Hello again! Welcome to the eight edition of ‘Zenrei’s Zone’, a newsletter dedicated to creation and contemplation. This time, there’s a short story (!) and international hip-hop.
Enjoy and thank you for reading! Any support, from sharing to subscribing, is deeply appreciated.
And please share with others! It’s really encouraging to see growth and win some small battles in the attention paradigm:
Bars Across Borders
Way back in 2018/9, me and a friend called Alex Weiler (DJing under Más Allá: @wildweiler) started a radio show called Bars Across Borders. It aimed to spread cross-cultural understanding, appreciation and love through the universal language of hip-hop. Each episode explores and showcases a new country or language's hip-hop scene, navigating the unique soundscapes and stories which different languages, heritages and histories bless the genre with.
We ran it on St Andrews Radio (STAR) and had a great time. I brought it back for Threads Radio from April-June 2022, covering Poland, Turkey and India, and I’m now back again. It’s nice timing, as it was aired on 28 June, a day which marked four years since I graduated, and since I released my first single, Reflecting. Previous episodes from Threads and STAR are available on my Mixcloud. Get yourself into some Italian hip-hop here! Next up is Mandarin…
Empathy & Eternity
I’ll keep it short this time! We’re filming this month, and we now have got a professional composer on board…if anybody would still like to contribute, you can here.
Urban equestrianism
As many of you may know, I studied French at university and lived in France - I am a great lover of French culture. I am currently back and fourth between the UK and France, and decided to write a short story on a practice I have been consistently engaged in for years. If you enjoy it, please let me know.
L’ÉQUITATION URBAINE
A delinquent’s deontology, or a guide to a venerated urban sport in Paris
Paris has one of the world’s earliest metro systems, with the Porte Maillot - Porte de Vincennes line being inaugurated in 1900 at the World Fair. As such, it has a historical reputation for a curious sport which the author likes to refer to as ‘équitation urbaine’ (urban equestrianism).
Unfortunately, the sport’s origins are ultimately historical speculation, for despite the best efforts of historians, early accounts of the practice are hard to trace. The following account is an attempt to render justice to a sport the historian passionately participates in. A similar guide to the practice in London, which the author recommends, has been issued by Never Pay Press.
Players practice the sport for different reasons. Some are simply drawn by the adrenaline rush given by the dynamics which will be described below, like those drawn to extreme sports. Many enjoy the sense of camaraderie among the self-styled ‘équibeur.euse.s’. For some, it is a matter of convenience if they have no physical debit card or cash, as most metro machines do not accept contactless payments. Others are attracted by the financial incentive of the sport, which operates on a basis of economisation, or by a mix of all of the above.
With regard to the latter point, not long before the time of writing, tickets for the Paris metro rose by 20 centimes, and the Navigo Pass monthly price increased to 80 euros. In this light, now more than ever, many are swayed by a simple financial calculation that can be rendered thus:
either
20 individual tickets at full price (plein tarif) are: 52.10
or
a monthly Navigo pass is 80
thus
50 successful standard ‘équibs’ (assuming a normal daily working schedule) = 104.20/80
however
one RATP fine for travelling without a ticket = 50
therefore
if the équibeur.euse successfully performs 25 équibs, they will have broken even on the cost of transport in the city.
any further successful équibs further the player’s economisation strategem.
end of calculation
Entrance
The équibeur.euse, or urbeq, as they are commonly referred to in the UK, has numerous options:
The équibeur.euse may enter into the metro system through any of the metro’s exit gates. Depending on the station, there may be one sortie or up to seventeen.
The équibeur.euse may enter through with a non-équibeur.euse by hopping over the turnstile or budging through it as the non-équibeur.euse passes through with any type of valid entry. The action of the assist is referred to as an ‘équibette’.
The last commonly accepted option is for the équibeur.euse to perform a jump in order to pass the barrier. As in gymnastics, there are different kinds of jumps - the one pass, the two pass and the double-legged saute. The jump chosen depends on the gates that one encounters and the situational circumstances. Many équibeur.euse.s demonstrate great agility and confidence in their methods.
Exit: porte de sortie (top) and a more modern portique (middle). Entry: anti-fraud gates (bottom).
Avoidance
The next element of the sport requires a great capacity for observation, speed and intelligence. Once the player has successfully begun an équib, they must contend with a group of green-garbed individuals known as the RATP (Regie Autonomie des Transports Parisiens), whose job it is to prevent the practice of the underground sport.
The dress-code of the RATP controlleur.euse is a green jacket, a white shirt with a blue and green striped tie, and green trousers. They also carry a machine used to check the validity of tickets and Navigo passes. The machine can also issue fines. Like the sport’s practitioners, they can be of any age, physical description or ethnicity. It must also be mentioned that they are sometimes undercover (‘en civil’) with a green RATP armband. The identification of this category is the remit of advanced practitioners.
The principle of economisation mentioned earlier also exists for the role of the controlleur.euse - there are particular areas of Paris where the practice of urbeq is more mainstream, and, of course, many lines intersect at key central stations, such as Châtelet and Gare du Nord. These are the areas where controlleur.euse most often orbit, and any budding équibeur.euse should keep this in mind. Yet a controlleur.euse may appear anywhere, at any time - individually or in groups. Evidently, practitioners must understand the odds and the possibility of capture. Whilst the game is a venerable endeavour, in the worst case scenario, knowing when to fold and practice humility by purchasing a ticket, no matter how counterintuitive it may seem, is vital to the long-term practice of the sport. However, when folding, the équibeur.euse must be careful of their habits! Many an équibeur.euse, including the author, has been fined for a violation whilst carrying a valid ticket, all because they performed a jump or pass by instinct!
However, this last resort is to be employed only if the practitioner is fighting very high odds or is as yet unversed in the practice of the skills listed below. The controlleur.euse’s job incurs the hatred and anger of many practitioners, and indeed reaches beyond the world of the sport into the wider world of bureaucracy and authority. However, the position of the équibeur.euse towards a controlleur.euse is one of begrudging respect - much the same way a boxer may congratulate their opponent after a match, or a football team shakes hands before their showdown. Here are some principles which the équibeur.euse may use to cultivate the observational awareness necessary to the practice of the sport and the avoidance of the RATP:
Crowd dynamics: The équibeur.euse will always allow a crowd ahead of them and be aware of station and time specific dynamics, unless they are very confident in encountering no obstacles during their équib. If the player notices a universal slowing down or change in direction (often from unprepared players within the crowd!), it may be due to the presence of controllers.
Space: The équibeur.euse employs a mental map of the metro which accounts for small crossroads, tight corners, sudden turns and other potential crevices where the controlleur.euse.s may be lurking.
Multitasking: The variety of social contexts in which urbeq is practiced is expansive. A player may be alone - perhaps listening to music, browsing the internet, or reading. Equally, a player could be with any number of other parties in any feasible context, from inebriation of any kind to a romantic, platonic or even professional context. The player must successfully manage the fulfilment of a task while maintaining the observational eye key to their craft.
Athleticism: The cultivation of an efficient and fast gait, which is also found in ‘nordic walking’, is important to the practice of avoidance, whether walking away from controlleur.euse.s or briskly toward freedom at the end of the équib. Some brave équibeur.euse.s are also willing to run from a capture situation, though this is rare and potentially ill-advised. The cultivation of agility and dexterity helps with the saute.
Zen: Lastly, the practice of the équibeur.euse is rooted in an acceptance of odds, the embracing of a low-cost, counter-hegemonic lifestyle and a relaxed, can-do attitude.
In addition to these guidelines, the author recommends that any budding practitioner may observe the practices of more experienced équibeur.euse.s across most metro stations of Paris in order to further acquaint themselves with the practice.
The author hopes that any reader of this guide will find useful information for the practice and promotion of this sport, and that it may contribute to their endeavours.
Cameron Evans is a poet, hip-hop artist and Russian to English translator from north-western England. His poetry and music explores ideas of grief, belief, mental health and place in the form of hip-hop. He is also a passionate équibeur.
If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with anyone you think may be interested in poetry, history and music. Knowing it resonates enough to break through the ennui engine and potentially be shared means a lot to me.
Thank you so much for your attention and interest!
Love,
Zenrei