Filmcomponist Kai Hugo aka Palmbomen wint Gouden Kalf maar vervloekt de film

De artiest Kai Hugo aka Palmbomen publiceerde gisteren op Facebook een notitie waarin hij uitlegt waarom hij niet blij is met het winnen van een Gouden Kalf voor de muziek van de film Prins van Sam de Jong. Artistiek kan Kai zich helemaal niet vinden in het eindresultaat.

Palmbomen is van origine Nederlander maar werkt momenteel in Los Angeles. Zijn sound is gebaseerd op het geluid van oude synthesizers, vaak vervormd en voorzien van analoge bandrecorder-ruis, lo-fi.

So I just won this award called the ‘Gouden Kalf’ for some music I made for a movie. I was unable to be there because I had a show last night in Chicago, and sent a friend and my sister to pick it up. I wish I could have read the speech myself but I’m not gonna cancel shows for something I don’t really like, and also I don’t want to lie about my feelings.

While making the music for this film the music had been altered so much in a way I don’t agree with. I asked to not use my name in promoting the film because I didn’t want people to go to the movie because of my music. But winning this award now forces me to say something.
The music has been changed because the opinion of the producer and some ‘legends’ weighed heavier than mine. Most of the work I did on this movie was ‘fighting’ to get my music right and not altered in editing etc.

I feel like the music is dumbed down because people apparently think that the Dutch audience can not handle anything different. This results in that the movie is nothing more than a weak copy of hyped American films, but then with a ‘Dutch touch’. Like most what I see in Dutch subsidized films.

I also want to make the statement that I think that these government subsidies do more wrong than good. This is evident in the quality of the Dutch films. It makes people lazy and mold their work to whatever is good to get these subsidies. And this has nothing to do with art. In my opinion this Award show for the ‘Gouden Kalf’ has nothing to do with art.

I hate that I have to do it like this, because on paper it sounds so nice to get money to do your projects. But through only bad experiences I learned to be very cautious of subsidized projects.
I like that people respect my work but next time please let me just do what I want.

Peace and kisses,

Kai

(omslagfoto: Albert Dedden en Paul Keizer / CC BY)