Tina Kakadelis
Kneecap made history earlier in 2024 as the first Irish-language film to premiere at Sundance. Now, after its runaway festival success, Kneecap was selected by Ireland as their entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. The film is part-fiction, part-documentary about the members of the hip-hop trio: Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí. They grew up in Ireland and are categorized as part of the “ceasefire generation.” Composer Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante also grew up in Ireland after the ceasefire. Asante is an Emmy-nominated multi-hyphenate artist and MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire). In addition to songs Kneecap, the film’s soundtrack is supplemented with works by Asante.
Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante sat down with Film Obsessive News Editor Tina Kakadelis to discuss his musical roots, his involvement with Kneecap, and the power of the Irish language.
Film Obsessive: Can you talk a little about how you first got into music and where film/television came into your life?
Mikey J: From my parents’ point of view, I was always musical. I was playing pots and pans and dancing from as early as one year old. My memory takes me to nine years old when I did my first musical. I wanted to act mainly, and found out I could hold a note. This brought me to sing with our county choir, where I was introduced to 10-part harmony, and I was hooked. Fourteen is when I found production and never looked back.
I would say film was always a thing in our household. My dad would always have something on via the VCR, with lots of videos in our cabinets. I would say I was more into narrative and music. It’s not only a musical artist pursuit, i.e., a three-minute radio track, but something that can dictate the pace and dynamics of a moment. Hence, working with dance where the music speaks so much for the scene.
How did you get involved with Kneecap as a band, and then as the composer for the film?
The director, Rich Peppiatt, sought me out for the score. Essentially, I was his first choice, but I initially had to decline due to other commitments. Then I met Kneecap the band. After I got involved, I listened to their music/album and got to hear about their experiences.
It’s so rare for films in the Irish language to be seen on the big screen in the way that Kneecap has been seen. It’s the first Irish-language film to premiere at Sundance, only a year or so after The Quiet Girl was the first Irish-language film nominated for an Oscar. What does it mean to you, as someone who grew up in the UK after the Ireland ceasefire, to have the language be heard on this level?
I truly have been taken on a journey with this story and that of its subject matter. I went to a Catholic primary school next door to a territorial army training facility. We had to evacuate many times due to someone calling in a bomb threat, so the energy of the IRA and all its effects were always around us. As a child, you just knew there needed to be peace.
The peace came, so you just thought everything was ok, and doing this film highlighted how much we didn’t know and how, once that force left, how much lay in its wake, broken and in need of support. I am always blown away by how much, even with my parents’ mother tongue, is lost in translation. You can’t always get the same essence of the word or even its meaning at all. It’s all about identity and how much is connected with who is telling that story, so this film feels so timely.
For your score in Kneecap, you blended a wide array of musical styles. Was it ever overwhelming? How did you find the balance of all these genres to create a cohesive score?
I would say that the time factor (30 days) to complete the score was a big challenge, but I leaned into my experience as a DJ and my knowledge of the subgenres of Hip Hop to find the sound that best suited the narrative or the scene directly.
You believe experimentation and creativity are some of the important elements of composing. Where do you go or what do you do if you feel stuck in a project to find new ideas to experiment with?
It’s key to finding the pen for your endeavor. In my opinion, I love going to my Maschine, which is essentially a sampler/groove box. It creates a set of limitations to inspire the next move. I know that piece of equipment inside out and play it like one would play a guitar. It takes my eyes off the screen and focuses on the sound and the groove, which usually shows me where I need to go next.
