Primitive Skate – Charlie Munro’s “SCRAPE” Part
The second instalment of Tom’s Echo Chamber is here! Scroll through to see my top picks from the past few weeks. I look at Charlie Munro’s new Primitive part, Frankie Heck’s new Spitfire part, Kevin Bilyeu’s DC part for his new Lynx colourway and much more! All killer no filler.
Primitive Skateboard‘s team is nuts, all you have to do is look at their team page on their website. You have names such as P-Rod, Tiago Lemos, JB Gillet and Wade D to name a few! Surprisingly, one name you won’t see on that team page is Charlie Munro. This will come as an even bigger surprise after you watch his new Primitive part – “SCRAPE”. Charlie has such an incredibly solid style, he manages to have this innate ability to just land everything bolts. That line with the fs blunt shuv out to fakie fs flip down the stairs is so good, the way he catches the board and then takes it around is incredibly satisfying. Primitive, at the very least, put him on the team page!
Watching Louie With Louie and Ryan
Louie Lopez and Ryan Lee have been friends forever, so it is always a treat to see them discussing their projects with each other. Louie and Ryan spend a lot of time together filming, so naturally they have a lot of stories and this is absolutely full of them, almost every clip brings up an interesting tit-bit of information. You really can’t go wrong with this video, you have a huge range of sick Louie clips combined with funny or interesting tales surrounding them. These two obviously know each other super well, and it shows in the videos they have done together. When you get to hear them discuss the clips you almost break through that fourth wall and feel as though you were involved in getting it too.
E.S.P. Vol.2 Expanded: Vitoria Mendonca & Ethan Loy
At the tail end of last year, Element Skateboards dropped their newest full-length video – E.S.P VOL 2, which for me, was one of the best videos of last year. The cinematography alone made this video a joy to watch, and the skating that went alongside it was equally as sick. These new ‘Expanded’ sections are such a great way of showing us how hard these skaters worked for their parts. It’s so easy to forget that a 3-second clip could potentially have taken multiple days to land. Two of Element’s most creative riders, Victoria Mendonca and Ethan Loy feature in this episode and as it is so satisfying to watch them go through the process of getting clips. When Ethan is trying bs boardslide nollie fs lipslide on that curved curb around the tree, there are so many attempts that couldn’t be deemed as a make but just watching him figure out the spot as he goes is so rad. I’m not a musician by any means but I imagine it’s a bit like watching an improvising jazz player tearing it up in a rehearsal studio.
Spitfire X Geometric: Frankie Heck
I was first introduced to Frankie Heck when I watched the Expedition One – Gone Fishin’ video. The combination of his tech yet laid-back style combined with a Primus song got me so hyped. I remember absolutely smashing that part when it first came out. So when I saw he had a new part for Spitfire Wheels and Geometric Skate Shop I knew it was going to be a treat, and ohhh boy was I right. I’m not sure how much of an influence he has over songs used on his parts but whoever chose that Mobb Deep song knew what they were doing. Frankie has been incredibly slept on over the past few years, the last part of his I remember was his Shake Junt part in 2019, which again was brilliant. Quality, not quantity from this dude, and I’m not complaining.
DC Shoes: Kevin Bilyeu Lynx Part
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, DC Shoes are killing it and are showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Their most recent gift to the skate media world is Kevin Bilyeu’s new part, celebrating his new signature colourway of the DC Lynx. This part is exactly everything we have now come to expect from a DC edit, Brian Panebianco on the VX, rugged east-coast and European spots, switch mongo pushing for days and bagged out everything. There is something about DC Shoes and the Sabotage dudes that really exudes a truly authentic love for each other. Before DC bought the Lynx back, the Sabotage crew were finding pairs from back in the day and trying to make them work, literally holding them together with glue and tape. DC recognised this and has really gone head first into the aesthetic, bringing back rad silhouettes from back in the day. That’s why these edits such as these feel so special, it isn’t a skater representing a brand that pays them the most, it’s a collection of skaters representing the only shoe company they actually want to rep.
Dranochugger III: Hell On Earth
Ever get burnt out watching skate videos? Bored of watching dudes getting gnarly on handrails and stair sets? Well, Jesse Alba has got a video for you! Dranochugger III: Hell On Earth is a new video from Satan’s Drano, which I think is Jesse Alba’s hot sauce company? I’m not 100% sure if I’m being honest. BUT, I do know that this video made me laugh throughout and without sounding overly cliché, it reminds you why skating is so cool, no rules, just you and your friends messing around and having as much fun as possible. Don’t get me wrong there is some sick skating in here, but the main takeaway from this edit, for me, is to stop stressing and go mess about. Skating is a brilliant way of taking your mind off of other stresses in life. You can either delve into getting a new trick or clip and most probably go slightly insane throughout for that ultimate release of getting the clip/landing the trick or, you can just go out and mess around with your friends. I love doing both, but videos like Dranochugger III are rare, sometimes you need to watch something like this and remember it’s not always about progression and why we all got into skating in the first place.
Bonus Homie Vid: Niall Behan Feral Part
This pick is super personal to me, but it is also a fantastic insight into the Northampton skate scene from around ten years ago. I was still pretty young-n-dumb (still dumb now) when this was being filmed, and I looked up to both Ash and Niall a lot during this time. I still do in fact. Feral is a scene vid straight out of Northampton, all filmed and edited by the legend that is Ash Seck. Niall’s part is full of iconic Northants spots, and the way he skates them is exactly why he is one of my favourite skaters. Fast and loose with bags of style. The whole video is rad, and the prem for it was an absolute belter! There was such a crazy school reunion vibe to it, seeing dudes I’ve not skated with in years! All filmed around ten years ago and released at the tail end of last year. So sick!
Mobb Deep – Infamous
This was a tough one, I was really torn between Mobb Deep and Primus due to the Frankie Heck part previously mentioned. I’ve ended up going for The Infamous album by Mobb Deep though, mainly because not only is it one of the best hip-hop albums ever recorded, but it’s also who Frankie used most recently. I love it when someone’s part uses a song you rate highly, it always reminds me of that feeling you get when you’re at a gig and the band plays one of your favourite songs of theirs. A great song truly completes a part for me and this was certainly one of those songs.
