Fat Bros Skateshop in Nakano, Tokyo is a true institution, going strong since 1994 and one that doesn't stop at supplying skateboarders with gear (meticulously curated by the honorable Hagi-san): since its opening, it's been directly intertwined with the activity of the local scene as a whole via the organization of all kinds of events, skate lessons for the youth right next to the nearby, improbable Sunplaza, by doubling up as headquarters of choice for many a foreigner struggling to catch up with jet lag or portable Wi-Fi and, like we're demonstrating today, by producing videos such as the mythical "ON THE BROAD" (2007), authored by the just-as-mythical Takahiro Morita of Far East Skate Network - a personality LIVE should no longer have to introduce to you as we already did so many, many times and he never needed our humble help to establish himself as the ambassador of Japanese skateboarding throughout the decades anyway, most especially with his master opus: "OVERGROUND BROADCASTING" (2008), quite the Encyclopedia Universalis of the worldwide scene at the time.
Well, if some segments of the aforementioned "ON THE BROAD" had found their way online over the years, somewhere on the quite loaded Far East Skate Network official YouTube channel, so far it hadn't been the case of Kenji Nakahira's, also the opener of the full film because, well, it's that representative - and inherently great. The sharpest minds might remember Kenji Nakahira's name from Yoan Taillandier's "MINUIT", out of many other productions. Today, thanks to Léo Valls and Max Guyot (himself behind the recent Nancy and Paris full-length video: "BROTHERHOOD"), the shot is fired at last and the whole world gets to contemplate Kenji's incredible approach to skateboarding: some unbelievable pop on huge, wild, stylish ollies, silk-smooth body language and - to even better complete the picture - a certain eye for some of the most unreachable spots Tokyo has to offer.
This part is just art, and the custom soundtrack by Taichi Masuyama - consisting in a vibrant mix of jazz, hip-hop beats and various sophisticated sonic experimentations as though to not just match great skate footage but also represent a general mindset only makes for the cherry atop of one delicious cake, really. Kenji's song is even entitled "WINE (RED)" - a true writing on the wall regarding the Bordeaux connection!
Quality in the broad sense of the term - that's a guarantee!
And as for whatever's next, Léo intends to keep uploading more rare gems and other shamefully forgotten classics on his new YouTube channel, here.
