Couch Raiders isn't too much of an abstract concept to grasp, and the honestly-named crew is originally from Poland, orchestrated by Michał Buśko who has now been living in Manchester, U.K. for three years and counting. Just as straightforward, the title of his full-length video: "CONNECTIONS", a Half a Brain production, proves to sound sincere, as said video is the result of four hectic years spent traveling and filming all over a big chunk of ye Olde Continent.
Most of the clips were collected in the U.K., notably in Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol, Halifax, Huddersfield and London in between various smaller towns with their own respective shares of obscure spots (fans of the style will appreciate), but the timeline is also punctuated with Budapest, Vienna, Berlin and Barcelona footage and as far as Michał's home country of Poland is concerned, Warsaw, Gdansk, Kielce and Krakow are the featured ambassadors.
If all that doesn't perspire VX-2100-mounted dedication already (with an efficiently modded fish-eye to boot), to the point where eventually finalizing the project possibly saved the author's marriage, and regardless of how immaculate the quality of the product turned out to be (complete from the technical production standpoint to the emanating energy), hinting at a genuine passion for skateboarding from Michał, the most grand thing about "CONNECTIONS" has to be how it's just the coincidental tip of the iceberg of said passion. Fully embracing that his place is on the streets, camera in hand, Michał describes Couch Raiders as a collective of skateboarders over a brand and in addition to his personal time, it's his personal money that he is constantly investing into the sponsoring, plane tickets and per diems of the people he likes to film, as though to convey his illumination over to new generations and plant seeds, all the while materializing his vision.
That is to say, one would be hard pressed to find a more authentic product. Obviously, by nature, skateboarding-wise, the whole hour-long video consists in a remarkably wide variety of styles and spots, and the amount of focus spent on its creation shows in the quality of the production. Today, LIVE is introducing you to the full video, divided into sections under the form of a YouTube playlist; although, it is encouraged that you consider supporting Michał's efforts and purchasing the material object from here!
And since the man obviously isn't the kind to call it quits, stay tuned for a new clip by Michał on LIVE, soon!
