Stereo has made a lot of people happy with the re-release of their first two videos, A Visual Sound, and Tin Can Folklore. With having to previously view these videos on 14 year-old VHS tapes or crappy quality YouTube videos, you can now watch these gems in full quality without having to squint your eyes to make out what's going on.
Both A Visual Sound (1994) and Tin Can Folklore (1996) are staples in the history of skate videos. And while they might not document the level of difficulty of skating at the time, they definitely document the amount of style that was around. While everyone else was out getting tech single tricks on curbs, the Stereo guys were cruising the streets and skating whatever they came across.
A Visual Sound was Stereo's first video offering, and what you see is Stereo's ads and board graphics come to life, both visually and musically. Stereo's graphics always were stemmed off of album covers from jazz musicians, so the use of jazz was a no-brainer for this project. The combination of free flowing jazz and free flowing skating is a combination that never fails, especially when shot with super 8mm film. The editing style and music influence can even be seen on their newest project Way Out East, where photography, super 8 and 16mm film and were all used to create a smooth, relaxing video, much like its videos prior.
On the other end of the spectrum, there's Tin Can Folklore, which is still obviously a Stereo project, but more experimental and out of the norm than A Visual Sound. With a soundtrack mainly made up of music by Chris Pastras and Ethan Fowler themselves, the DIY aesthetic is noticeable on all fronts.
Special features such as commentary from Chris Pastras and Jason Lee make this a must buy, as you get an inside perspective on certain tricks, music, montages, and much more. If you're a fan of Stereo, or skateboarding in general, this box set should definitely be in your library.