Kai Hugo (1988, The Netherlands) is a musician, filmmaker, and

composer currently living in Los Angeles, California. Influenced by Italo

Disco, New Wave and Krautrock, Hugo’s first music project, entitled

Palmbomen, combines electronic elements like drum machines and

sequenced synthesizers with the live instruments and singing. The

result of this marriage is an atmosphere that translates to both the DJ

booth and the rock club stage.

After releases on NON Records and Kitsuné Maison, Hugo began to

focus on a new endeavor meant to be more DJ friendly. Palmbomen

II maintains the granular aesthetic of Palmbomen, but with more

focus on electronic elements. Making use of the Oberheim DX, Roland

TR909, TR808, Korg M1, and Korg Wavestation, songs were recorded

directly to tape over four weeks in a studio constructed in Hugo’s

mother’s attic. The limitations of such machines allow for a more

spontaneous result, much like early Chicago records from Jamal Moss,

Steve Poindexter, Larry Heard and Virgo Four, as well as European

electronic pioneers Alexander Robotnick, Das Ding, and Philippe

Laurent. Hugo re-watched X-Files and listened to eighties and nineties

relaxation cassettes with themes like ‘tropical paradise’ to ‘hidden lake’

as a source of influence during the recording process. Beats in Space

Records will release a self-titled debut in March of 2015.

As with Plalmbomen, Palmbomen II was created with a multi-sensory

vision in mind. Hugo has built a ‘hardware only’ set consisting of self-
modified machines and home built controls for light displays. The

setup was premiered at Cameo Gallery in Brooklyn to help celebrate

Beats in Space’s 15-year anniversary. Hugo also is collaborating with

Camilla Saldriaga on a series of short films that pair with different

songs from the album. The videos make use of the haunting sprawl of

Los Angeles, captured using professional broadcasting cameras from

the late eighties. In addition to another EP for the new project, Hugo is

has begun working on a follow up release to 2012’s Night Flight Europa

as Palmbomen.