Now Playing: Soul by Bobi Spassov
It was always bound to be a heavy hitter. Yet Nils, Yuto & Bobi still managed to exceed all expectations with one of the best things you’ll see all year.
Besides a few mandatory posts on social media when Soul dropped last week, I had no intention of writing any more about the project. Given that I helped film Nils, Yuto, and Bobi in Greece and California, both in standard definition and 4K, and also scouted some of the spots and shot a bunch of photographs along the way, I could never pretend to offer an unbiased opinion on these gentlemen and the project as a whole.
But at a time when barely anyone watches anything twice, this is the rare edit that gets people watching over and over again. And after its Winterclash premiere and subsequent screening at the Blade House here in Athens, I still found myself rewatching Soul many more times on my laptop, too. So, as many voices are already calling it the edit of the year, I feel compelled to add my own to the conversation and offer some insider perspective while I’m at it.
Edit of the year, then?
Well, based on the skating alone, it’s gonna be hard to get heavier than this.
With a cast composed of Nils Jansons, Yuto Goto, and Bobi Spassov, you have a powerful and stylish trio known for their technical skills and hammers alike. As friends and teammates, these three are used to skating and working together, and given the short amount of time over which this was filmed, it definitely shows. Had their main sponsor Roces also thrown Ilia in the mix, we would probably have gotten a worthy successor to Face the Music.
Instead, this is a Magic Boots and Inferno collab, and Soul is all the better for it.
Using their personal brands to build collective initiatives where they bring the spotlight to other talented skaters and promising up-and-comers, in the last couple of years, Nils and Bobi have truly embraced their roles as the leaders of this generation. Their involvement extends beyond the skating itself; indeed, they’ve shown their commitment to contributing to the culture and building our community with events, camps, and video projects.
Only this time, they’ve decided to do the heavy lifting themselves and simply drop the hammers old heads pretend no one is doing in the streets anymore.
From the very first clips of the video, Nils reminds us all that bangers are very much still a thing, indeed. Hitting huge downledges and throwing disasters onto rails in shorts, the Latvian prodigy is hyper-calculated and deliberate in his moves, a master at work with no time to waste. And while he’s gotten us used to a very high-level output, be it in promo edits, competitions, or full-length video parts, this is arguably some of his best street footage to date.
Without a doubt, the same could be said of Yuto.
Over twelve quick days in Athens, the man from Japan proved he is still the style master, his moves oozing a very natural feel that you would be hard-pressed to replicate. He can lace immaculate tricks first try, yet isn’t afraid to skate until exhaustion when necessary: he battled well over two hours to get that incredible 270 back backslide transfer on the day he landed in Greece, when most would have understandably decided to sit on the couch instead.
And that’s fortunate for us, because this is one of the best treats I can think of.
No matter how incredible these two performances, however, I believe the most praise should go to Bobi himself.
See, the man almost died after landing the very first trick he filmed for the project.
Yet, falling off a roof didn’t seem to faze him much, and on top of organizing, promoting, filming, and editing, he also kept on skating until the deadline. Whichever side of his polarizing personality you find yourself on, after the release of In And Out and other Inferno projects, there's no denying that Bobi is one of the very best on the streets these days, pushing harder than most and willing to put his well-being on the line with big roof gaps and intense drop rails.
Soul is no exception; Yuto and Nils lit a fire under his ass, so he had to deliver.
As a director, he’s mastered the classic video format, using simple angles and displaying great skills behind the fisheye to capture the tricks in their most honest form. There’s nothing especially fancy here, just clean shots mixed with some grainy VX footage, and somehow that’s probably why it works so well: it’s straight-forward, filmed well, and edited smoothly. Some incredible skating, delivered without pretension.
Just the right tricks, and the right vibe.
A classic.
Speaking of classics, one word about the soundtrack.
Being a Radiohead fan, I usually cringe at most attempts to cover the band, their early hit Creep especially. The Unspoken Bond intro is partly responsible for making me fall in love with them, and that song should never be touched again. Yet, the shoegaze remix Bobi used here has this slow-paced intensity that undeniably pairs well with the footage, offering an emotional backdrop that resonates with the video itself.
In short, it just works.
On the outro song, taken from Jasmim’s new album Dias em Branco released just a few days ago, the tricks land just as hard, contrasting with fellow rollerblader Martim Braz Teixeira’s chill, soothing voice. So, after you go back and watch Soul again, I’d also recommend you check out the homie’s music: Put on your headphones, and enjoy the experience as you reflect on the days we shape for ourselves, here and now. You’ll thank me later.
That’s my outro.
RIP Soul, you’re missed, little one.
PHOTO GALLERY BY YOURS, TRULY
Well said! In today's world, where content is often fleeting, a video that gets replayed repeatedly—four times and counting here—truly stands out as exceptional. No other piece has touched me quite like Soul. From its captivating music to the mesmerizing skating, thoughtful filming, and impeccable editing, it holds you spellbound and leaves you craving more.