Mobile Ghettoblasters November 27, 2008

These days, nothing lends as much street cred as blasting the latest hits on a high-powered portable sound system. The tech-savvy teens in America's first stereobike crew have emphatically proven that the coolest kids on the block are no longer those with pimped-out Honda Civics; instead, they're the ones who know how to get the dance party started! "Made In Queens," a fascinating documentary about the Legal Intentionz bike crew, is garnering praise on the festival circuit and will be released shortly by MTV2. Directed by Nicolas Randall and Joe Stevens, the visually stunning documentary explores the crew's attraction to stereophonic self-expression, as well as their quest to have a good time in their adopted home. Stevens and Randall (who direct as ‘Randall Stevens') were kind enough to answer a few questions for MINI Space. Q.: So, how did the whole thing start? What's the background story?

Randall Stevens: The whole stereobike thing comes from Trinidad. They have a long tradition of outdoor music and dj street/dance parties and eventually folks started putting these giant sound systems on bikes. Our film focuses on the Legal Intentionz crew who are the young people responsible for introducing Trinidadian stereobike culture to the rest of the world. Legal Intentionz have made this unique subculture their own in that all the bikes they build are actually ridden on a regular basis. In Trinidad the stereobike is generally for display at audio electronics/car shows and not a practical, working bike. We discovered the crew this past fall and have been shooting them ever since.

Q.: How often do they drive around and where can we find them?

RS: On weekends whenever the weather is good the crew hits the streets of Queens. And sometimes even when the weather's not so good. Being from Trinidad they tend towards clothing more suitable for the tropical climates of their native land. Even if it's ice cold in December, they're looking totally relaxed in tees and flip-flops. I guess pedaling a BMX with 800 lbs of stereo gear would be a pretty good way to keep warm. Q.: Can you tell you more about the kids? RS: Teenagers lives are ridiculously structured now. Way more than adults actually. It seems like it's gotten harder and harder for young people to have real fun. Not lame fun where you're sitting on facebook im'ing emoticons or some stupid crap like that. But real fun where you're doing something that's genuinely imaginative and challenging in a way which transcends the extra-curricular activities section of a college application. There's an authenticity to what they're doing in that it's not a premeditated means to anything. It's a story which never would have come from a bunch of people who were born here. Maybe it's a Trinidadian thing. Related Links Made In Queens