year and how he loves the future.
Yes No Don’t know That’s the only question we’re asking. Below, you put the questions to our answers
2014
LEONARDO DICAPRIO! Who wants to save the world but is too busy squiring models?
10ts
Poin
Who failed to win an Oscar again?
Who dies in quite a lot of his films?
5 ts
Poin
0s
Point
A SMARTWATCH 0 ts
What’s the year’s most overhyped invention?
Poin
What tells the time more precisely than a wristwatch?
What amazing new gadget lit up our future?
5s
Point
10s
Point
2015
GERMANY Who won the World Cup?
10ts
Poin
Who should not have won the World Cup?
5ints
Po
Angela Merkel?
0s
Point
CORRECT! Was 2014 a good year for music?
10 ints
Po
Was 2014 a bad year for music?
Was 2014 an OK year for music?
5ints
Po
0s
Point
CAN TALK
GETTY IMAGES(2), SONY(3)
DIETMAR KAINRATH
BREAKING BAD What’s the best TV series ever?
10ts
Poin
Which TV series bagged a ton of awards?
5ints
Po
What’s that boring guy-makesmeth show?
0ints
Po
“ If there were fewer days, we could celebrate New Year more often.”
HERE’S HOW YOU DID… 0-15 Points Wonderful! You’ve been paying attention, haven’t you? Not bad at all. At least you have an opinion. Oh dear! Spent a bit too much time on Minecraft, haven’t you? THE RED BULLETIN
20-30 Points Wonderful! You’ve been paying attention, haven’t you? Not bad at all. At least you have an opinion. Oh dear! Spent a bit too much time on Minecraft, haven’t you?
35-50 Points Wonderful! You’ve been paying attention, haven’t you? Not bad at all. At least you have an opinion. Oh dear! Spent a bit too much time on Minecraft, haven’t you?
17
BEST OF 2014
KAPOW! NOW
A NEW NEW BREED OF HEROES The explosion of superhero movies has sent a shockwave all the way back to their source material: comic books in 2014 took a surprising turn for the better
X-MAN OF 2015? His comic book uniform of yellow-and-black latex suit is a thing of the past. Next season’s adamantiumclawed mutant will be wearing the plaid shirt and three-quarter length Fairtrade jeans of the neo-hipster. He also rejects violence: the only thing Wolverine will use his claws for is keeping his beard nice.
Captain America Yes, we can! Captain Africa-America, if you will, is Sam Wilson, formerly the Falcon.
Thor
CORBIS(2), WALT DISNEY
HERI IRAWAN
The God Of Thunder now a goddess. War declared: feminists vs nay-saying nerds online.
Rocket Raccoon Solo comic capers due to Guardians Of The Galaxy film. Not a typical talking animal strip.
18
THE RED BULLETIN
As seen on DStv/SuperSport
JHB 47585/RW
S M R O F T PLA
L FOOTBAL S OS R C A N O I ACT
ERSPORT,
L ON SUP FOOTBAL
ms 4 platfor n on our io t es, c a g e a u est le u s Leag world’s b e Champion h A t F E m o U r d ef L an games liv erie A, BP ver 1,500 o La Liga, S t ions. e e p h g t m , a ll s h a Catch pps. Plu rld of C a o d W n r a u e o il y mob only on TV, web,
BEST OF 2014
THE RED BULLETIN REMIX
THEN AND NOW
SAMPLE LYRICS
What didn’t we like this year? What makes up for it next year?
GIVE ME
PEACE
MAR
HAPPY
HAPPY
HAPPY
APR
Bruce Springsteen, High Hopes All-new take on former live favourite has spot-on New Year sentiments.
GOOD LOVER
JUN
Pharrell Williams, Happy Hit top of US charts this month; world clapped along, as seen on YouTube.
Kid Cudi, Satellite Flight Rap hat-tip to lunar-cy also contains genius line “Come get in my space whip!” MAY
LOVE,
NO MONEY, NO FAMILY. Iggy Azalea, Work Retort to Pharrell – why we can’t be happy all the time – as reality rap report.
THE
ON-
LY
TIME WE
REAL-
LY TALK
Tiësto, Wasted You can only connect with the Dutch DJ while disrobing pre-sex. Who knew.
GOOD LOVER,
WAL- KING ALONG
2
SN’T 0 1 4 WA
COOL…
ecause Neymar got b injured and Brazil’s fairytale home win World Cup didn’t come true. because Russell Crowe’s Noah was a damp squib. because the selfie epidemic took over. because a bad hazelnut harvest threatened Nutella production. because that Back To The Future hoverboard video was a fake.
La Roux, Paradise Is You Opens nice like this, but it’s Music To Blame Your Other Half For Your Misery By.
YOU A- LIVE
AUG
ON A SANDY BEACH
MOON
Lily Allen, L8 CMMR Such a man exists, she sings, but ladies can’t have him cos he’s her husband. JUL
GIVE ME
TAKE FLIGHT TO THE
FEB
JAN
Linking lines from music that mattered in the months of 2014 to create the true song of the year
HUNT YOU DOWN EAT
NOV
Lenny Kravitz, Sex Would you believe it! This line is about hunting and eating like animals!
STANDING ON
THE
VER
ILL R 2015 W
OK GO, The Writing’s On The Wall A refrain in a cheery ditty about one final roll in the hay before breaking up.
EDGE OF
A
RE-
LUVO-
TION
Nickelback, Edge Of A Revolution Who needs Twitter when Canadian rock monsters can take the world’s pulse?
DEC
SEX, SEX, SEX
LAST CHRIST-
MAS
Wham!, Last Christmas And the one before that, and every one from now until the end of Christmas.
20 BEFORE 15: YOUR ULTIMATE MUSIC CALENDAR From December 1-20 there’ll be a free daily download of a new song by one of 2014’s top acts. Open a calendar window each day to get a festive treat. Identities are secret; here are three clues. redbull. com/20before15
20
?
?
?
He unleashed a global YouTube dance craze.
This DJ is both producer and pal to Kanye West.
Two Mexicans who built a global supergroup.
ULE...
ecause Europe’s beer b capital, Pilsen in the Czech Republic, will be European Capital of Culture. Cheers! because Winds Of Winter, sixth book in the Game Of Thrones-inspiring A Song Of Ice And Fire series, is coming out. ecause the next film b from Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight, is due.
THE RED BULLETIN
KOBAL COLLECTION, GETTY IMAGES(2), CARTER NEWS, CORBIS(2)
IT SEEMS LIKE FORE-
OCT
SEP
Maroon 5, Animals But isn’t frontman Adam Levine a vegan? Oh, this is sexy talk, is it? Fair enough.
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ENTER NOW!
“ If the number one song is
about your
butt, that’s a problem”
After a l most th ree decades of rock ‘n’ rol l, DAVE GROH L is sti l l rocki n g ha rd , ma ki n g movies a n d TV, a n d tryi n g, he says, “not to sou nd l i ke a bori ng old fa rt ”. OU R EXCLUSIVE I NTERVI EW p roves such a thing is impossible. “I’m sure that by some other people’s s t a n d a r d s w h a t I d o i s g a r b a g e ,” h e a d m i t s . “ B u t s c r e w t h e m ” I NTERVI EW: MARC EL AN D ERS 22
PH OTOG RAPHY: DAVI D C LER I H EW
Face time: Dave Grohl, photographed exclusively for The Red Bulletin in London
ave Grohl became world famous in the 1990s as the drummer for Nirvana and has remained stellar every since. He’s the lead singer of Foo Fighters (eight albums, 11 million copies sold, many awards and huge world tours) and has worked on musical projects with, among others, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Nine Inch Nails and Queens Of The Stone Age. Last year he produced his first film, Sound City, a documentary about the titular Los Angeles music studio. Now he’s driving Sonic Highways, an ambitious project merging the eighth Foo Fighters album, out in November, with an eight-part TV series in which Grohl shows the band recording the album in studios across America and interviews artists associated with those studios, including Dolly Parton, Joe Walsh, Chuck D, Willie Nelson and Rick Rubin. There’s also a sit-down with Barack Obama. When he met The Red Bulletin recently, the 45-year-old swapped the questioning for answer duty. the red bulletin: How many security men were behind the camera when you interviewed the President of the United States of America? dave grohl: Here’s the thing: The White House is a really relaxed and comfortable place, because you can’t get in there unless they know that you’re cool. So once you’re in, you’re in and it’s relaxed and not creepy or scary. The President had some really great things to say about our country and about specific musicians. I wanted to talk to him about not only the history of music in America, but America as a country where there’s the opportunity to do great things. I mean, I’m well aware that there are a lot of things going terribly wrong, but America still holds the freedom that you can be someone like Buddy Guy. 24
“LET’S BE H O N EST: IT NEVER HURT NOBODY TO PRACTISE YOUR INSTRUM ENT, TO DEVELOP AN EAR FOR RHYTHM AND MELODY”
Meet the band: Foo Fighters are (from left) Nate Mendel (bass), Chris Shiflett (guitar), Dave Grohl (guitar and vocals) Taylor Hawkins (drums), Pat Smear (guitar)
“People have forgotten
what
it’s like to
really rock out because they spend all day in front of a freakin’ computer”
26
Guy carved out a career in music despite having no education and no money. Echoes of the Dave Grohl story? Buddy’s the greatest ever as far as I’m concerned. He made his first guitar from wires in his screen porch and wood. I’m a high-school dropout from Springfield, Virginia. I never graduated school and I never had enough money for college. I worked manual jobs and played noisy punk rock music. Now I’m in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and I get to sit and talk to the President about music. I’m not saying what a great guy I am, but I want everyone to imagine that same opportunity is possible. So what does it take to make it big in America, if not the world? I believe that if you’re focused and driven and passionate enough about something that you can do it. Don’t screw everybody else’s expectation, just do it the way you do it. Why do it like somebody else? Has that actually worked for you? Sure. For example, I haven’t got a clue how to direct movies and TV, I just do it the way I see fit. That’s the same way I play the drums and write songs. I’m sure that by some other people’s standards, what I do is complete garbage, but screw them. It leads to great things. It’s the only way.
Did you pass that piece of advice on to President Obama? I think he’s got the worst job in the world. The day I interviewed him, he gave a press conference and announced he would be sending more troops to Iraq. Then he gave the Congressional Medal Of Honor to a solider who was badly injured saving another soldier. He’s got the economy, he’s got international conflict and then he sits down with me to talk about Stevie Wonder and The Rolling Stones. So President Grohl is out of the question? Ha ha ha! I could never get past the first step of becoming a politician. I’ve done so much stupid stuff in my life. Who would vote for me? But the glasses you’ve started wearing recently make you look very serious. Oh yeah, well – age. I am deaf, dumb and blind. So the White House is temporary, but you were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame this year as part of Nirvana. Why did you only have female singers for your performance at the ceremony? Because Kurt [Cobain] was a feminist. And someone suggested Joan Jett. I mean, Joan Jett she’s the first lady of rock ’n’ roll. She’s the one. Then it was like: “What about Kim Gordon?” She and Kurt were great friends, they loved each other and Sonic Youth were our heroes. “Yeah, let’s get Kim.” And you had Lorde from New Zealand. Lorde was my idea. Her song Royals is its own little revolution in the sea of bullshit. Is that sea what you referred to recently as ‘stripper pop’? Pop music in America right now is so superficial. It’s fun to listen to, to turn up in your car when you’re in traffic, but there’s no substance at all. It’s devoid of any meaning. I’m not just saying that as a 45-year-old rock musician, I’m saying that as a human being. If the number one song is about your butt, that’s a problem. So when I heard Royals in the middle of all of these other songs, I thought, “Thank God! Someone’s singing something that actually has a little bit of something.” As an old-school rock band, do Foo Fighters struggle in a digitised world? Sad but true. People have forgotten what it’s like to really rock out because they spend all day in front of a freakin’ computer, which they hail as the new god. And they seriously think technology can make them rich, if they stumble on something new. But I’m telling you: technology might make you rich, yet it will never make you happy.
THE RED BULLETIN
Epic moments from the world’s best clubs and festivals: Strobelight Anthems on rbmaradio.com
Isn’t it easier to be happy if you’re rich? They’re two different things light years apart. Happiness or luck or a good feeling – whatever you want to call it – is based on interaction among humans, on making other people happy, giving them something dear to their heart. Music is a perfect medium for that. What could be more human than writing a song with bass, drums and guitars? That’s as feel-based as it gets. What do you do with all your money? It goes straight into my bank account, where it turns all mouldy and smelly. No investments, nothing like that? I don’t waste my time thinking about how I could make more when I’ve already got enough. I’m not a banker, I’m a musician. However, at the same time it buys me freedom, of course. It allows me to do what I want to do and not having to worry about anything at all. No houses, no big, fat cars? I drive a family car – not a monster SUV, but a family car that fits five people. I’ve got a house that is just big enough, too. My only status symbol would be 606, my studio in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. I’ve invested a fortune to make it look exactly like Abba’s legendary Atlantis studio. I’m not kidding: that’s what I was after and it cost me a lot to have that dream come alive. Is making music the analogue way becoming a lost art? I hope I don’t sound like a boring old fart here, but let’s be honest: it never hurt nobody to practise your instrument, to develop an ear for rhythm and melody. So what do you think of EDM? What the heck are you talking about? Don’t speak in riddles, man! Electronic dance music. Skrillex, Deadmau5, etc. That’s what that is called? It’s simply not my kind of music. What’s more, it’s nothing new. Artists like Suicide or Atari Teenage Riot have been doing it for decades and are still doing it way better. What do your kids listen to? [Grohl has three daughters, aged eight, five and three months.] I’m damned lucky on that front. The worst thing they impose on me is Katy Perry’s latest album. Katy doesn’t make you happy? No, not at all. Her music is a real test in terms of loyalty towards your kids. But at the same time I can still make them listen to good stuff. I got my eldest two, Harper and Violet, a turntable and The Beatles box set. So they listen to Magical Mystery Tour and the White Album. Give a six28
year-old a turntable and all of the Beatles records and I guarantee that within one hour they will be doing what you did when you were six years old, too. Records on the floor, dancing, singing; it’s great What kind of relationship do you have with social networking? Honestly, I haven’t got a clue. I’m not on Facebook or on Instagram and it’s because I don’t care. If I want to talk to people I just call them up or text them. Yet, for my 75-year-old mother, it makes perfect sense, simply because she doesn’t have too many people to talk to anymore, she hardly leaves the house and she is lonely. She’s like, ‘You’re living in the past, dear. Let me show you how to Twitter.’ Maybe if I reach her age then I’ll launch my first personal website, by Dave Grohl, retired rock star. Courtney Love wants to make a Nirvana biopic. Who should play Dave Grohl? I guess Robert Rodriguez would be my favourite, just because he’s so cool, but I just don’t think it’s going to happen.
“ I HAVE INVESTED A LOT OF MONEY TO MAKE MY STUDIO LIKE ABBA’S LEGENDARY ATLANTI S . I ’ M NOT KIDDING”
foofighters.com
THE RED BULLETIN
WHAT SHOTS WE GOT BEST OF 2014
THUMBS UP FOR HANDS DOWN THE FINEST PHOTOS OF THE YEAR 30
CLIVE MASON/GETTY IMAGES
ICE COLD Daniel Ricciardo accepted the Ice Bucket Challenge as part of the warm-up, so to speak, for an F1 Grand Prix at Spa on August 21. Three days later, the Infiniti Red Bull Racing man won the Belgian race
YES WE CAN
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE DUPASQUIER/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
June 1, Erzberg, Austria. Red Bull Hare Scramble. Enduro racers doing excavating work on a river bed and helping one another out
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BEST OF 2014
the World Cup and becoming the tournament’s all-time leading scorer, with 16 goals. He flipped out, as usual, when he equalled the record with his 15th, against Ghana on June 21
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EDDIE KEOGH/REUTERS
ONE LAST TURN Miroslav Klose called it a day with the German national team after winning
TIME TO CLIMB You have to be brave to compete in the Red Bull
ROMINA AMATO/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
Cliff Diving World Series. When it landed in the Azores, as it did on July 26 this year, you had to be a bit of a daredevil just to spectate
BEST OF 2014
GET THE PUCK OUT Desperate goalmouth defence from the US team during their 5-2 quarter-final victory over the Czech Republic at the Winter Olympics in Sochi on February 19
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AP PHOTO/MATT SLOCUM
BEST OF 2014
PARALLEL SPARKING
GETTY IMAGES, STEFANO RELLANDINI/REUTERS
Felipe Massa flips at the German Grand Prix, July 20. Clockwise from right: Alexander Gazsi and Nelli Zhiganshina of Germany heat up the ice at the Sochi Winter Olympics, February 16; Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks coach, takes a shower after winning the Super Bowl, February 2; Italy’s Christof Innerhofer heads to the podium for his Alpine skiing combined bronze in Sochi, February 14
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DAVID GRAY/REUTERS, EDUARDO MUNOZ/REUTERS
BEST OF 2014
HIGH AND LOW Big air for Carlos Sainz during Stage 10 of the Dakar Rally on
MARCELO MARAGNI/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
January 15. The Spaniard was well-placed going into the final third of the race, but a crash before the end of the stage put paid to his hopes of a winning finish
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BALAZS GARDI/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
RECONQUERING THE SKIES
Red Bull Air Race returned after a four-year break, with 12 pilots racing head-to-head at close to 250mph for the World Championship title. UK airman Paul Bonhomme won the first race, at Abu Dhabi on March 1
ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
BEST OF 2014
CHAMPION ELECT ALOFT
In 2013, Marc Marquez finished his debut year in MotoGP as world champion. In 2014, on June 1 at Mugello, the Spaniard finished the Gran Premio d’Italia in first place. It was the sixth of his 10 consecutive victories in the opening races of the season
COLIN JACKSON
“I’m always moving” For 11 years he was the world’s fastest man over the 110m hurdles. Now he’s the international sports director of the Wings for Life World Run and a posterboy for how staying active makes your life better
the red bulletin: Can an athlete know that they’re going to break the world record? colin jackson: Yes, you can. You’re getting closer to it and at the same time you’re aware that your training has got better. From the moment I could produce a 13-second run at the drop of a hat, it was only a question of time until the record fell. How long did you have to wait? I realised at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 that I could run a world record. But it didn’t work out. That would have been a magic moment. But I did it at the World Championships in Stuttgart in ’93: 12.91s. How did you feel that morning in Germany? I was nervous. I still hadn’t won a major title at that point. Linford Christie was my roommate. He had won gold the previous day and had just missed the world record by one hundredth of a second. Now it was my turn. There was huge pressure. What do world-class athletes talk about when they’re sharing a room? Hardly ever about sport. Cars. Their houses. And women, of course. Back in the 1990s, we still used to play cards. How did you become a sprint hurdler? I was a fast runner, I was a good high jumper and long jumper, I had good spatial awareness and I was agile. I wanted to be a decathlete, but I wasn’t tall enough. Are you one of those people who is good at all sports? Most are easy to learn. Skiing? Snowboarding? No problem. What are your personal bests in other disciplines? I’ve done 10.29s for the 100m, 6.49s for the 60m flat, 2.03m high jump and 7.96m for the long jump. 44
In some countries those would be national records. What discipline are you most in awe of? The high jump. The world record is 2.45m. That’s the height of a soccer crossbar! Are you in the same shape as when you ran? (Jackson, 47, retired in 2003.) I weigh 10kg more now than I did then. But that’s not because I’ve got fat. It’s because top sportsmen and women are undernourished. A big engine and light chassis. And no dead weight.
“Top sports people are undernourished. A big engine, light chassis and no dead weight” So why do sprinters have such powerful upper bodies? Because their arms propel their legs. When your upper body has explosive power, your legs automatically do, too. Sprinters always have their hands in their field of vision. Look out for it the next time you see a sprint on TV. What sport do you do now? I run. I hurdle if a gun is held to my head. I do a lot of mountain biking. I play tennis. Football. I ski. Snowboarding. There’s always something. I’m always on the move. Do you understand people who prefer to sit in front of their TVs rather that exercise? Exercise is the one thing in the world that only benefits you alone. Everyone in the world, regardless of how busy they are, can find an hour a day to do themselves
some good. If you can’t manage to do that, you’re the worse off for it. Do you use an exercise monitor? My father is 83 and he wears one on his arm and gets annoyed if he doesn’t meet his daily target. Whatever helps is good. I don’t need one, personally. Do you use a pulse monitor? No. For me exercise is about feeling good and being in tune with your body. I don’t need to work out any more. I just can. How far do you run these days? I hated long-distance running when I was competing, but now 10km isn’t a problem. How far would you hope to get in the Wings for Life World Run? I’d go about it scientifically. How long could I walk, how long could I go at half-speed and how long would I have to run at full speed to do 15km? So 15km would be my target. That’s virtually a marathon for a sprinter. But as the race’s international sports director, you won’t be competing, you’ll be at Race Control. What exactly does your job entail? I want everyone to be disappointed at the end of the race! Not with the way things have been organised or the course itself: I want them to be dissatisfied with their own performance. Because that will mean they’ll come back next year. Will the 78.58km record fall? Last year’s winner, Lemawork Ketema, is convinced he’ll manage 100km, but only if absolutely everything comes together. The starting pistol for the 2015 Wings for Life World Run will be fired simultaneously in 35 locations in 33 countries around the world on May 3, 2015. Find the race near you and register now: wingsforlifeworldrun.com THE RED BULLETIN
DANIEL GRUND/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
Words: Werner Jessner
Roll of honour All 110m hurdles: World Championships gold (1993, 1999) European Championships gold (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002), Olympic Games silver (1988), world record holder (12.91s, set in 1993, equalled by Liu Xiang of China in 2004 and beaten by the same athlete in 2006).
JOHNNYRANDOM
“Every bike sounds different” What’s your next move after making amazing music with bikes and bike parts? Teaching a blender to sing, of course Words: AR Sánchez Photography: Rick Rodney
When you hear Bespoken, a track by Johnnyrandom, aka Flip Baber, a 40-year-old New Yorker now based in San Francisco, you hear a melodic, head-nodding piece of what seems like electronica. In reality, you might say it’s “biketronica”: every element of the track is the sound of a bike part being played, struck or manipulated in some way. the red bulletin: Most people ride their bikes. Why do you make music with them? johnnyrandom: The idea first came to me when I was a child. I got a Huffy bike when I was four and began fiddling around with the spokes there and then. I wanted to know what I’d have to do to make them make music. Did you realise at the time that wasn’t what most kids felt about their bikes? Oh, you know, I was a bit of a loner. My favourite pastime was listening to things. You could say I discovered the world with my ears. It might not seem very exciting, but I’m really grateful for the fact that I was left to my own devices. It meant my curiosity was allowed to develop unhindered. We didn’t have a TV at home, which meant that there was time to read and to try out instruments or other things that I could make or compose music on. What makes a bike musical? Every bicycle has its own acoustic fingerprint. Road bikes have delicate mechanical parts, which are perfect 46
for percussive sounds. If you play the tread of a tyre spinning at a constant speed with a plectrum, it sounds like a distorted electric bass. You can play the gear cable with an electromagnetic EBow. Disc brakes make an incredible noise, like a Chinese gong: it can last for more than a minute. What’s the most surprising sound you’ve discovered? The most beautiful sound, and at the same time the one that’s most difficult to
“The most beautiful sound – and the one that is most difficult to create – comes from the spokes” create, comes from the spokes. I have to tune all the spokes on a wheel to exactly the same tone for each note. You have to tune spokes right, and then they make a beautiful sound. Plus, the wheel has to have straight spokes. They can’t cross over. When I tried it first time, it took me an hour to play a single note. It would take me a week to play a complete octave. Can you play this music live? There’s no way it would work with other musicians. There would need to be too many of them and it wouldn’t be possible
to be as precise as I’d need to be. In theory, I’d be able to perform Bespoken live if I had 20 bicycles and extremely high-tech robots that ran on tailor-made software, but I wouldn’t be able to afford it. Was Bespoken the first piece of music you wrote with bicycles? No. In 2006, I did a version of The Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, used by the bike company Specialized in an electronic Christmas card. Do you ever use bikes for their intended purpose? I do. Cycling is the best way I have of clearing my mind. My favourite thing is to go mountain biking in the redwoods around the San Francisco Bay Area where I live. My favourite bike is a Specialized Stumpjumper FSR, which also provided me with some wonderful sounds for Bespoken. There are lots of songs about bicycles and cycling. Do you have a favourite? At the moment it’s Bicycle by St Vincent, but I’m interested in the whole history of the bicycle in music, from Samuel Goss, who invented the musical bicycle in 1899, to Queen, Frank Zappa and Kraftwerk. Is it true that you’re trying to make music using kitchen utensils? My next release is called Clarify and it deconstructs a complete kitchen, but in a way that you wouldn’t expect. I might even have found a way of getting a waste disposal unit to make music. johnnyrandom.bandcamp.com THE RED BULLETIN
Chip tunes Johnnyrandom runs a sound design agency that has developed noise and music for the likes of Adidas and Google. One such commission was for Doritos: making the perfect tortilla-chip crunch. Chance naming “I was having problems with a synthesizer one time. So I started pressing keys at random and all of a sudden it started working again. My name reminds me that sometimes the best way of going about things is the least expected.�
SHANI JUDES
WORDS: ROGER YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHY: SYDELLE WILLOW SM ITH
T H E S K AT E R
DE
CA
TOWN
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MARCO MORGAN
LUKE DANIEL
THE DOODLER
RE-
T H E S K AT E R
GERRIT STRYDOM
CAPE TOWN AS WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL 2014 HAS FOCUSED ATTENTION ON DESIGNERS OF ALL STRIPES. BUT NOT ALL DESIGN IS FLASHY, OR EVEN VISIBLE. THE RED BULLETIN M EETS SIX MOTHER CITY BRAINS WHO ARE RE-IMAGINING HOW THE CITY SEES ITSELF
SIGN
PE
T H E C U R AT O R
SIPHIWE NGWENYA
T H E I N N O VAT O R
OLIVER BRAIN
THE ARCHITECT
Y TSAI
Tension breeds creativity, and Cape Town does not lack for tension with the most expensive real estate in Africa squeezed between picturesque mountains and pristine beaches, a vibrant emerging panAfrican community, a dominant creoleMalay Muslim culture, hipster creative industries, and low-income ghettoes that encircle the city, themselves a poisonous legacy of political spatial design. When Cape Town was named World Design Capital 2014, the function of design itself was thrown into question. But many of the contradictions highlighted by the award were already being focused on by Cape Town’s brightest re-thinkers: designers who see contradictions as an opportunity for re-imagination, a chance for the city to create a new way of experiencing the world.
The Maboneng Township Arts Experience – which turns houses into galleries, walls into canvasses and the street into a stage – is the cornerstone of Siphiwe Ngwenya’s design-orientated entrepreneurial thinking
SIPHIWE NGWENYA FROM ART TO HOUSEHOLD T EC H N O L O GY, E V E RY T H I N G CA N B E R E- E N G I N E E R E D
Siphiwe Ngwenya is soft spoken and unassuming, a Clarke Kent exterior to the Superman vision in his mind that sees a future without townships, and a present where design can be harnessed to bring that future into being. To Ngwenya, townships are spaces of innovation and possibility, and a means to map out and find alternative approaches to, well, just about anything. An artist and innovator, Ngwenya first explored the possibility of reimagining township living with his Maboneng Township Arts Experience, which converted township homes into art galleries displaying the art of local artists. Next came Turning Homes Into Innovation Labs, a pilot project that is intended to encourage a community in Gugulethu NY147 to learn by experimenting. THIIL promotes sustainable innovations that make sense to the average township inhabitant: safe and energy-efficient stoves and lighting, low-cost renewable energy products, waste management systems and organic gardens. THIIL will grow as the homeowners adopt what they feel most comfortable with. “The project is important to 50
the community because it creates ownership among the homeowners,” says Ngwenya. “It brings the creative economy to the doorstep of the people who really need it.” With initiatives like the Better Living Challenge encouraging outside designers to come up with solutions to improve low-income living, THIIL could provide an ideal testing ground. Ngwenya and fellow Red Bull Amaphiko alumni Theo Ndindwa have also been greenlighted by Stellenbosch Municipality to develop an arts and dance route – modelled on the area’s many wine routes – in the bustling Kayamandi township. The Stellenbosch project hopes to change the way people see townships dwellers. “It is possible,” says Ngwenya, “to transform the townships into hotspots of design-centred thinking.” homeinnlabs.com
ROWAN PYBUS
LUKE DANIEL, MAKHULU (3), MICHAELA IRVING
TH E CU RATO R
“WHEN I SEE TOWNSHIPS, I SEE PROGRESS THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED. THERE IS A LOT TO BE DONE AND WE HAVE TO DO IT ONE HOME AT A TIME”
Right: The calm before the storm at a Night of 1000 Drawings exhibition: hundreds of doodles hung over three floors, with thousands of visitors expected. Above: A girl tossing doodles, by Julia Anastasopoulos
“ W H E N I S E E S O M EO N E C O M E AC RO S S A P U B L IC A R T WO R K A N D E N G AG E W I T H I T, S E E I T C H A L L E N G E T H E I R T H O U G H T S E V E N F O R A M O M E N T, T H AT ’S W H E N I S E E T H E I M P O R TA N C E O F P U B L IC A R T ”
TH E D O O D LER
SHANI JUDES
E V E RYO N E I S A N A R T I S T: YO U C A N DOO D L E A N Y W H E R E , ANY TIME, WITH ANYTHING
Shani Judes wants to bring art to the public; she wants to get it out of the galleries and into shared spaces; and she wants to wrestle it from the fingers of the high art practitioners and put it back in the hands of everyone: street artists, accountants, baristas, gaartjies, children, adults, and you. 52
While running an artist management agency, Judes became aware of how hard it was for artists to create in the public domain, and how difficult it was for the public to see art outside of the rarefied gallery space. She teamed up with the Art54 project, which lobbied for art to be publicly displayed in the picturesque Sea Point Ward 54 – photographic exhibitions are now hung along the sea wall and sculptures are funded for public parks. Judes hopes the initiative will spread throughout the city. Among Judes’ other projects is Night Of A Thousand Drawings, an empowerment project that culminated in a one-night-only, massive inner-city art sale. This THE RED BULLETIN
TH E ARC H ITECT
Y TSAI
A R C H I T EC T U R E T H AT S O LV E S S OC I A L I S S U E S I S M O R E CHALLENGING, NOT LESS SO
Y Tsai has an appetite for situations that require radically innovative thinking. Gaining a reputation for his modular designs around recycled shipping containers, his current focus is on shopping centre architecture, a circus school and furniture design – all informed by the problems inherent to Cape Town’s unique contradictions. Challenged by a client to utilise their unused shipping containers, Tsai focused on repurposing them for community use rather than housing. “The issue is the image of the container, not the space inside it,” Tsai explains. “We work with these containers to fill a gap, but as a response to the housing problem, we must find other solutions.” From Vissershok Primary School to container-based sports centres and a new project in Ceres, Tsai’s work has become increasingly ambitious. With his modular fish farm currently being exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale, it’s clear Tsai relishes his work. “People think that if you’re doing something for social change, you, as a designer, are not going to get much out of it,” he says. “But working with new challenges always makes you a better designer.”
“I’M NOT A CONTAINER ARCHITECT. I DON’T WANT TO BE A GREEN DESIGNER. I WANT TO BE A GOOD DESIGNER”
JULIA ANASTASOPOLIS
JONX PILLEMER, TSAI DESIGN STUDIO
tsaidesignstudio.com
year there were more than 5,000 artworks displayed in the huge Good Hope Centre, born from country-wide doodle sessions. “At some point we get told that we’re not good enough and stop creating,” says Judes. “Doodle sessions are very inclusive – you don’t have to have mad skills to participate.” Proceeds of the auctions and events went to charities, but for Judes – especially after the Red Bull Doodle Art Global Gallery landed in Cape Town during October – it’s all about “getting people to realise that they can create even when they have told themselves for so many years that they can’t”. @1000DrawingsSA THE RED BULLETIN
Tsai’s design for the Moyo Souk & Restaurant combines an eatery and a market into a unique culinary experience
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“ YOU CA N ’ T D E S IG N SOMETHING FOR S O M EO N E W H O S E L I F E S T Y L E YO U DO N ’ T R E A L LY U N D E R S TA N D ”
TH E I N N OVATO R
OLIVER BRAIN
G OO D D E S I G N I S A C O N S TA N T F E E D B AC K L O O P. I T ’S A LWAYS A LEARNING PROCESS
Street Sleeper was born out of Oliver Brain’s anxiety about the homeless. When he discovered that billboards could be re-purposed into tote bags, the idea struck to design a waterproof sleeping solution as a bulwark against Cape Town’s notorious weather. He set himself a challenge: going from idea to prototype, one bag on the street, in two weeks. By the end of his first winter he had 250 Street Sleepers in the field. The bags are built deep and wide, for multiple blankets and to provide storage for valuables. The waterproof billboard material provides insulation, negating the need for padding, which in turn prevents the bag’s interior from soaking up moisture. When not being slept in, the bag folds into a sling bag with a 50-litre carrying capacity. Street Sleeper works through a slick web interface, empowering people to donate or distribute the bags. For Brain, it’s important that the design is based in innovation. “The only thing I ask in return is feedback,” he says. “I’m designing it with homeless people. I’m providing them with a product that they are helping design. And I’m learning good design principles from them. Things that I would never think about, because I’m not homeless.” Ideally the project will expand internationally. By next winter Brain hopes to have a bigger production facility and to have used social media to grow the project to other cities. streetsleeper.org
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Life on the streets is harsh: “Street Sleeper is not a replacement for a home,” says Brain. “It’s about dealing with an immediate need. To make people feel safe, warm and valued”
The award-winning Mill Street Skate Park is such a hit that other suburbs are requesting skateparks of their own
“WE NEED BOLD SOLUTIONS TO CO N N EC T OU R CI T Y A N D OV E R C O M E T H E P H YS ICA L A N D ECO N O M I C D I V I D E S T H AT STILL EXIST”
TH E SKATERS
MARCO MORGAN & GERRIT STRYDOM O N C E PA R I A H S, S K AT E R S A R E N OW W E L C O M E T H A N KS TO SUCCESSFUL DESIGN
Standing on a busy corner at the edge of Cape Town’s swish Gardens suburb, with the roll-clack of skateboards echoing off the Mill Street flyover, Marco Morgan of the National Skate Collective smiles. “Skaters are still getting arrested,” he observes. The lack of safe spaces for skaters has led to an increase in tension between skaters, law enforcement and the general public. Then Marco points to the skatepark. “This is prime real estate: it’s in the city and it’s visible. Which means skaters are no longer relegated to the shadows.” The Mill Street Skate Park is a reclamation of dead space under a bridge, ringed in by see-through fencing that prevents the boards from flying off into passing traffic, but allows the skaters to be present in the ebb and flow of city life, without causing friction in the city’s shared spaces. “This is probably our greatest achievement: the intelligent re-use of space points to the opportunities for activating difficult public spaces,” says Gerrit Strydom, the urban planner (and skater) who was the driving force behind the project. Situated near a MyCiti bus stop, the skatepark integrates skating into the city as an accepted mode of transport. “It also means that skaters who haven’t previously connected can connect here,” says Morgan. “It works towards bridging divisions within the skating community itself – black and white, girls and boys, young and old.” @sk8collective
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Hayden Nickell executes a trick on a highline above Las Vegas
High-altitude slacklining takes tightrope walking to new heights – a nerve-racking test of balance on a swaying rope hundreds of metres in the air Words: Ann Donahue Photography: Dan Krauss
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE 57
In October 2013, several highliners walked between buildings at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas
T 58
wo-and-a-half centimetres is the length of a blade of grass, a baby carrot, a bottle top. It is the proverbial next to nothing. But for slackliners, this tiniest of measurements is the base of their sport. First, a definition: slacklining is not the same as tightrope walking. No offence to Nik Wallenda and his mammoth Niagara Falls and Grand Canyon tightrope walks, but slacklining is a different discipline. A tightrope, as the name implies, is a thin wire stretched taut. There is no give to the line, and the performer’s balance and centre of gravity are augmented by carrying a long pole. Slacklining takes place on 2.5cm-wide stretchy webbing anchored across a gap. Because it is pliable, a slackline is at the mercy of the elements – especially the wind. While a tightrope just sits tight, a slackline oscillates, and walkers can end up clinging to a line that’s behaving like a skipping rope whipped around by a sugar-fuelled schoolkid. “Instead of controlling the line and walking it, you’re along for the ride,” says Hayden Nickell, a 22-year-old professional
Andy Lewis sets his own highline before making a world-record crossing at the Mandalay Bay
WHILE A TIGHTROPE JUST LIES STILL, A SLACKLINE WOBBLES AND TAKES WALKERS FOR A RIDE
The safety rope used by highliners is attached to the ankle or waist
slackliner from Nederland, Colorado. “You have to walk in these weird intervals. As the line goes up, you have moments where you can take eight steps. At the opposite, you’re out of control and you’re at the mercy of the line and the wind.” Once relegated to parks and beaches as a hobby of the hippier-than-thou, slacklining is now branching out into several professional disciplines: tricklining, where performers combine gymnastics and choreography at competitions; urbanlining, which eschews the chasms of nature for the canyons between buildings; and yogalining, which incorporates asanas for those balancing and meditating on the line. 60
The most spectacular incarnation is highlining, where a slackline is rigged hundreds of metres in the air, in aweinspiring locations across America both natural and manmade, such as Yosemite National Park, Hell Roaring Canyon in Utah and the Las Vegas Strip where, in October 2013, the urban highlining world record was set, bringing attention to the daredevil sport. Protected from falling only by a leash around their waist or ankle, slackliners have to constantly respond to the dynamic changes in balance underfoot. “It’s like surfing,” says Nickell. “You wait for the good set to come in. You wait for the wind to die out and then you have
a 15-20-minute window to go out there and do your thing. Then another set of wind will come in and you back off.” The wind gives the highline an ominous sound, an eerie plucked bass note as the webbing reverberates in between its anchors. When a walker looks ahead on a slackline, the brain can only register a certain amount of height through its 45 degrees of peripheral vision – any slackline 100m high and above feels the same, Nickell says. Going up higher doesn’t make much difference, but there are still times as you go up when the chattering monkeys in your brain start up. “In your mind, you’re thinking ‘instant death’ as opposed to only being merely THE RED BULLETIN
“ T HERE’S NO RESPECT FOR SKILL ANYMORE. PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO TAKE RISKS NOWADAYS”
Getting back into position after a fall is incredibly difficult. After a tumble and a catch by the safety rope, a highliner has to pull himself back up onto the bouncing line
mangled at the bottom,” says Nickell. “The highline is a direct reflection of how you’re feeling on the inside. If you’re nervous, if you’re thinking about anything, all of a sudden the line is all messed up and you’re like ‘Ohhhh no.’” For the sport’s participants, it’s this blend of acute concentration and lifeor-death risk that makes the pursuit of slacklining a near-spiritual endeavour. Andy Lewis has a CV that should be the envy of any niche sport athlete. The 26-year-old holds multiple slackline world records: at the end of last year, he set the urban highlining world record by walking a 110m-long line 147m up at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. He’s been the star of numerous slackline videos in gorgeous locations – he lives in the extreme sports haven of Moab, Utah – and performed alongside Madonna during the 2012 Super Bowl half-time show. But he could care less about all that. “Why can’t I call slacklining a religion?” he asks. “The lifestyle behind slacklining has all the metaphors: one step at a time. Keep in balance. Control your fate. It directly translates to life.” Lewis has the word ‘Slacklife’ tattooed on his arm and earned the nickname Sketchy Andy from his more adrenalinfuelled endeavours, including BASEjumping off slacklines and free solo highlining, where he doesn’t wear a protective leash as he walks across lines suspended hundreds of metres in the air. Lewis believes that pushing the limits is the essence of slacklining, and as the sport continues to grow, he will conquer longer and higher and more dazzling lines to feed his soul – even if it terrifies the public. “People don’t want to watch you do things like that,” says Lewis. “But it’s horrible that today in life, there’s no respect for skill anymore. People are too afraid to take risks nowadays. All these pussies all over the place, they won’t even let their kids scrape their knees. Risk isn’t bad – you can be the safest mother----er on the planet and die when you crash your car.” slacklink.org
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MACHINE
ROLAND SANDS makes the most sought-after customised motorcycles in the world. Brad Pitt and Mickey Rourke ride his bespoke bikes. We uncover the secrets of his California workshop WORDS: ANN DONAHUE PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID HARRY STEWART
DREAMS
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otorcycles have always served as shorthand in pop culture: the person riding one was an iconoclast, a guy who knew that part of his charm was that his leather jacket was dusty and sun-baked, and he didn’t give a damn if mothers looked at him askance, because their daughters were looking at him in a much more promising way. Recently, however, that image has morphed into something beyond the Marlon Brando archetype. The epitome of cool is no longer just anyone who hops on a motorcycle. The machine itself has become a medium for style, a place to make an aesthetic statement. One of the main forces behind this evolution is Roland Sands, a motorcycle designer and customiser in Los Alamitos, California. Sands brings an artist’s eye to his machines – he is known for his clever, intricate creations that nod to both nostalgia and technology. With a team of 15, he installs custom retro design elements like vintage headlights and air cleaners on motorcycles alongside cutting-edge carbon-fibre parts. Recently, Sands has expanded into lifestyle goods for the wannabe rider in all of us: kick-ass oxblood leather jackets, gloves that pay homage to Peter Fonda’s Captain America in Easy Rider. And if gravel rash scars give one gravitas in the motorcycle industry, Sands, 40, has those, too. He’s a former AMA 250GP National Champion, 64
which gives him first-hand experience of how form can impact function. This authenticity has become his calling card. Motorcycle manufacturers including Ducati, BMW, Harley-Davidson and KTM have commissioned Sands for custom builds; his individual clients are a too-cool collective from the worlds of sport, music and film: Ryan Sheckler, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis, Brad Pitt and Mickey Rourke, among others. Rourke and Sands explore their love of motorcycles in one of the segments in the newly released film On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter. Here, Sands talks to The Red Bulletin about the melding of man, machine and manufacturing – and the mayhem that is the undercurrent of it all. the red bulletin: On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter reveals that there’s no such thing as a stereotypical motorcycle person. Do you agree? roland sands: Yeah, and at the same time, to ride a motorcycle, you need to be able to accept a certain amount of risk, and I think a large part of the population probably doesn’t do that. Maybe we’re all willing to take a measured risk. When did motorcycles go from being a hobby to being a career for you? My dad, Perry Sands, was a pioneer in
“TO RIDE A MOTORCYCLE, you need to be able to accept a certain amount of risk”
Roland Sands (top-left) superupgrades all types of bikes, from Harleys to motocross racers
motorcycle aftermarket parts in the 1970s, and he always pushed me to work hard. As a kid I spent a lot of time at the workshop doing all kinds of jobs, and I got to a point where I was over it. I wanted to do something different than work on an assembly. I quit and got a job delivering pizzas, but ended up getting too many traffic tickets, so they fired me. I think at that point I decided that a creative approach was what I needed to stay interested in the business, so I asked for my job back. He was nice enough to rehire me and dropped my pay. How did you get into racing? When I was 18 years old, my dad took me to a road-race school and I loved it. I ended up going pretty quick and something just clicked for me. I really enjoyed the sense of accomplishment, the mental fight, overcoming challenges. I can’t remember all the injuries I’ve had, but I’ve broken over 30 bones. Little bones, big bones, sprains,
“I’VE BROKEN OVER 30 BONES. Little bones, big bones. Half racing, half doing stupid stuff” concussions, broken back, crushed liver, ribs, lungs – just stupid stuff. How much of that was doing dumb stuff and how much of that was racing? The broken bones are probably half and half. Skateboards and dirt bikes contributed to that number for sure. When did you retire from pro racing? I quit racing in 2002, when I was 28. I’d put 10 years of my life into it. When I left I was quite depressed. I didn’t realise for a year or so how fortunate I was to have another direction open to me, and then product design and building motorcycles more than filled that hole. Racing is performance-driven – you’re only as fast as your last race. It’s temporary. As a racer I’d always felt a little incomplete, like I was searching for something more permanent, and I was lucky to have found it within design and the motorcycle culture. When did you realise you had an interest in designing motorcycles? 66
When I was 16, the first time I designed something for my dad, around the time that I lost the pizza delivery job. I’d been sketching bikes since I was a kid. I designed a motorcycle wheel hand-sketching in 2D, then I learned a bit of 3D while I was racing. I started 3D modelling with software. I think we were one of the first aftermarket motorcycle companies to use 3D
modelling extensively. It helped us create a unique and progressive style that I still use today. Ten years ago, you appeared on reality TV shows in America, including Biker Build-Off and Build Or Bust. Do you think those shows helped popularise custom bike builds? You know, that’s a mixed bag. Reality TV exposed a lot of people to motorcycle THE RED BULLETIN
Above: Sands gets to work on a BMW R90 at his workshop, with help from head fabricator Aaron Boss Right: putting a customised RSD Suzucati through its paces
customisation, but also taught people that motorcycle customisers are idiots. It’s entertainment versus education. People want to be entertained. They don’t essentially want to learn, but they think they’re learning, which TV is good at. They think they’re being entertained and educated at the same time, when it’s really sucking the souls from their bodies. But surely appearing on those shows helped expand your business? At the time it was the right thing to do for me. Doing those shows positioned us as a pioneer for a new style of bike building, but also it made me look like an idiot. Like, “Yeah! Let’s go crash a motorcycle for fun!” I would do it differently today. Do you see yourself as a control freak? I work with a lot of talented people, and my job is easier because I can depend on them. I exist to make sure things don’t get f--ked up. I’m the creative filter, so anything that leaves this shop I have to get my eyes or my hands on. How do your celebrity deals work? It’s different with everyone. We did a project for Brad Pitt and I didn’t talk to him apart from the first time we met, and we never released the bike to the public at his request. With Mickey Rourke, it was very personal and we got to know each other. I think the bike helped him connect with his brother, who was a big bike guy and he really looked up to. With Anthony Kiedis, it’s been really cool. We first met at Jay Leno’s place, where we got to see all these amazing vehicles together, so I got a true feel for what he liked. He writes a lot of his songs on his bike, so I feel this extra responsibility to deliver him something he’s going to love. Now your bikes are considered art. As an artistic focus, I think motorcycles are unparalleled, because there’s so much you can do with them. Not just building them but riding them, being a part of the machine and just dedicating your craft to the art of two wheels. I mean, it’s not a car. You have to connect the dots, and it’s all exposed to the world, even the rider. It’s truly design, function, fashion and form that all get smashed together into this creature that you ride. Do you test everything yourself? I don’t feel comfortable shipping out a bike unless I’ve tried it out first. If there’s ever a question about the way we’re building something, I always ask myself, “Would I jump on this bike and ride it?” If the answer is no, we change it. Do you ever think to yourself, ‘Damn, I really want to keep this one?’ Every time. rolandsands.com
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Power ranger
CYCLIST DANNY MACASKILL ON HIS ELECTRIC MOTORBIKE
MARCO CAMPELLI
PRO TOOLS, page 70
THE RED BULLETIN
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ACTION!
PRO TOOLS
MAC’S MUSTS ESSENTIALS ON AND OFF THE BIKE
Rear brake This is where the clutch would be on bikes that run on petrol
Battery Weighs about 28kg, provides power for up to two hours. Takes a minute to change
SENNHEISER HEADPHONES
No exhaust So it’s environmentally friendly, quiet and you won’t burn yourself
“These are old – they don’t make this model any more – but they never break. We’ve grown together over the years.” sennheiser.com
Engine Generates up to 22hp at 4,400rpm: plenty of power for off-roading
RUMBLE ROLLER “Uncomfortable but wonderful for massaging your connective tissue. I discovered it for recovery but it also helps after a long day on the bike.”
Charging unit Just plug it in. It’s 80 minutes for a full charge, 50 for half
rumbleroller.com
All power to him K TM FREERIDE E STREET TRIALS CYCLIST AND YOUTUBE LEGEND DANNY MACASKILL IS IN LOVE WITH HIS ELECTRIC MOTORBIKE ‘Mega-Skill’ and kilowatts: Danny MacAskill’s electro phase
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“The KTM Freeride E makes the transition to motorbikes for me as a cyclist easy,” says Danny MacAskill, 28. “It has no gears, no clutch, no hot exhaust and the handlebar has two brake levers, like on a bicycle. I could ride up walls on it within a couple of days! It needs to be set up perfectly for tricks that I can
do with my eyes closed on my regular bike, but I have used my Freeride E to freeride trails I then tackle with my mountain bike. As for whether I’ll ever do a video with one of these… I’ve already played with the idea, but I need to practise a bit more first.” ktmfreeride-e.com
FIVE TEN FREERIDER “This shoe has the perfect grip for all conditions, including the Scottish rain. And must be good: it’s named after me!” fiveten.com
THE RED BULLETIN
ACTION!
WORKOUT
Fly boy: no diver cuts through the air as elegantly as Orlando Duque
Double figures: Duque is a 10time cliff diving world champion
It’s all in the legs
DEAN TREML/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, CAMILO ROZO/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, THERA-BAND®
HERI IRAWAN
CLIFF DIVING WORLD-LEADING PLUNGEMAN ORLANDO DUQUE ON HOW TO HONE A DIVER’S PHYSIQUE “The most important thing in our sport is the leg muscles,” says Orlando Duque, the 40-year-old Colombian who’s the greatest cliff-diver of his generation. “First for take-off, and then for landing, because we land in the water feet first. When you dive from a height of 27m at around 85kph, you have to press your legs together with all your might. So it’s really important for me to do special exercises. One-legged squats are routine.” As well as the squats, Duque’s workouts include “a regular mix of cardio, weights, diving and mental training. I vary my endurance training – running, cycling, swimming, rowing, stand-up paddling – but luckily Hawaii, the place which I’ve chosen to make home, is ideal for that.”
D O I T L I K E D U Q U E: P R OT ECT YO U R ES S EN T I A LS
redbullcliffdiving.com
B A N D P R A CT I C E
“The last thing you want is for your legs to come apart as you hit the water at 85kph,” Duque explains, “which is why it’s most important for you to work on your leg muscles.”
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ORLANDO’S FLEXIBLE WORKOUT FRIEND “I travel a lot, but I don’t have the space for heavy workout equipment. My alternative, which I am never without, is elastic TheraBands. They are light, don’t take up much space or cost a lot of money. You can use them for resistance training or to warm up. I always do bicep curls and shoulder presses: three sets of 10-15 reps each.
THE RED BULLETIN
In your regular standing pose, hook your right ankle into an elastic TheraBand or expander with one end fixed
Raise and lower your right leg slowly and evenly. Change legs after three sets of 12-15 reps each
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ACTION!
TRAVEL Get real: try a scary shoot ’em up in an old New York factory
GET O UT TA TOWN MORE TO DO OUTSIDE NYC
FLY A two-hour drive from NYC, at the foot of the Shawangunk Mountains in Ellenville, sits the Mountain Wings Flight Park, dubbed the hang gliding capital of the Northeast.
The great escape
mtnwings.com
WAR GAMES IF WATCHING OTHERS DO BATTLE DOESN’T SATISFY YOUR ADRENALIN CRAVING, GET UP, GET OUT AND GET UP-CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH ARMIES, AND ZOMBIES, THAT ARE ALL TOO REAL
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FISH Travel by train to Montauk for a shark fishing trip in the North Atlantic. Sail out on one of Captain John Krol’s two charter boats, start spreading the chum and wait. movin-oncharters.com
Shoot on sight: get kitted out and then corner your friends
ADVICE FROM THE INSIDE A BUZZ, LITERALLY Participants in IES’s law enforcement and military training scenarios wear the ‘shockbelt’ system, which sends an electric current through them when hit. “Our insurance has given us a preliminary thumbs up to use it recreationally,” says founder Peter Fermoselle. “It’s a real game-changer.”
ziplinenewyork.com
THE RED BULLETIN
NICK AMIES
FLOAT Drive out from the Big Apple to the Appalachians and strap yourself to the highest, longest, fastest zip-line in North America.
GETTY IMAGES(2)
You may be hot stuff when you’re sitting on the sofa, console controller in hand, battling through computerised combat scenarios or fighting off the pixelated zombie apocalypse. But how will you cope when you’re forced out of your comfort zone and into a real-world war zone? Strap on a replica, laser targeted M4 assault rifle or holster a modified Glock pistol and find out at the Indoor Extreme Sports, non-lethal, combat facility in Queens, New York. IES takes authentic training scenarios used by the US Army and law enforcement agencies and combines them with the most intense laser tag experiences you can imagine to bring shoot ’em up gaming to life. “Our advanced M4 military platform is as real as it gets,” says IES founder Peter Fermoselle. “It’s light years ahead of the training system the US military currently employs.” Two main war games are on offer within the 38,000-square-foot former cheese factory that houses the IES company’s various battlegrounds. “Your every sense is at its limit in there,” says Adam Green, A 90-minute session costs a survivor of a close encounter US$20-40 per of the undead kind. “The adrenalin player depending really pumps through you and on scenario and pushes you right to the edge. day of the week. I was very scared, you bet. They indoorextreme sports.com come at you from everywhere.”
ACTION!
MY CITY
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WINTER SPORT ACTION IN AND AROUND TORONTO
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An hour out of the city is the solid Tiffany Falls. You learn the ropes, literally, then hack up the frozen blue ice using crampons and an ice pick. Breathtaking. ontariooutdoor.com
Keys ’N Krates (l-r): David Matisse, Adam Tune and Jr Flo
TOP FIVE BEST OF TORONTO
place to drink wine with your friends outdoors. The cops never bother you. Everyone sits and watches the white squirrels, which live here peacefully and aren’t scared of people at all.”
SKIDOO RIDING
CORBIS, RW PHOTOGRAPHIC INC, DALE TIDY/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, GETTY IMAGES(3)
Everything for everybody TORONTO LAID-BACK COPS, WHITE SQUIRRELS AND SECRET SUPERSTAR DJS. WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT CANADA’S MUST-SEE METROPOLIS “The best thing about our city is its variety,” says Jr Flo, of Keys ’N Krates, a Toronto trio who are currently one of Canada’s most successful electronic bands. “There are so many people from so many different backgrounds living here. Any one of them will praise Toronto, without being prompted, as the best, safest, most tolerant and most liveable city in the world.” “The music scene here is vibrant,” says David Matisse, “Acts like The Weeknd or Drake once made free mixtapes, put them online and got a huge international fanbase. Now fresh Toronto-based acts are making noise online before they even play a show in Toronto. Check them out!” Next time you’re in Canada’s biggest city – a 90-minute flight from New York City – go with these suggestions and have a fine time. keysnkrates.com
THE RED BULLETIN
1 KENSINGTON MARKET, Kensington Ave “This place is run-down but legendary. A multicultural area full of Indian shops, Rastafarian cafés and hippies having a smoke. Each week there’s the Pedestrian Sunday street festival.”
2 PIZZERIA LIBRETTO, 221 Ossington Ave “You can get good pizza all over Toronto, but what chef Rocco conjures up here is unmatched. You have to have their sausage pizza with caramelised onions.” 3 TRINITY BELLWOODS PARK, 155 Crawford St “An oasis right in the heart of the downtown hubbub and a chilled
4 COSMOS WEST RECORDS, 652 Queen St “An extremely overpriced record store. You pay double what an LP is worth. So why do people go? Because no other shop in the world has such an extraordinary selection of rare treasures.”
5 THE HOXTON, 69 Bathurst St “An insider tip for anyone who wants to hear live house music. Acts that are just about to make it big play here. You should never miss the afterparty and their ‘surprise guests’ often turn out to be superstars.”
The forests around Toronto are paradise in winter for those who do skidoo. Newbies can learn quickly; seasoned vets will carve the snow at 100kph. backcountrytours.ca
DOG SLEDDING Take the reins of a team of four-six huskies and travel in style the old-fashioned Canadian way. Half-day and full-day adventures are available. trythat.ca
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GAMES
TEAM P L AY E R DON’T BE ALONE: THREE INDIE GAMES WITH CO-OP MODE
FOUL PLAY British chap Baron Dashforth and protégé Scampwick pummel monsters before an audience. An interactive stage play and fight game in one, for PC, Xbox 360 and PS4.
Heed the call C ALL OF DUTY THE KING OF FIRST-PERSON SHOOTERS IS BACK – AND HEADING TO THE FUTURE
Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare, for PC, Xbox and PlayStation callofduty.com
The year is 2054. Humanity holds its breath as a mysterious terror organisation blows up nuclear power stations all around the world. Governments are powerless, so private military firms step into the breach and fight the terrorists with all the firepower that 40 years’ time has to offer. Right in the middle of this almighty fight is where you, playing Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare, come in. For some, this isn’t just another first-person shooter: it is the definitive first-person shooter. For others, it’s the prime example of a blockbuster
Terrorists against private armies: the future according to Call Of Duty
where not much bar the packaging changes (Advanced Warfare is the game’s 11th version). But one thing is clear: Call Of Duty is insanely popular, with sales of over 100 million copies. This success story began back in 2003, when Call Of Duty – a first-person shooter played out in a World War II environment – made its debut. The annual follow-ups have been set in various other times, including the Cold War and the present day. The series broke new ground by making war games feel somehow more authentic, from the shock waves caused by explosions to the recoil of weapons and tactical challenges. That feeling lingers in Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare, even though your arsenal includes futuristic combat drones, smart grenades and superpower-endowing exoskeletons.
BATTLEBLOCK THEATER Together, the two of you have to negotiate more than 80 levels of traps, platforms, enemies and daft sight gags. For PC and Xbox 360.
CALL OF DUTY IN NUMBERS
100
million players around the world
billion vehicles destroyed
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That’s more than the populations of Germany, Austria and Greece combined.
Five times more than all the vehicles currently registered on Earth.
About 2.85 million years longer than the man’s entire evolutionary history.
In other words (or figures), that is 32,200,000, 000,000,000 shots.
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billion hours played
quadrillion shots fired
THE RED BULLETIN
VALVE, ESL
GUACAMELEE The Super Turbo Championship edition of a game featuring fighting, figuring-out and fun, with a Mexican wrestling theme. Grapple with it on PC, PlayStation and Xbox.
N I G H T L I F E
House punks: The Zombie Kids Cumhur Jay (left) and Edgar Candel Kerri backstage at Razzmatazz in Barcelona
FIRE
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B a rcel o na l oves el ect ro ni c m us ic i n the sa m e way it l oves fo otball. Ra zz mata zz i s T he N o u C a m p. T he Zo m bi e K i ds a re M ess i a nd N ey ma r. T he a ssa ult o n goal k i c ks off at 3.30am WORDS: ANDREAS ROTTENSCHLAGER PHOTOGRAPHY: YUKY LUTZ
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nyone who wants to know how the music world works should check out how The Zombie Kids produced their first hit. In the video for the song Face, which they uploaded to YouTube in May 2011, the opening shots are of a queue of girls and a band with a synth player prominent. A repetitive beat, possibly a sample, quite catchy, keeps time. Then the focus shifts to the vocalist. He is black, with a shaved head and silver teeth. He’s wearing leather jacket, nothing underneath, that has black feathers on the back that, from the front, look like a pair of wings. At this point, you’re thinking, ‘Hmm’. The music kicks in after 16 seconds, and by second 19, you’re thinking that this guy has secured the band a hit. The Zombie Kids provide the musical foundations: Cumhur Jay, known as Jay, on synthesizer and Edgar Candel Kerri on bass. There are then various shots of beautiful young people. The women are dancing, the shirtless, tattooed men are shadow boxing. The video tells you a lot you need to know about the band’s taste. “We shot the video in Jay’s living room,” says Edgar. And who is that flamboyant vocalist? “He’s called Aqeel and he was a total unknown in 2011 [when the video was uploaded]. We liked the clothes he was wearing, so we got him behind the mic.” Face made The Zombie Kids stars, got them a record deal with Universal, an 78
advertising deal with Mexico’s largest brewery and an MTV Europe award. If you want to book the duo, be prepared to provide two five-star hotel rooms and vegetarian menus. They won’t fly Ryanair. “We followed an old punk adage,” says Edgar, explaining their success. “Just do everything yourself.”
B AC K F RO M T H E D E A D
It is a hot August evening in Barcelona. Edgar and Cumhur are lolling around on the couch in Edgar’s loft apartment with its white walls, high ceilings and a huge flat-screen TV. The Zombie Kids are just a little bit tired. They’ve basically spent the last three years touring. They’ve played festivals in Abu Dhabi and shot music videos in Guatemala. They’ve done 26 club concerts in the last 30
“You n g p e o p l e n ow l i ste n to a crazy mi x of h ou se, ro c k an d ra p. We make mu si c for th e S p otif y g e n e rati o n”
Far-flung fan: Pallis Lyons (above, hands aloft) travelled 17,000km to see The Zombie Kids Left: there’s a lot of love in the crowd at Razzmatazz
Boys night out: Zombie Kids at play and (facing page, top) Edgar shares champagne with revellers
days. But they’re also a little bit tense. Tonight they’re playing Razzmatazz, which is a bit like FC Barcelona playing at the Nou Camp. “A home game,” says Edgar, then points to the TV, which is showing a Spanish pre-season friendly. Edgar, 35, has eyebrows groomed so they point up in the middle and is wearing a pair of surf shorts. His body is covered in tattoos, including P-U-N-K on the knuckles of his right hand. He played guitar in a hardcore band as a kid. He has toured Europe in clapped-out old buses. Jay, 34, has a full, black beard and is wearing a baseball cap backwards. He studied economics in London, but almost bankrupted himself spending all his money on records. Jay is the band’s sound nerd. Like Edgar, he also has tattoos on his arms and legs, but he wears long-sleeved shirts when he’s negotiating contracts, when, he says, “a discrete look helps”. Edgar and Jay are known for the flamboyant excesses of their live shows. They spray a lot of champagne into the crowd and dress up their singers in a string of weird costumes. In Madrid, they threw 6,000 American one-dollar bills into the crowd. “They didn’t believe it was real money,” says Jay. “They just carried on dancing.” 80
Night moves: at 4am, people aren’t just dancing in front of the stage (below right). They’re dancing on it, too (below)
N I G H T L I F E Hot (pants) in here: there’s no dresscode at Razzmatazz, but short shorts go a long way
week. People are used to top-level acts. The crowd is critical. You’ve got to whip up the crowd at the highpoint of the night, between three and four in the morning.”
FIRE
Their music is a rebellion against genre barriers. “We produce music for the Spotify generation,” explains Edgar. “Young people now listen to a crazy mix of house, rock and rap. We’re DJs who mix our musical styles. Or we bring old styles back to life. Like zombies coming back from the dead.” On the pair’s albums you will find senseless party anthems, such as Spanish Sauce Mafia, and hard-hitting rap numbers, like Broke. In their videos you’ll see hipsters in pink leggings, rappers with dreads and Staffies.
B AC K S TAG E
“You ’ve g ot to w h ip u p th e crowd at th e h i g h p oi nt of th e n i g ht, b et we e n th re e and fo u r i n th e m o r n i n g ”
It’s 1am. Edgar and Jay are in a taxi heading for Razzmatazz, in Barcelona’s former industrial area, Poblenou, which is dominated by brick buildings and covered in graffiti. The club, which opened in 1986, is housed in a former cotton mill. Backstage, it smells like a party room in a basement. There are tiled walls, a worn-out red sofa and cans of beer in a battered fridge. “There’s no better springboard to an international career than Barcelona,” explains Jay, not least because of the agenda-setting electronic music festivals Sonar and Primavera that bring highprofile names to the city every year. A large number of them also play at Razzmatazz. “A-Track, Fatboy Slim and Diplo will all play here on a good
At 2.30am, Jay puts a 32GB memory stick into the DJ decks on the stage. On it are 929 songs, more than enough ammunition for a two-and-a-half-hour set; Edgar and Jay create playlists on the fly. At the edge of the stage, roadies are bringing up equipment: confetti cannons, smoke machines, two bottles of Moet. The lights go out. The first song comes thumping out of the speakers: a DJ Assault cover amplified with 13,000 Watts. The song is called Suck My Motherf–cking Dick. About 2,000 people, almost all of them under 30, move closer to the decks. Edgar and Jay do a remix of Billie Jean. They treat Michael Jackson’s vocal as beats, slowing it down, doubling the speed. The Zombie Kids are getting the place warmed up. For the all-important 3-4am hour, they change the tempo. At 3am on the dot, they raise the bpm from 100 to 128. It’s party time. The crowd is a maelstrom of arms and smartphones raised aloft. Edgar stands at the turntables with his legs apart, like a gunslinger ready for a duel. The highlight of the night comes at 3.30am Jay and Edgar play another one of their songs featuring Aqeel, called Fire. About 2,000 people sing along to the chorus: “Got me burning inside like fire.” The confetti machines spew out gold glitter. Edgar sprays champagne into the crowd. The DJs and the crowd are one. Young women are dancing on the stage. Yet the most awestruck fan in the place doesn’t cast t a sideways glance. Curly-haired 30-year-old Pallis Lyons has travelled from Sydney, Australia, to see The Zombie Kids. Jay secured him a backstage pass. Pallis is next to the decks, taking photos on his phone. “The Zombies wanted to play in Australia,” he roars, “but it didn’t work out. So I thought to myself, ‘F–k it. I’ll go to them instead.’” A second shower of glitter rains down on the crowd. The fun goes on till 5am. Fifteen minutes later, Edgar and Jay are sitting backstage. The Barcelona game was a home win. Jay says that you can only make it big if you do a lot of gigs. Edgar says sometimes he doesn’t know which city he’s woken up in, but he can still manage a laugh as he says goodbye. The Zombie Kids will play 200 club gigs in 2014 in all. In eight hours’ time, they’ll be on a plane heading for Madrid. thezombiekids.es
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ACTION!
PARTY
Size matters: The Assembly has space for large events
YEAR OF DANCE DID YOU GET DOWN TO THE CLUB MUSIC TRENDS OF 2014?
GQOM This is the new house style of the Durban townships: darkly hypnotic tribal music with a broken syncopated beat. Our tip: the DJ mixes from Jumping Back Slash.
Godfather sound CAPE TOWN EVERYONE’S A VIP AT UNPRETENTIOUS BUT HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL THE ASSEMBLY
THE ASSEMBLY 61 Harrington Street District Six, Cape Town theassembly.co.za
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BATIDA
INSIDER INFO ALAIN FERRIER, 33, CO-OWNS BEANSTALK, WHICH PRODUCES THE CAPE TOWN WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL
In Lisbon, DJs like Marfox combine musical styles from Portugal’s former colonies with hard beats. The result: vibrant house music that makes you sweat even sitting down.
THE BEST PLACE IN TOWN FOR ROMANCE IS… Asoka on Kloof Street still has swagger. AN ARTIST EVERY CAPETONIAN SHOULD KNOW IS… John Wizards, Toby 2 Shoes, Maoriginal, Jacobsnake and Regan. AFTER HOURS I VISIT… Bullion Bar, below street level on Burg Street. IF YOU’RE REALLY HUNGOVER TRY… Sucking on a Bloody Mary, followed by breakfast at Lazari off Buitenkant Street.
JERSEY CLUB DJ Sliink and his crew in New Jersey make hyperactive dance from offbeat sources like jingles, R&B scraps and thumping kick drums, often found in Vine clips. Contagious.
THE RED BULLETIN
JULIAN GRAHAM(5)
When The Assembly opened in 2007, it succeeded because the owners had done their homework, consulting with local artists until they understood the need for a venue that could accommodate crowds of 700 or more that the most popular acts were pulling in. “This opened up new opportunities for exposing Capetonians to top acts,” says co-owner Duncan Ringrose, “because before The Assembly, you had to choose between big events featuring international acts, or nothing at all.” Located in an old warehouse on Harrington Street in Cape Town’s Fringe district, The Assembly has for the last seven years been the city’s premier live performance venue, with a line-up that takes in everything from stand-up comedy to indie rock, from The Bloody Beetroots to The Gaslamp Killer. Dozens of highprofile performers have applauded the club’s ‘plug in and play’ professionalism, and brands have responded by tailoring their events to the fit the club’s style.
JHB 47675/OJ As seen on DStv/SuperSport
WATCH 150 PSL GAMES LIVE ON A DEDICATED 24 HOUR CHANNE L AND HIGHLIGHTS ON 3 MAGAZINE SHOWS - EXTRA TIME, BACK PAGE S AND THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE. DON’T JUST EXIST, LIVE IT LOUD.
ACTION!
MUSIC
MUSIC APPS 2.0 Flying Lotus’s second album, Los Angeles, is a masterpiece of crackly jazz samples, nervy computer game sounds and stuttering hip-hop beats from a drum machine smoking a joint. Released in 2008, it shook up electronic music. Hordes of young musicians copied his psychedelic style while stars like Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Snoop Dogg and Herbie Hancock outed themselves as fans. The latter two appear on his sixth and latest album, You’re Dead!, a bleak, conceptual album about death featuring electronic fusion jazz from the future. The 31-year-old Californian, whose passport shows to be Steven Ellison, told The Red Bulletin about the jazz albums that get him jazzed.
‘I want outrageous ideas’ P LAYLIST SPAWNING HIP-HOP, A VIEW WITH A SHROOM AND BIG BRASS: FLYING LOTUS’S TOP FIVE JAZZ ALBUMS
flying-lotus.com
1 Weather Report
2 Miles Davis
3 Alice Coltrane
“I discovered this album 10 years ago, not long before I started putting out records. I’ve probably listened to it a million times since then because it features one of my favourite tracks of all time, Manolete. It’s so funky and cool; just such a vibe, man. And the beat feels so hip-hop, years before hip-hop had even arrived.”
“Miles played the trumpet like a guy who didn’t like to smile. He had this sort of, ‘Nah, f––k you all.’ This album in particular captures the essence of that moody loner vibe. He has the sound of the observer; I love that about it. It’s one of the first jazz albums to feature the Rhodes electric piano, which is one of my favourite instruments.”
“This album, by my greataunt, is very influential to what I do. It came out not long after her husband John Coltrane died. I was exposed to her music at a young age, but the first moment I really felt I understood her music was when I tried mushrooms for the first time. I was like, ‘Wow, she saw that stuff already.’ She knows what’s behind the curtain.”
4 Soft Machine
5 Charles Mingus
“Strictly speaking this isn’t jazz, it’s progressive rock, but I’ve got to include it because it’s one of my favourite albums of all time. It’s a straight listen, everything blends and ties together, which is exactly what I wanted to achieve with You’re Dead!. The ideas are outrageous. The lyrics are wacky, but musically it’s just so amazing.”
“It feels like a stage play because Mingus’s sound is so theatrical, there’s so much drama. I love that in jazz solos. Once the instrumentalist gets going, my thoughts begin to drift. I think about life and death. And then I come back again and I’m like, ‘Damn!’ That’s what they’re trying to do. They’re trying to take you places.”
Sweetnighter
Volume 2
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In A Silent Way
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
RADIOHEAD: POLYFAUNA A recent update, after its debut in February, adds new sounds and visuals unconnected to the original content based on a track from 2011 album The King Of Limbs.
Lord Of Lords
BERNHOFT: ISLANDER The Norwegian soul poet turns the listener into a producer. His app lets you remix, restructure or add new effects to songs in a virtual recording studio.
H I G H EN D; M I G HTY UPGRADE YOUR POCKET PLAYER
SONY NWZ-A17 Thirty-five years after Sony launched their game-changing Walkman comes their latest portable music machine: the world’s smallest and lightest hi-res audio player. with 64GB of memory, and a MicroSD slot for more tunes. If you’re mourning the classic iPod, get this instead. sony.com
BJÖRK: BIOPHILIA Yes, you may know that the ‘world’s first app album’ came out in 2010, but did you know that it has just gone on the school curriculum in Iceland and Scandinavia?
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WINDISHAGENCY.COM
Flower power: Flying Lotus
MUSICIANS WHO AUGMENT OUR REALITY WITH CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY
Tshwane’s strength lies in the rich variety of its
natural, historical and cultural heritage. Its warm and pleasant climate – hot summers and cool, dry winters – makes it an ideal tourist destination all year round. It is the home of jazz and is also renowned as the country’s capital of performing and visual arts, boasting several art galleries.
The State Theatre and smaller theatres regularly stage a wide variety exceptional productions in all genres and feature local and international artists. For those who love to shop, Menlyn Park Shopping Centre – one of the biggest retail destinations in the southern hemisphere – is the place to be.
L IGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! HOLY BIBLE BLOCKBUSTER!
Q & A
MICHIEL HUISMAN
How does Ridley Scott’s upcoming Exodus: Gods And Kings rate among big-screen scripture epics?
After prominent roles on TV in Treme, Nashville and Orphan Black, the 33-yearold Dutchman signed up to become a regular in the hit series Game Of Thrones. This month he’s romancing Reese Witherspoon on the big screen in Wild, based on Cheryl Strayed’s memoir of her 1,100-mile hike of self-discovery
King David
(1985) Richard Gere as the slayer of Goliath Praise be? Lord, no!
The Last Temptation Of Christ
Words: Geoff Berkshire
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The Passion Of The Christ
(2004) Jim Caviezel as friendly carpenter son of God Praise be? Lord, yes!
Noah
(2014) Russell Crowe as sailor/zookeeper Praise be? Lord, yes!
Wild sex scenes with Reese Witherspoon? “You have to jump in and see how it goes” it was like, ‘You’re talking about Jonathan again?’ But he was cool, we were all joking. Can you imagine taking on something like Cheryl’s hike across America’s West Coast? Yes, but it would have to be slackpacking for four days with my wife, and we would have our backpacks sent to the next hotel! But I would also like to try it a little more seriously. Watching the movie, you think, ‘I really want to go for a long walk.’ Do people recognise you
from Game Of Thrones? Last year it was funny to be on three different shows. People would come up to me and I’d assess them and think ‘OK, they watch Game Of Thrones’ and they’d say ‘I love you on Nashville!’ But now that I’ve fully joined Game Of Thrones, I won’t be doing any other TV. So no more Orphan Black? Well, we’re working with the producers to see if it’s possible to create a better exit. It’s safe to say you may see Cal again.
Exodus: Gods And Kings (out December 12) Christian Bale as Red Sea-parter Praise be? Lord, yes!
CORBIS, 20TH CENTURY FOX
the red bulletin: Your character has some very intimate moments with Reese Witherspoon in Wild. How did you handle that? michiel huisman: You have to jump in and see how it goes. Sex was an important element for Jonathan, my character in the story. Cheryl is on a trail and she meets a lot of people, but at the point she meets Jonathan, something is slowly starting to shift. Before when she was with a guy, it had this selfdestructive element to it. And here, it felt like the start of more of a positive experience, having fun with a guy. She literally walks into my life and walks out the next day. Did you meet Cheryl and talk about her experiences? I had dinner with Cheryl, her husband and [Wild director] Jean-Marc Vallee. We were able to ask her questions about Jonathan. A lot we already knew from the book, but whatever we didn’t know we got from Cheryl whenever her husband went to the bathroom. We’d ask, ‘How was it really?’ And then every time her husband came back,
(1988) David Bowie as Jesus’s judge Pontius Pilate Praise be? Lord, yes!
foxsearchlight.com/wild
THE RED BULLETIN
/redbulletin
Visual Storytelling Beyond the ordinary
Ellinor Olovsdotter has the flu. The rising star known as Elliphant often gets sick when she visits LA, she explains, raspy-voiced and half naked, completely unself-conscious about her
THE CAPTAIN OF ADVENTURE ALL-ROUND ACTION HERO WILL GADD IS A LIVING LEGEND IN THE TRUEST SENSE.
„MEINE EINZIGE ANGST IST DIE ANGST SELBST“
„MEINE EINZIGE ANGST IST DIE ANGST SELBST“
body. The globe-trotting former model from the wrong side of the tracks is part of a Nordic
SIMPLY THE BEST
new wave of fierce dance-pop divas, alongside fellow Swedes Icona Pop, Robyn, Lykke
Experience the new
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ACTION!
SAVE THE DATE Ride on: Graham Jarvis will be the man to beat at the 2014 Roof of Africa
December 4-6
The Roof beckons The toughest hard enduro this side of the equator roars off into the Lesotho highlands when the storied Roof of Africa gets under way for the 47th time. South Africa’s talented young rider Wade Young will be looking to make up for his DNF last year and add another title to his collection, but with the current crop of the world’s best hard enduro riders on the start line, he won’t have things all his own way. roofofafrica.info
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November 23
Season’s finale The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix brings down the curtain on the 2014 F1 season. It looks like a straight shoot-out between Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton for the title, but if things go pear-shaped, Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo will be on hand to have a sneak shot at glory. formula1.com
THE RED BULLETIN
DON’T MISS
December 2
King Tut on tour
MORE DATES FOR THE DIARY
Crowned pharaoh at the tender age of eight but dead by 18, King Tutankhamun has intrigued archaeologists since his treasure-trove tomb was discovered almost 100 years ago. This exhibition in Johannesburg re-creates the tomb to provide an experience that can’t compare to looking at treasures in glass cabinets.
23 NOVEMBER
WATCH THE BIG CLASH
tut-exhibition.co.za
November 28-29
Origin of Trails This two-day mountain bike race through a selection of Stellenbosch’s extensive network of trails is for riders who care about the courses on which they compete. Much of the entry fee is ploughed back into the Stellenbosch Trail Building Fund which looks after Jonkershoek trail maintenance, so entering Origin of Trails is a no-brainer: ride now, and enjoy more later. Twitter: @OriginOfTrails
icc-cricket.com
28 NOVEMBER
December 13 TYRONE BRADLEY/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, GETTY IMAGES/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, SC EXHIBITIONS, CHERIE VALE, STEVE GULLICK
The fifth One Day International between Australia and South Africa will be a must-win for the Proteas as they look to protect their place at the top of the International Cricket Council’s world rankings.
Sonic South Africa
DRINK IN THE DWELLINGS The Kome Caves Beer Fest in Lesotho takes place over three days near the Ha Kome cave dwellings with camping, arts and crafts, live music and plenty of refreshments.
With their eighth album Sonic Highways released in November, there couldn’t be a better time for one of rock’s most influential bands to tour South Africa for the first time. Foo Fighters will play Cape Town on December 10 before hitting Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium for a gig that will showcase why Dave Grohl’s band is so highly regarded.
komecaves festival.com
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foofighters.com
NOVEMBER
December 1
December 6
November 26-December 7
December 14
What’s that?
Party in the park
Freedom calling
Old foes
Rob van Vuuren’s awardwinning comedy show WhatWhat opens at the Baxter Theatre. Better known as Twakkie from The Most Amazing Show, Van Vuuren’s latest stand-up won him the 2013 Standard Bank Ovation Award for taking audiences on a trip into the ridiculous world of the WhatWhat. Twitter: @RobVanVuuren
After completing two sell-out shows in Cape Town, American folk-rock five-piece The Lumineers make their way to Johannesburg for a daytime concert at Emmarentia Dam. The whistle-stop tour of South Africa makes up the band’s last live appearances for the year, so it’s definitely worth checking out. thelumineers.com
School’s out, which means it’s time for the annual pilgrimage to Plett Rage for a heady mix of beach, sun and party. The all-access ‘freedom pass’ isn’t cheap, but neither are some of the big acts who will be ripping up the decks: Goldfish, Sibot, Niskerone and Grimehouse to name just a few. plettrage.co.za
Old Trafford welcomes Brendan Rogers’ Liverpool as Manchester United attempt to recreate some of the mystique that made their home ground a daunting place to visit in years gone by. But Liverpool go into the match as favourites having won here 3-0 last season. A crunch encounter awaits. premierleague.com
THE RED BULLETIN
DANCE AT THE DAM Synergy Live returns to the banks of the Theewaterskloof Dam with a strong line-up: Taxi Violence, Jack Parow and Aking join EDM masters Das Kapital, Haezer and PH Fat. synergylive.co.za
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We have: from the ultra-luxe to rugged playthings, from heritage to most-modern, a celebration of magnificent watches for all wrists and pockets
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FUNCTION Cutting-edge technology at your fingertips. (The length of your hand away from your fingertips)
Suunto AMBIT3 suunto.com So good it’s like having a coach on hand: you won’t want to let it down by not recording and comparing with others your athletic achievements. Comes with GPS and pulsemonitor and talks to your iPhone via the Movescount app.
Apple WATCH apple.com Long-awaited answer to all of mankind’s ills, or a cool apps-lite watch that is less functional than your smartphone? This is how Apple sees the future and they’ve been solid crystal-ballwise recently. By far the most stylish smartwatch on the market.
Garmin FORERUNNER 610 garmin.com Robust touchscreen outdoorsman’s tool that logs distance, pace, GPS position, heart rate and calories burned during exercise. Especially good for running and cycling. In workout mode, the watch becomes a digital rival to challenge and spur you on. Samsung GEAR 2 samsung.com The bridge between your Samsung smartphone or tablet and you. The integrated camera means you can take photos straight from the wrist. Back at home, it doubles up as the remote control for a Samsung TV.
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FLAIR These five watches are first and foremost bold and beautiful waterproof watches. Extra features are not bells and whistles, but integral to their timeless appeal
Longines HERITAGE 1973 longines.com This Swiss watchmaker can look back on nearly 200 years of rich history. Chronographs – watches featuring sub-dials such as stopwatches – have been their speciality. The Heritage 1973 pays tribute to a much-loved heritage model that had a manual winder.
Tudor HERITAGE BLACKBAY tudorwatch.com Manages the rare and difficult trick of looking and feeling both modern and vintage at the same time, which means it goes with any look you care to finish it with. This blue-bezeled model, new for 2014, is much sought-after. Oris BIG CROWN PROPILOT ALTIMETER oris.ch Superb automatic mechanical timepiece with a barometer/ altimeter. You make a statement wearing this, and that statement is ‘I know great watches.’ Not just for pilots, too: any hill, mountain or air sportsman can benefit from knowing altitude.
TAG Heuer CARRERA CALIBRE 7 TWIN-TIME tagheuer.com The third hand, with the red tip, shows the worldtraveller a second time zone, to go with the ‘normal’ time, on the 24-hour display around the edge of the dial. So you always know when you are, along with where you are, when you’re on a journey.
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Seiko ASTRON seikowatches.com Thanks to built-in GPS, the Astron always knows where you are. There’s no need for you to tinker with time as you trot the globe’s time zones because it does it automatically. Another bonus: solar cells on the dial that recharge the battery.
FORTUNE A quintet of quality: the most coveted and upscale watches. No doubt that these are the ultimate expression of style and status
Rolex GMT-MASTER II rolex.com Still one of the world’s most desired watches, 60 years after its debut. The original red-andblue colouring, which led it to be nicknamed the ‘Pepsi watch’, was in fact done to match Pan Am Airways livery.
Panerai LUMINOR 1950 3 DAYS GMT panerai.com Designed in Italy and made in Switzerland, the ‘extended’ portion of the case on the right-hand side protects the crown. Less eye-catching, but equally welcome, is the power-remaining indicator on the back.
Breitling CHRONOMAT 44 AIRBORNE breitling.com One of these first appeared 30 years ago, as the official watch for the Frecce Tricolori, the Italian Air Force display team. This anniversary model is black with silver sub-dials or silver with black sub-dials.
Omega SEAMASTER 300 MASTER omegawatches.com A rebirth for the legendary Seamaster 300 of the 1950s: almost the same look as the original, but all the benefits of modern watchmaking methods. This is vintage without the uncertainty, and will be as stylish in the 2050s.
Hublot BIG BANG FERRARI TITANIUM CARBON hublot.com Hublot is horology’s master of exclusivity, which is why its partnership with the Ferrari Formula One team works so well. This watch’s carbon/titanium mix and the faint red on the dial are welcome references to the form and function of F1 cars.
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FUN We may be at the lessluxurious end of the watch spectrum, but these timepieces are as eye-catching as their upscale counterparts
Victorinox I.N.O.X. victorinox.com A sports watch that can survive 90 minutes in a washing machine and being driven over twice by a tank. In your most physical situations, you can strap over a supplied silicone ‘jacket’ to further protect the case.
Swatch COLOR-KILT swatch.com The standout of Swatch’s 2014 autumn-winter collection, this is the kind of bold statement piece that has won millions of fans for Swatch over the last 31 years. It’s unclear if the Scottish referendum led to increased sales.
Casio EDIFICE casio.com As worn by Infiniti Red Bull Racing drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel. Radio signals from six atomic clocks worldwide make this the world’s most accurate watch. Lap times and stopwatch data can be transmitted directly to a smartphone.
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Nite ICON nitewatches.com British design, Swissmade and supplier to special forces, the nocturnal watch company had its 10th birthday this year. Their glow in the dark comes from an isotope of hydrogen in tiny glass tubes: green is brightest, then blue, then orange.
Fossil SPROCKET fossil.com There’s something hypnotic about watching the cogs and gears turn on this. We stare at it and find ourselves contemplating the mechanisms of our own minds: we think, therefore, and a moment’s brain training is welcome any time.
Editorial Director Robert Sperl Editor-in-Chief Alexander Macheck Editor-at-Large Boro Petric Creative Director Erik Turek Art Directors Kasimir Reimann, Miles English Photo Director Fritz Schuster Production Editor Marion Wildmann Managing Editor Daniel Kudernatsch Editors Stefan Wagner (Chief Copy Editor), Werner Jessner (Executive Editor), Lisa Blazek, Ulrich Corazza, Arek Piatek, Andreas Rottenschlager Contributors: Muhamed Beganovic, Georg Eckelsberger, Sophie Haslinger, Holger Potye, Clemens Stachel, Manon Steiner, Raffael Fritz, Marianne Minar, Martina Powell, Mara Simperler, Lukas Wagner, Florian Wörgötter Web Kurt Vierthaler (Senior Web Editor), Andrew Swann Design Martina de Carvalho-Hutter, Silvia Druml, Kevin Goll, Carita Najewitz, Esther Straganz Photo Editors Susie Forman (Creative Photo Director), Rudi Übelhör (Deputy Photo Director), Marion Batty, Eva Kerschbaum Illustrator Dietmar Kainrath Publisher Franz Renkin International Advertisement Sales Patrick Stepanian Advertising Placement Sabrina Schneider Marketing and Country Management Stefan Ebner (manager), Manuel Otto, Elisabeth Salcher, Lukas Scharmbacher, Sara Varming Marketing Design Peter Knehtl (manager), Simone Fischer, Julia Schweikhardt, Karoline Anna Eisl Head of Production Michael Bergmeister Production Wolfgang Stecher (manager), Walter O Sádaba, Matthias Zimmermann (app) Repro Clemens Ragotzky (manager), Karsten Lehmann, Josef Mühlbacher Subscriptions and Distribution Klaus Pleninger (distribution), Peter Schiffer (subscriptions) General Manager and Publisher Wolfgang Winter Global Editorial Office Heinrich-Collin-Strasse 1, A-1140 Vienna Phone +43 1 90221-28800 Fax +43 1 90221-28809 Web redbulletin.com Red Bull Media House GmbH Oberst-Lepperdinger-Straße 11–15, A-5071 Wals bei Salzburg, FN 297115i, Landesgericht Salzburg, ATU63611700 Directors Christopher Reindl, Andreas Gall
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Tel: +43 1 90221-28800 Contact redaktion@at.redbulletin.com THE RED BULLETIN Brazil, ISSN 2308-5940 Editor Fernando Gueiros Sub-Editors Judith Mutici, Manrico Patta Neto Advertisement Sales Marcio Sales (11) 3894-0207, contato@hands.com.br THE RED BULLETIN France, ISSN 2225-4722 Editor Pierre Henri Camy Assistant Editor Christine Vitel Translation and Proof Reading Susanne & Frédéric Fortas, Ioris Queyroi, Christine Vitel, Gwendolyn de Vries Country Channel Management Charlotte Le Henanff Advertisement Sales Cathy Martin 07 61 87 31 15 cathy.martin@fr.redbulletin.com Printed by Prinovis Ltd & Co KG, 90471 Nuremberg France Office 12 rue du Mail, 75002 Paris Tel: 01 40 13 57 00 THE RED BULLETIN Germany, ISSN 2079-4258 Editor Andreas Rottenschlager Sub-Editor Hans Fleißner Country Channel Management Christian Baur, Nina Kraus Advertisement Sales Evelyn Kroiss, evelyn.kroiss@de.redbulletin.com Martin Olesch, martin.olesch@de.redbulletin.com Subscriptions Subscription price €25.90, for 12 issues/year, www.getredbulletin.com, abo@de.redbulletin.com THE RED BULLETIN Ireland, ISSN 2308-5851 Editor Paul Wilson Associate Editor Ruth Morgan Music Editor Florian Obkircher Chief Sub-Editor Nancy James Deputy Chief Sub-Editor Joe Curran Advertisement Sales Deirdre Hughes 00 353 862488504, redbulletin@richmondmarketing.com Printed by Prinovis Ltd & Co KG, 90471 Nuremberg Ireland Office Richmond Marketing, 1st Floor Harmony Court, Harmony Row, Dublin 2, Ireland Tel: +353 (1) 631 6100
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THE RED BULLETIN Switzerland, ISSN 2308-5886 Editor Arek Piatek Sub-Editor Hans Fleißner Country Channel Management Antonio Gasser, Melissa Burkart Advertisement Sales Mediabox AG, Zürich; Zentrale, 044 205 50 20 contact@mediabox.ch Subscriptions The Red Bulletin Reading Service, Lucern; Hotline: 041 329 22 00, Subscription price 19 CHF, for 12 issues/year, www.getredbulletin.com, abo@ch.redbulletin.com THE RED BULLETIN United Kingdom, ISSN 2308-5894 Editor Paul Wilson Associate Editor Ruth Morgan Music Editor Florian Obkircher Chief Sub-Editor Nancy James Deputy Chief Sub-Editor Joe Curran Country Project and Sales Management Sam Warriner Advertisement Sales Georgia Howie +44 (0) 203 117 2000, georgia.howie@uk.redbulletin.com Printed by Prinovis Ltd & Co KG, 90471 Nuremberg UK Office 155-171 Tooley Street, London SE1 2JP Tel: +44 (0) 20 3117 2100 THE RED BULLETIN USA, Vol 4 issue 7, ISSN 2308-586X is published monthly by Red Bull Media House, North America, 1740 Stewart St, Santa Monica, CA 90404. Periodicals postage paid at Santa Monica, CA, and additional mailing offices. Editor Andreas Tzortzis Deputy Editor Ann Donahue Deputy Editor (acting) Steve Root Copy Chief David Caplan Director of Publishing and Advertising Sales Nicholas Pavach Country Project Management Melissa Thompson Advertisement Sales Dave Szych, dave.szych@us.redbull.com (LA) Jay Fitzgerald, jay.fitzgerald@us.redbull.com (New York) Rick Bald, rick.bald@us.redbull.com (Chicago) Printed by Brown Printing Company, 668 Gravel Pike, East Greenville, PA 18041, bpc.com Mailing Address PO Box 1962, Williamsport, PA 17703 US Office 1740 Stewart St, Santa Monica, CA 90404 Subscribe www.getredbulletin.com, subscriptions@redbulletin.com. Basic subscription rate is $29.95 per year. Offer available in the US and US possessions only. The Red Bulletin is published 12 times a year. Please allow four to six weeks for delivery of the first issue. For Customer Service 888-714-7317; customerservice@redbulletinservice.com
THE RED BULLETIN
p ro m ot i o n
Must-haves! 1 Garmin partners with myFitnesspal Garmin announce a new partnership with MyFitnessPal, a calorie counting platform available for free through the web or a downloadable application. MyFitnessPal App displays a daily calorie consumption goal which users need to follow to achieve their desired weight goal whether it is to maintain, loose or increase their overall measurements. When users link their Garmin Connect profile to MyFitnessPal, exercise sessions using vívofit or Forerunner 15 will sync and be viewed as calories burnt on the MyFitnessPal platform. This will benefit users and assist them in managing their weight goals, encourage them to stay active and eat more healthily. FREE.
1
www.myfitnesspal.com/
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2 Quiksilver aG47 new wave Boardshorts Quiksilver‘s AG47 New Wave Boardshort is constructed using Dry Flight technology with performer 4-way stretch. Featuring Scotchgard™ by 3M water repellant for an ultra-light and durable boardshort that dries in no time. Each pair of AG47 boardshorts is made from Repreve® fiber from recycled materials to reprieve the planet & help reduce the impact on the environment. Other features include a rubberized embroidered eyelet closure with cinch lock drawcord, a new short fly with gusset, a heat weld zip back pocket, 20 inch outseam and a wave scallop hem construction. R999.
3
www.boardriders.co.za
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3 overBoard This waterproof bag is fully submersible with the seamless electronically-welded construction boasting no zips & a two-way sealing system. „With my use the backpacks are constantly being submerged for short periods while jumping, abseiling and swimming. The packs fit securely on your back, making swimming, climbing and hiking with them easy over any terrain. They have survived ‘‘bundu bashing” and big jumps while on extreme canyoning expeditions… These bags are just so versatile and very well constructed making them handy for just about any trip with the big bonus of keeping everything dry!“ MARTHINUS ESMEYER Adventurer and Explorer. R1 765.
www.overboardafrica.co.za/ 4 extreme liGhts The Extreme 1200 revolutionized night cycling in South Africa. With 900 lumens and a 4 hour run time, it simply gets the job done. More than three thousand units have been sold in South Africa alone. This offer includes the Extreme 1200 MKII with a high quality compact red tail light. The tail light attaches to your seatpost using a thick silicone rubber strap and is powered by 2 AAA batteries. This high quality red tail light complements the high quality neoprene pouch. R845.
www.extremelights.co.za
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5 dC shoes Introducing the RD X Mid from the Fall 2014 Dyrdek Collection. The RD X Mid stands for the „Rob Dyrdek Ten“ in homage to the shoe‘s inspiration, Rob‘s favorite DC signature shoe, the Rob Dyrdek 10. Get a pair at: www.boardriders.co.za. R1 099.
www.dcshoes.co.za
MAGIC MOMENT
Virgin, Utah, USA, September 28, 2014
“ I just find the steepest line”
CHRISTIAN PONDELLA/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
Dropping from cliffs 23m high. Jumping over crevasses 20m deep. At Red Bull Rampage, even the ballsiest bikers pause for thought. This year, Andreu Lacondeguy from Barcelona won on the near-vertical course; a sweet taste after finishing fourth three times. His winning formula: big airtime, no nerves and, as shown by the above backflip at a pre-Rampage training session, hard yards in practice. redbullrampage.com
Spanish freeride mountain biker Andreu Lacondeguy undersells the reason for his winning ways
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