Iconic music in BMX video parts
Above: BMX lifer Arthur Birbilopoulos, lead vocals from Life Sentence, playing a ripper set at ACT Jam 2023 - with a freshly separated shoulder from crashing at the trails earlier in the day.
Music plays an integral role in making a video part memorable.
But it's more than that.
Music plays a vital role in BMX riding, full stop. Video part or not, the emotion and feeling riding gives you, works hand in hand with the same feelings music brings.
Music and BMX work in tandem to elevate a session, to provide extra stoke and to pull you out of a mood.
BMX video parts are elevated to the next level with a good song choice.
But a poor song choice can make-or-break the video part.
Arguably, music has more of an impact than the editing.. Sometimes even the riding - a good song can turn a section into one that sticks in your head for a lifetime.
Video part songs can come out of left field, they can build, they can be intense. They can also be mellow and emotive, or they can be mellow and let the riding do the talking.
A good song choice can take you on a journey!
A good BMX video part coupled with a good song is the reason why BMX riders will listen 'to a bit of everything' - when there's a memorable trail part to Andre Nickatina, or a badass street part to Bob Dylan, you just can't help but crossover into different genres of music.
This is why riders will stop in random shops when a certain song comes on and instantly turn to their friend to say what video and rider the song belongs to.
Images of tricks and spots come flooding in whenever a song comes on... A certain kind of BMX-synesthesia.
BMX and its use of music contributes to the one part of the vastness of what makes BMX culture so amazing.
I've got my top three iconic BMX video part music choices below, plus a bonus video part section. Hope you enjoy.
Turn the volume up!
- Tyson
Mike Hoder's epic Facad video part to Vanilla Ice, Ice Ice Baby.
There's no un-copyrighted version of Van Homan's epic Criminal Mischief part using Ozzy Osbourne's Diary Of A Madman that I can embed, but you can watch it by clicking the video above, where it's embedded on the Freedom BMX website.
Magilla's part from Thousand Yard Stare using Marshall Tucker Band's Fire On The Mountain captures trails to me perfectly - it will never get old and I think that's what trail riding is... Timeless.
My bonus is Zac Miner's section from the Back Bone video - it's such savage riding, coupled to a heavy and moody song that suits Zac to the ground; INXS Never Tear Us Apart.
