Video: The Sounds of Hardtail Shredding in Pemberton

Cookie had a vision. A project, pairing two local talents. Sam Todd and Radek Drozdowicz.
Sam, a humble, talented local shredder who simply rips on a Chromag hardtail. When asked for a bio, he provided the following:

I’m a Kiwi who loves to ride.—Sam Todd

Radek, an enigmatic filmmaker, known around Pemberton for his surreal depiction of the people and landscapes in the local riding community.

I love when the rider’s style inspires my filming. It was great to watch Sam shred the hardtail even in rough terrain full of roots and rocks. It’s easy to forget that hardtails can be very capable trail bikes in the right hands. Geek Fact – For some time now, I’ve been using anamorphic lenses to shoot biking. It’s definitely not the easiest format to portray MTB especially with 16×9 camera sensor not having too much vertical space but I really love the look. The sound of the rider and the bike hitting the rocks could be brutal at times. It’s that raw harshness in the speakers that excites the imagination. You start to hear the speed. —Radek Drozdowicz

Cookie is the warehouse man at Chromag and a man of sound. Supreme bassist and jam room architect, he keeps the 64 speakers at Chromag in balance. Cookie wanted to see Sam filmed by Radek, a worthy combination in it’s own right, but with an emphasis on sound. Here’s what Cookie had to say:

We were intent on catching the sound of the bike and rider tearing down the trail. The almost cliché clicks of the freehub, the huffing and puffing, the rocks and duff getting chewed up by sheer speed and power and of course that awesome sound we can only describe as schralp. Sam was set up with a chest mounted mic. Radek had me use a handheld stereo mic that I aimed at Sam as he rode. There was a long pencil/shotgun condenser mic that we hid nearby specific features that we felt would make an interesting sound. Radek also had the mic from his camera. The only struggle for me was not yelping every time Sam did something terrifying.—Cookie

This was a 3 person project. Sam shreds. Radek films. Cookie records sound. Get close, wear your headphones, turn up your speakers and come along for a ride!