Staying on the Pulse of the Pace with JBL's +1 Run Club
In collaboration with Ante, Hypebeast captures how the new Flip 7 speaker is fuelling creative connections in the running scene.
“We like to call it a safe space,” shares Christian Zellin, co-founder of fashion label Ante. Gearing up for a run with fellow creatives in Berlin, Zellin, along with the brand’s other co-founders, has taken a minute out to chat about its weekend run club. “Everyone’s got their schedule, but they can hang out and express themselves in the most unpretentious, authentic… and sweaty way possible.”
This particular running meet, however, is unlike any of its typical runs. Collaborating with JBL, Ante has called on its community to take the audio brand’s newly updated Flip 7 speaker to the streets. As well as simply road-testing the device, they are set to trial its acclaimed portability and drop-proof design. Hypebeast captures the action behind this special activation, discovering how they harness the power of sound to widen their circle and cultivate new connections with the invitation extended to +1s of all abilities.
Congregating at LAP café – a cultural hub in the fashion-forward district of Mitte – the evening event kicks off with attendees grabbing a coffee and meeting new faces in the group, as per Ante’s regular routine. With everyone at the dedicated starting point, co-founder Marcus Butler gets the runners amped up in a short warm-up, soundtracked by smooth house tracks. “It’s amazing how much a song can influence your mood,” he mentions. “You can be feeling one way, but once you listen to a certain song, you can have a big emotional switch-up.”
As the group sets off, Zellin and the third co-founder of Ante, Julian Weigl, secure the devices with the handy carabiner and activate the game-changing Auracast™ function to connect their speakers for amplified sound. Using the music to set the pace, they weave through the chaos of inner-city Berlin and make their way down the scenic riverside to the Brandenburger Tor monument. At this halfway point, the tempo rises with Ante’s go-to tech-house beats – a genre favored by many local Berliners – giving them a final push on the home stretch.
Making their way down Tiergarten, an unexpected appearance from the sun brings the finish line of the Gleisdreieck park into plain sight. It’s here that a wave of cheers and sighs fills the air as the group slows down. Gathering around in a circle, Butler once again leads a cool-down, at which point the speakers turn from playing heavy beats to groovy, funk-house in a smooth transition of genres. Although the run has come to an end, the runners stick around with their LAP café brownies and coconut water in hand, and connect with other members.
“When we introduced our run club, it was a natural thing that came from a group of our friends wanting to meet once a week,” reflects Weigl. “Now, it’s become big because it’s so accessible. It frees your mind when you run, you have a lot of time to think about things, and let your ideas flow.” Whether it’s connecting with creatives or shedding off the weight of the day, it’s clear that run clubs have been popping up across the city. And, with JBL’s Flip 7 bringing music to every stride, they’re only set to become bigger among Berlin’s creatives.
Feel the pulse of Ante’s pace by looking back at the +1 Run Club event above and tuning into its dedicated Spotify playlist.
To shop the JBL Flip 7, head to the brand’s website and partner retailers.
