DVD Review: We Are Valo 2

Tags: dvd review, tory treseder, valo dvd review, victor arias, wav 2, we are valo

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We are Valo 2 – WAV 2 – was long awaited and announced. Jon Julio wanted to release that DVD already for christmas, but due to more filming and an upgrade to a new Sony HD camera the DVD got delayed. Jon didn’t want to come out with a video that wouldn’t fit his expectations. So this May they finally finished work on their DVD...

This time we got 2 people to review the same video, so you got 2 different perspectives on this DVD. Reviewer one is our long time reviewer Lui Summer and reviewer two is Philipp Forstner.

Review one:

We Are Valo 2 has got a nice, clean looking cover. Let’s have a look what’s inside! The intro somehow reminded me of Ego. This DVD has got a way longer running time than the last Valo DVD and its style is completely different. Jon Julio has got the first section and it is a really good section. It’s a good old Julio-style section with loads of Top Souls, Wallrides, Fishbrains and all of them combined. Don’t get me wrong, it is a good section but there was nothing too surprising in it. Still I very much enjoyed this section. Jon Julio is one of my childhood heroes and there is nobody out there who can touch him. The only thing that really annoyed me about his section was the song which is just terrible.

Up next is Soichiro Kanashima whom I have never heard of before. I think that everybody will agree on the fact that it was a great idea to give Soichiro a whole section. His skating is awesome! He has such a great flow and huge vocabulary of tricks that you have no other choice than to be absolutely impressed. It is really sick to see how much style and control this Asian guy has. I almost wish I was Japanese. Also the song is great and matches his skating perfectly. For me this was the best section on the whole DVD! The World Tour section is a great overview of the Valo World Tour and you get to see lots of different spots and skaters. A great vibe and pure excitement is what you will feel while watching this section for the first time. But there is something I - as an Austrian - didn’t like. I really can’t understand why people are always mixing up Austria and Germany. The first spot where Bailey does 360 Fish 360 is in Austria and not in Germany!

Oli Short’s section is a black and white punk rock section in the style of the last Roces DVD. It is great to watch, but it does not at all fit into the overall appearance of this DVD. The song and the editing are fast and raw, things I normally appreciate very much. But this time I have to say that this section seems to be a bit out of place. I have never seen much of Ross Kuhn but I hope to see more of him in the future. His Sweaty down this long curved ledge will probably stick in my mind forever. There are people with better style and people that do bigger stunts, but Ross has this little something that makes you look and that keeps you looking! Cosimo Tassone aka The Cosi Monster is a real stunt machine. Cosimo is one of Europes sickest skaters and I will not tell you anything about his section because it speaks for itself!

Sean Keane and Tyron Ballantine have a nice split section including everything necessary; huge hammers, tech tricks and a pumping hip hop song! Up next is Victor Arias who filmed a great section. Unfortunately all his sections seem pretty much the same to me because of all these insane spiny switch-ups that nobody can understand! Victor is the man when it comes to balance and switch-ups perhaps he should try to get into the Guinness Book of World Records!? Alex Broskow is the next guy on this DVD and it is so good to see him on Valo. He is skating like in the good old Rollerblade days. You can really feel the speed and the energy he seems to have regained. After watching his section you will feel like grabbing your roller-boots and tearing shit up. Alex delivers a powerful section with a powerful rock song and a banging finish! The last section is Eric Bailey’s and it certainly shows why Bailey is pro and others are not. It is amazing what Eric can do with spots others would not even look at, or spots which other people would definitely not consider skateable. The only example I want to mention is the sick, square, 180 degree curve, drop rail he Topsouls. Eric’s style is very unique and really pleasing to the eye. You can really see how hard skating is. Eric does not make skating look too easy. Every trick is a personal commitment and this is what this section shows. This is what makes Bailey’s section really outstanding.

-Lui Summer

Review two:

We are Valo 2 – WAV 2 – was long awaited and announced. Jon Julio wanted to release that DVD already for christmas, but due to more filming and an upgrade to a new Sony HD camera the DVD got delayed. Jon didn’t want to come out with a video that wouldn’t fit his expectations. So this May they finally finished work on their DVD and the world premiere was going down in the capital of Valo – San Francisco. Valo didn't waste much time during the premiere and the shipping of the DVD, because it was available right away.

So you can be sure that this DVD has it all. The hottest new footage mixed with the very best clips they had from the last years. Skating from the world tour included the European destination tour, countless other European trips (for example their trip to the Winterclash) and footage from the biggest contests from all over the world.

Valo has already a huge team and so the big question was who would actually receive the profiles on the DVD. The selected skaters that came through with a full section for the dvd are: Ross Kuhn, Soichiro Kanashima, Victor Arias, Sean Keane, Tyron Ballantine, Cosimo Tassone, Erik Bailey and of course Jon Julio.

The whole DVD starts with Jon Julios part. You can say about his skating what ever you wanna say. Perhaps Jon isn’t killing shit like Chris Haffey or Erik Bailey, but his skating is still top notch and his style is awesome and perhaps better than ever. To see Jon skating just makes you wanna skate. He is skating super creative and making the smallest things cool. You can see, although he’s older than most pros nowadays, he still enjoys it to go out and put some blades on. He also takes some nasty falls and I can only respect him for sticking with skating so hardcore over the years and that he always fascinates me with each new DVD release with a section of him. His section is proving again that he won’t go anywhere soon and will stick with rolling for some more years...

His section is followed by Soichiro Kanashima. This Japanese guy got a Shima in his name, so only for that reason he should be good. Soichiro is probably not too well known to most people, but his section will stick in your mind. Style, flow and technical hard tricks describe his section the best. You just have to dig his style, at least I do...and if you remember the photo of him in the Be-mag Print Japan Story, where he laced a sweaty on a elevater down ledge you gonna know what you have to expect. Also you got to love the Japanese way of skating and it is always refreshing to see new faces that bust out.

The newest addition to the team Victor Arias also came up with a full section and you guys should know him and know what to expect. Same for Sean Keane who got a split section with Dutch export-kid Tyron Ballantine. Ross Kuhn the young guy in the Valo squad also shows up that Portland is still bringing out awesome skaters. Definitely one of my favourite sections is the Monster section aka. Cosi Tassone’s section. It is just unbelieveble how sick his style and skating is. Hammers, styled out tricks, switch-ups, gaps, lines – Cosi got all of it. I just wanna say TS Topsoul up a box to 360° TS Topacid down the box with endless flow.... Cosi is making a mark in skating in Europe and it is great to see him with such a great section on one of the biggest releases this year. Always be on the lookout for Cosi sections and pictures!

The most anticipated section definitely was Erik Bailey section. Erik is constantly present with sick interviews, great video sections and by winning some of the biggest contests. From all the coverage you have seen from him in the last 2 years it was an almost sure bet to say that his section would even exceed your expectations. And once again Erik showed that he is among the top 5 skaters of the world. He got it all, hammers, sick lines, technical switchups and stunt seeking. Props for showing us your way of skating and coming through with a great section, again.

But those profiles are not all, there is more. The World Tour part, Valo support part with sick tricks of Leon Humphries, Franco Cammayo, Austin Paz, Tory Treseder, Brandon Smith, Pat Lennen, Michael Braud and so on...Also long time friend Oli Short got a section in there. Fast edited with some nice rock music and good black/white colourcorrection, like every rock friend will love it.

The big surprise is the Alex Broskow section, who is now officially on Valo. And in the short time in which Jon finished the Valo DVD Alex filmed this section. This footage is super exclusive and super fresh. Alex Broskow stands out with his perfect style and his sick tricks and the new spots he is skating in this section. The section isn’t too long, but gives a short view what we can expect in the next time from him and Valo. It is crazy how fast he can bust out a section.

All over I really digged the DVD, although the music isn’t my taste of pushing music. Each song is sick, but perhaps some other choice would have made the video even better. Big props for the anmiations and the DVD menu. The DVD is definitely a must have. But I didn’t really expect anything else since the Valo Team is including a few of the best rollerbladers in the world and a few of the best upcoming rollerbladers and amateurs. So what could you do wrong with such a line-up.

But the DVD isn’t all that you get, you also get a Valo yearbook with some of the best shots from the last 2 years. You see in a quick glance what the Valo team experienced and who is behind the team and this booklet you only getting with the original version. Definitely a good addition to any DVD selection.

-Philipp Forstner

-Victor Arias - AO Acid

-Tory Treseder - BS Royale Mute 180° out

Pictures

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Comments

June 30th, 2007 @ 04:29 - by David kuz

julio is the man, his section still holds it down

June 29th, 2007 @ 14:43 - by ghostsofthestreets

Julios section is hard, and that song was good.

You must be amazing at skate to not be impressed by that section. Because the shit he pulled is fucking gangster.

Go buy the video its way worth it.

June 29th, 2007 @ 13:13 - by T!M T!M

Im watching it as i write this - briliant video. valo as a brand is soooo sick - i just wish i could skate their skates, but just hurt sooo bad for me. hopefully one day!

June 29th, 2007 @ 11:52 - by Watch It Explode

I have yet to see this video but let me give you a brief review of the Jon Julio section.

Starting off the video is non other than Jon mother fucking Julio! It is with 12 years experience that I can ensure you that Jon's entirety as a human is exactly what rollerblading needs. Confidence, discipline, style, personality and a wide variety of tricks. Jon has been skating since most of us were still skateboarding and his progression has never slowed. He is the lone ranger of the last great generation of Pro's that have shaped our culture and lifestyle. Jon provides a breath of fresh air in a mundane pool of followers that have forgotten how to have fun in their pursuit of hard spin topsouls. I think we can all learn a lot from this installment of Julio handling his business and believe that anyone found disrespecting this icon should be drawn and quartered. Jon is the king of the Golden Gate and will always be the epitome of Northern California's humble and talented scene.

Damn it feels good to be a gromster....

DYNA Represent FOO!!!

June 29th, 2007 @ 03:46 - by mc norbert

"I really can’t understand why people are always mixing up Austria and Germany"

Haha,but its not so far away lui,dont be so hard ;-)
Such a sick dvd with all the younger guns.But what me makes to go out is tory,jj - its always so nice to see the older guys still rocking..
ok,music is taste,i think it was much better in wav 2 than the first one.....Overall i can watch the hole dvd on&on but stop!
Theres one section to skip! OLIVER SHORT
Sry,but this dont fit the rest!

buy wav2 - hot!

June 29th, 2007 @ 03:40 - by MikeBeyerIMYTA03