002: Surfing the Sounds of South L.A. with MAXV
Updated: Oct 26, 2021
LOS ANGELES
Los Angeles born, Berlin + LA raised: Max Ville is a lot of things. Surfer, skater, former actor, designer, Dj. Purveyor of California culture. In the 1980’s Max’s mother moved from Berlin to Hollywood, changing the trajectory of his life. Max would soon immerse himself in LA street culture, becoming a fixture of the local scenes in Melrose, Fairfax, and Venice. A youngin skating and surfing off PCH, his schoolhouse days were soaked in graffiti and Southern California sun.
Working at a record store on Fairfax, digging at Tower and Amoeba. Melrose was Max’s backyard. In the summertime, Max returned to Berlin for school & visits with cousins, who exposed him to a breadth of European electronic music. Back in LA, Max attended Dj AM parties and Sarcastic Disco raves, piquing his interest in dance music and broadening his understanding of what a good night of dance could and should be.
In the mid 2000’s, Max cut his teeth as an underage jock at the Bolthouse Events in Hollywood. His reputation grew rapidly. In a town flooded with imposters, Max became known for his knowledge of genres, the diversity of his sound, and the coherence of his style. As Max says, “Range is key”. Never limited to one genre, Max’s musical curation catapulted him into some of LA’s finest clubbing establishments: Max would go on to hold residencies at The Standard Hotel, Paul & Andres, Soho House, The Mondrian, The Bungalow, and Cinespace, among others. Max’s experience with and contributions to LA street culture continue to fuel his creative passions as a DJ.
Not one to be held down, with no dancefloors open in 2020, Max can still be found doing his thing: drinking natural wine, snapping a 35mm, making his own music, skating around town, and pouring his creative efforts into VVSHAPES Surfboards, his self-owned surf company.
Max’s boards are shaped in Los Angeles, handmade and painted by the man himself. From the inception of VVSHAPES, the designs of the boards reflected the retro side of the surf culture of California. Recently collaborating with STAMPD, BATHING APE, SKULLPHONE & FUTURA, Max continues to keep it real, using South LA beaches as the testing grounds for his surfboards.