In case you’re not hip to the “Manolo’s Tapes” series, here’s a quick breakdown. “Manolo” is an avid Italian skate nerd and purveyor of the culture. In fact, he digs it so much that he’s dedicated hours (and likely years) of his life to tracking down the raw, old, and sometimes lost footage of his favorite professional skateboarders. He then compiles and “remixes” the footage according to inspiration and preference. The process has earned him a respected name within the world of skateboard aficionados and pros alike.
Manolo’s latest tape, by way of The Berrics, highlights the legendary career of French skateboarding prodigy Bastien Salabanzi, who was already cementing his legacy in breakthrough videos like Flip Skateboards’ “Sorry” before he was even legal.
Manolo has a sixth sense for piecing together remixes that take viewers into the core of how his subjects defined and fit into the skate culture of their era (and beyond). Watching this spliced ode to Salabanzi is not only a quintessential trip down memory lane, but also a reminder of what it takes to become a part of skateboarding lore. Studying his fast and ferocious brand of ledge, stair, and rail skateboarding (his technical prowess was almost unparalleled in the early 2000s) is like researching a boxing legend’s greatest bouts. It’s paired with the perfect track too, Curtis Mayfield’s “Little Child Running Wild.”
This edit is soulful, so soulful that it is likely to make any true rider shed a tear. Bravo Manolo. Bravo Bastien.
Watch Salabanzi’s "Manolo's Tapes" edit here. He just recently started skating again after tearing his ACL last year, so let’s hope he starts dropping some more epic footage in the near future.
