*Interview by Angel Cheng. Photos by Simone Gozzeti and Brisquit.
Rat Ratz is a skate-crew formed out of Milano Centrale plaza. Their videos embody the raw energy of skateboarding and have garnered attention world-wide. Brisquit, the original filmer, began making the videos with an old Canon camera at a time when there were not many filmers in Milan. In the beginning Brisquit was with a small crew from Via Savona, South Milan. Around 2019, Brisquit met Vince, Nils, Niko and Rach and began filming them as well.
Most of the crew members are from all around Italy and Europe. Brisquit is from South Italy, Rachid is from Veneto, Vince is from Germany and Nils is from Croatia. Organically meeting each other around Milano Centrale, the primary meet up spot for all skaters in Milan.
In Spring 2021 Bill Strobeck came to Milan to film “Stallion.” This is where the friend group as “Ratz” got the first possibility to get visibility internationally.
ANGEL — I wanted to start with saying I love what you all are doing. I grew up on Baker and Anti-Hero videos; videos with a clear-view of what it was like to hang out with your friends everyday, skating in a care-free fashion. When I see your videos, I am reminded of this in the best way possible, what I believe is the essence of skating. So thank you for doing what you do.
RATZ — Thank you! We all pretty much grew up watching those videos so we wanted to create our own thing too, in a way where hanging out and skating together becomes one.
ANGEL — Where are you guys from?
RATZ — We’ve been based in Milan for a long time, but most of the crew members are from all around Italy and Europe. Brisquit is from South Italy, Rachid from Veneto, Vince is German, Nils is from Croatia. Pretty much in Milan, nobody is from Milan. Everyone moved here for work or study. In our crew, just a few people are from Milan.
ANGEL — What exactly is Rat Ratz and how did it come to be? Take me through the steps of how the crew formed and the making of the first few videos.
RATZ — It was from an idea of Brisquit. Since he moved to Milan, he always had this idea in mind to make skate videos. There were not much filmers in Milan at the time but there were a lot of skaters ready to stack clips, so he just started to film a few people close to him and that’s how we really started out. At the beginning, Brisquit was hanging with a small crew from Via Savona, South Milan. Around 2019 Brisquit met Vince, Nils, Niko and Rach and starting filming with them as well.
We didn’t really know what we were going for at the beginning, but we just filmed everyday before Brisquit had to work. Eventually we had a lot of footy. At the beginning we just started out as a friend group trying to film themselves. Now we’re still the same, only that we made a lot of new friends throughout the years with whom we naturally also started filming.
ANGEL — Whatsup with Milano Centrale?
RATZ — It’s the #1 meet up spot for all skaters in Milan. It always has been. A perfect marble plaza with plenty of possibilities. You don’t even have to call your friends to meet there, you already know that they’re gonna be there.
ANGEL — Who does the filming, and what is the editing process like?
RATZ — The original filmer and editor has always been Brisquit from the beginning. Due to him starting to work at Supreme, he has less time to film. Thats why recently Formizz have been helping us out with the filming. Usually we film until everyone is happy with what they have, from there Brisquit just starts editing, maybe a month or two before the premiere. It does happen though that some bangers are filmed a week or two before the release so Brisquit still has to add them in.
ANGEL — How has the editing process or the making of the videos changed from the first video till now?
RATZ — The only thing that changed is the camera. We filmed the first 3 videos on some shitty Canon and then did Ratz 4 and 5 with a VX1000. The last few videos are HD with the P2 HPX1700. The Mac on which Brisquit edited the videos is the same from the beginning.
ANGEL — The videos seem totally unfiltered. Are they? I feel like people around the world watch the videos because they relate to what you are doing, they relate to the essence.
RATZ — We just film as much as we can, so there’s usually always a filmer with a rolling camera. That’s why I think we catch a lot of funny and crazy shit that happens in Milan, especially at the plaza. Some shit we filmed can’t ever be in a vid!!!
ANGEL — I see clips of graffiti on a lot of the videos. What is the connection to graffiti?
RATZ — Everyone in the OG Ratz squad does graffiti in one way or the other. The name “Rat Ratz” actually comes from Brisquit cause he said it was easy to write and looked good at the same time. Everybody was down with that so we just kept writing it around the city. Brisquit was working in a bar where a lot of skaters and graffiti dudes were hanging, so after work we’d happen to just lurk around and film some graffiti at 3/4 am before going home!
ANGEL — What is the connection you guys have to Supreme?
RATZ — Right before covid, Supreme was planning on opening a shop in Milan, so they started searching a group of people to skate for that shop. Since the skate scene in Milan was not that big at the time, we stood out I guess. So they started sending us some clothes and also came to Milan a couple of times to get some footage for a potential shop-opening vid. In Spring 2021 the whole team (Bill Strobeck, etc.) came to Milan to film “Stallion.” This is where we as “Ratz” really got the first possibility to get some visibility internationally.
ANGEL — What, if anything, has changed since Ratz 1?
*From the RAT RATZ article. Full interview featured in Issue 7, Living Proof Magazine.