Leo Valls – Yoan Taillandier Minuit (2011)

Skid row.

Leo Valls catches a lot of flack (along with the rest of the Magenta team) for the regression of skateboarding by removing ollies from the equation in favour of wallies, no complies and powerslides. However, Leo is in a league of his own and has a mean switch heelflip regardless. Filmed entirely at night, Leo and Yoan Taillandier set about bridging the gap between flow and technique in Minuit, an independent video from France with heavy inspiration from the fast paced editing style of the Far East.

The music is scored specifically to suit the skateboarding and tends towards a powerful trip that reflects the track title, New Tempo, perfectly. Leo unveils his cat like ability to spin in and out of slides without popping his tail or crashing into moving traffic. This video part is like jazz. Not everyone loves jazz but everyone recognises the talent of Miles Davis, don’t they?