We got word of this one via our homie Gabriel at Cybercafé in Lisbon. Obviously, much of the Portugal-related stuff we post is centered around … Cybercafé and Lisbon, but they wouldn’t be one of the planet’s finest skateshops if they didn’t have a pulse on what was going on outside of their immediate view.
While Portugal remains one of the most-pinned destinations for skate travel in the post-pandemic years, the leading light for what the local scene has going on has been provided by Lisbon’s Cybercafé Skateshop.
It is no secret that we love a part shared between best friends, so today we are proud to present their latest: “JOGO DUPLO,” which is a joint part between best friends Daniel Crespo and Luis Ceita, who grew up skating together in Barreiro, a city across the river from Lisbon.
We have written before about the assortment of textures that come together to make Lisbon’s skate spots. In just the opening minutes of Lucas Marques’ part in Call Me When U Get Home, you encounter an asphalt lump into a sliver of diamond-plate, a brick volcano outlined by cobblestones, plus a line that starts with grinding on glass and ends with a wallride on marble. Next, you’ll notice they don’t even bother hitting the more perfect famous spots recognizable to outsiders. Feels like they’re leaving those to us tourists. Where’s the …friction?
Ever go on a perfect trip? One where everything goes right and not a single person complains the entire time? This past winter, we went on a perfect trip — to Lisbon.
What does that have to do with anything?
Not much, beyond the fact that Cybercafé, the shop in Lisbon, seems like they just went on a perfect trip — across the Algarve, Portugal’s southern coastal region.
Hard to think of a city whose spots contain as vibrant of an array of surfaces as Lisbon. You have the limestone Portuguese pavement that they’re famous for, but also a symphony of shitty bricks, worn-out asphalt and plain ol’ cobblestones all careening around maybe a sliver of smooth marble — oh and, there might be a tree waiting for you at the bottom of the bank.
As a result, Portuguese skate videos — which have become an omnipresent fixture on the front pages of Free, Grey, Vague, Pocket, Bubble et al. — have honed this unmistakable look that keeps them wholly distinct from all the other European scenes. There’s an extra ASMR-ness to the footage; that one longass slappy 5050 down the curb has to be one of the most satisfying clips in recent memory. Some of the other clips are masterworks in precision and timing.
