The Last Living Niche Subculture? A Talk with ANYONE: Master of Cards
When we speak about subculture these days, it’s as if we are talking about the mainstream. With internet access being so widespread as it is, it is as easy as ever to access knowledge and join communities. This is not a bad thing, we ourselves would not exist without the unprecedented levels of entry into the world of the unknown, but we can’t help but miss the times when to truly understand something you had to be a part of it.
Well, this is cardistry. Something widely undiscovered, misunderstood, and untapped, despite it being an incredibly vibrant and bustling subculture. Amassing a cult-like following, cardistry is the art and expertise of card tricks. As a subculture magazine that shines light on fashion, music, art, and everything in between, we knew that we had to put a big feature on this little known gem, and start slowly peeling away at cardistry. Now we are in love, and you will be too after this.
Not to be confused with card magic tricks, cardistry is instead more attuned to the use of cards and decks in a flashy, performative way. Think of skateboarders performing tricks and stunts - this is cardistry. It has developed a massive community and culture behind it, with videos online racking up millions of views and certain decks becoming collector's items, fetching upwards of hundreds of dollars due to rarity. And who are the people at the forefront of this culture? ANYONE.
ANYONE is a collective of cardists that are pushing the scene like no one else. Founded by Tobias Levin and Nikolaj Pedersen when they joined forces with Noel Heath in 2017, the scene has never been the same since and it's a scene that we thought we ought to share with everyone.
There is something about fiddling with cards that is so addictive; so nostalgic and electric. Anyone who has ever played a card game will tell you that there is not much more satisfying than shuffling them in your hands, so we can only imagine what euphoria is created when performing the certain stunts these guys pull off. And they don’t just stop at tricks. ANYONE is instigating a new age in cardistry, which really puts the influences and inspiration that orbit in at the forefront.
With a huge focus on music, fashion, art, and everything culture, ANYONE collaborates with different people to release limited edition decks, they hold pop-ups in the biggest cities in the world gathering other like-minded card-enthusiasts, and release clothing and merchandise which has a considered and thought through dialect with style. They are really pulling the strings of this community, and it’s this exact reason we had to sit down and talk with them.
We’re super happy to be able to showcase our interview with the guys at ANYONE, and can’t wait for you to get an exclusive insight into one of the last living real niche subcultures we have today.
Can you first introduce yourself to the sabukaru network - Who are you and what are you guys doing?
So I'm Tobias and I run the brand, Anyone. We do cardistry. We make and design playing cards, and make videos where we showcase what cardistry is and highlight all the best talents in the community.
For people that have no idea what cardistry is, how would you describe it to them?
I would say Cardistry is an aesthetic and technical way of shuffling playing cards. It's similar to card tricks, but without the element of magic. It's more for the enjoyment of the people doing it than it is for a laymen audience. It’s quite hard to explain just with words, you're going to have to see it.
So you’re saying some people might mistake it for magic tricks. What's the difference between somebody you see doing these typical videos of pulling a coin or a card out behind the ear to cardistry?
People often mistake cardistry for magic because you might expect to see that after you see how we handle cards. Some people are let down by not having their expectation met, but for some, cardistry is more interesting and I guess that’s how we stay a subculture. We kind of exist in the shadow of card tricks. Many cardists began as magicians but then discovered the style of cardistry, and then moved away from magic. Magic is sleight of hand with an intention to hide what’s done. Cardistry is just what it is, what you see is what you get.
Can you describe how the cool young people from all around the world started to connect with this culture? How did it become cool or was it always cool?
That’s a great question because there’s a lot of variety in the people who do cardistry. Some people are not in it for the style, but a lot are and ANYONE has definitely been a big part of dragging the culture in that direction. I have always been inspired by skateboard videos; the music, the editing – all of it has drawn inspiration from that.
How did you first go in contact with cardistry? What was the connecting point for you guys?
There's these twins named Dan and Dave. They made a DVD in 2007 teaching a ton of their cardistry moves. They really pioneered a lot of the old-school basics and revolutionised the whole thing. They presented cardistry wearing suits in a desert, with a clean style and performance to it. That’s how I got started.
Did you guys at Anyone meet over cardistry or were you guys connected before?
No. We're all friends because of cardistry. I met the others at magic conventions a long time ago. We would go to these conventions and not buy the entry pass, just to hang out. Because we knew that’s where the other cardists where going to be. While the magic performances and lectures where going on we would sit and come up with new ways of moving the cards around. This was around 2011.
Where does the community meet now? What are the main social media places or websites where you gather online?
Definitely Instagram, that's the main place right now. It used to be YouTube, before that it was on forums.
How much of a global thing is it? We saw you just went to Seoul, to Japan, and everywhere you go there seems to be somebody.
Yes, that's true. Because it's so small, everyone is friends. Everywhere we go we can meet up with 10, 20 people who all appreciate cardistry, and without much talking we instantly connect, because we all have that passion. It's very tight knit because of that, which is super cool.
So even before we knew we would be interviewing you guys, we already knew what the headline was going to be - something like ‘the last real subculture still alive’ - subculture is so hard to remain niche because everyone wants to be the person who finds the next big niche. But, would you agree with our headline?
Yeah, cardistry stands out from many subcultures because of its difficulty. There's a big learning curve. You really gotta love handling cards, how they feel in the hands, how they sound an so on. The cards we use aren't like specially designed for cardistry making it easier, they are just playing cards. So you can see a cardistry move going very viral, but the core community remains small. It's rare to meet someone who knows what cardistry is. It’s only happened a few times.
So what is the classic move that everyone starts out learning? You know, like the Ollie of Cardistry?
Yeah. There are one handed moves, like a charlier cut or a revolution cut, those are fairly simple. Then once you start moving over to two handed cuts, there’s one called Sybil, which is a bit more complicated, but a lot of cuts are based on it. Then obviously there's all the classic ones people know of, like a card spring, a thumb fan, a spread etc. — Stuff you will see in movies. The real interesting bit is once you get the basics down, you can start creating your own moves — explore your own way of moving the cards around in your hands.
Are there any legendary tricks that only a few people probably can pull off?
Yes sort of. There are specific moves that only a few can do. Sometimes it's because the move hasn't been taught, but often it’s a cardist who has learned something so well nobody else can follow. But the more legendary tricks are the ones a lot of people can do in my opinion. Like I have cut called “Phaced” which is not super complicated. It’s just become popular over time and because I have been doing it so much, there’s a lot of room for me to play around with tempo and such. Similar to a super crispy kickflip in skateboarding — it’s almost better than something exclusive.
Are there competitive tournaments or cardistry champions?
Yeah, there's been a few competitions going on, both online and at conventions where it would just be, you know, people's best moves on videos. However the competitive side of things misses the point for me a bit.
I see it more as an art form rather than place to push hierarchy. But that’s just me, I know people find the competitions very motivating.
Who are the videographers that take care of this? You guys explode on the internet with your content. Is it all you filming everything or do you get pro’s in?
I usually film most of the things we do, but I get a lot of help from other cardists. I guess the comparison to skateboard can be made again. Skaters filming skaters, it’s the same in cardistry. I’ve made videos longer than I have been playing with cards. Happens to be a good combination.
It seems like you guys would completely explode on TikTok if you started doing it. Have you ever thought about this?
We've definitely talked about it a lot. But we really don’t like the TikTok format that much and find most of it cringe. I've made a TikTok account where I plan to share cardistry content I find cool, we’ll see if the algorithm gods like it haha.
What’s interesting for us is when you go and travel the world and find other cardistry communities. are there other local differences?
That's a good question. Tokyo and Seoul immediately comes to mind as favorites. There's a focus on fashion and style here that I love. L.A. has a more laid-back and super creative vibe. In Singapore there’s more precise and perfectionist style. It’s interesting to see.
We talked about techniques, but what's super interesting is the design and the decks itself. Can you explain to us a little bit about it?
What we do is design them to look good in motion— This is something we noticed worked well using old casino decks back in the day with simple back designs. They just look good when you move them around. So when you see an ANYONE deck, it will not look like a classic Bicycle style deck with intricate details on the back, but much more minimalistic. Our cards are like a symbol for what we do. They tell a story and become associated with the energy we put in the videos.
Is this approach something that just recently started or are there many kind of crews and communities out there doing their own decks?
It's been going on for quite a few years, but it's definitely picked up much more speed now. The first deck we released sold out in like two hours and then it just started moving faster and faster and now we've had bigger runs sell out in 15 minutes. So, this demand exists around it and there are multiple brands who are doing it now. Right now, the industry is stabilising a bit, which feels healthy. In the last five years there’s been like 50 new brands doing it because everyone wanted to try it out.
You could say this craze around cards started in the late '90s or early 2000s. There was a deck of cards called Jerry’s Nuggets, produced in the 1970s using methods that are now illegal. They have a unique feel to them, making them great for cardistry. The Dan and Dave DVD we mentioned earlier featured these cards. Way back they were available at the Jerry’s Nugget Casino for a dollar, but then eventually sold for like $500. A few of the original ANYONE decks have followed a similar path.
We never do reprints of decks. It’s like an unwritten rule. And this means they become collectors items. The cards get worn out and people discard them, so the number of decks per edition slowly keeps going down.
What were the most exciting decks you did that you're most proud of so far?
Our collaborative decks have always been the most exciting. We have an exciting deck on the horizon with you guys — But from what we've released so far, the Benjamin Edgar deck and the B. Thom Stevenson collaboration stand out. And then our first two decks — the original checkerboard and dot designs — they hold a sentimental value for me. We had an ANYONE video play on 9 screens around Shibuya crossing showcasing our new decks and of course cardistry. That was a surreal moment.
What makes each deck different to people who just think everyone's the same?
People look for cards made in different factories and from different eras where the cards felt different. It’s all the details — paper quality, the inks, the oil used in production, the artwork, how limited they are. It’s a whole world.
What's the best performing tool you can get in the world of decks?
I do think that we are making close to that, not every time because there's some variability in the production, but every now and again we’ll get very close to perfect. It’s hard to control because the feeling of the cards depends on so many small things like the humidity in the factory and all these things. Individual preference also starts to play a role, a favorite of mine is the dot playing cards we make.
How would you define the perfect card?
A deck that hold together nicely as packets, yet still slides perfectly in the hands. Certain decks have a louder design — and for me they tend to be kept in my collection rather than used a lot. I like a muted deck that feels good in the hands. Cards change over time, slowly getting broken in, and there’s a sweet spot somewhere there. A sign of a better quality deck is one you can put away for a while and when you pick it up it feels better, kind of like a good leather shoe.
You guys must really know the feeling of cards well.
Oh yeah most cardists, I think, who've been doing it for some time, could put a deck of cards in their hands and they could probably tell whether it's made in a certain factory or not. And sometimes you get handed a deck from someone else and there's like one or two cards missing and you can tell right away. There's 50 here instead of 52.
So where are you guys heading next?
You know, I feel like it's not just about cards. It's about a community and culture. I think ultimately the aim is to create this confidence around the culture. To show this melting pot of music, fashion, art, social gatherings around cardistry and for young people to kind of grow up and lean into that. Because when we started, there was no context like this. I would show people what I'm into and they wouldn’t get it, but I want to create a place for kids who do get it.
Speaking of fashion, you guys also do clothing and merchandise, right?
Yeah, we started to make more clothing and merchandise. I kind of wanted to make it more than just t-shirts. We've been doing t-shirts since the beginning, but now we're making like shirts and bags and hats and all this. It's quite interesting to see how that like melts together with the culture.
And what are your plans for the next year?
The plan is to make more pop-ups. We already have two more planned for next year. And then we have some pretty exciting collaborations coming up as well. We're going to slow down the production and focus more on cardistry content and the culture. Because during COVID there was kind of a disconnect in the culture because we couldn't meet up anymore. So it's about nurturing that for the next years.
Finally, do you have any last words for our audience?
I encourage anyone to pick up a deck of cards and give it a try. Any deck in your house would work. It can be a good way of unwinding. Thanks for having me on here, much love to your audience and your team, you do great work.
ANYONE and Sabukaru
In celebration of the Sabukaru article ”The Last Living Niche Subculture”, ANYONE and SABUKARU is teaming up with Gallery Commune to host an event in Tokyo.
ANYONE has worked with Sabukaru on a deck of cards titled "2032" featuring artwork by Johnny Terror, a Sabukaru Nylon Tech Hat, and limited edition riso prints of the playing card artwork.
All items will be available at Gallery Commune October 13th, from 5-8PM, installation continues through October 15th.
GALLERY COMMUNE, 1-18-7 Nishihara, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0066, Japan.
We're excited to once again bridge different worlds. Hope to see you there!
