Tom Holkenborg
Tom Holkenborg | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Antonius Holkenborg |
Also known as |
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Born | Lichtenvoorde, Gelderland, Netherlands | 8 December 1967
Genres | |
Occupations | |
Instruments | |
Years active | 1988–present |
Labels | |
Website | www |
Tom Holkenborg (born 8 December 1967), also known as Junkie XL, is a Dutch composer, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, producer, and engineer. Originally known for his trance productions, he has moved to producing electronica and big beat music and film scores. His remix of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation" became a worldwide hit in 2002.
In film scores, he has worked with Hans Zimmer and his company Remote Control Productions on Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as well as composing the scores for Zack Snyder's Justice League, Divergent, Mad Max: Fury Road, Deadpool, Tomb Raider,[1] Alita: Battle Angel, Terminator: Dark Fate, Sonic the Hedgehog (and its sequels), Scoob!, Godzilla vs. Kong, Army of the Dead, and Three Thousand Years of Longing.
Early life
Holkenborg was born in Lichtenvoorde, Gelderland, Netherlands. Classically trained by his mother – herself an accredited music teacher – Holkenborg started playing piano when he was three years old, drums when he was eight,[2] and guitar at 12. Influenced by the psychedelic pop of Pink Floyd and King Crimson, he took up the bass by age 14. After moving to Leeuwarden, at the age of 17, he decided to take a job at a local music store selling keyboards and other digital gear, and began to have an appreciation for the combination of electronic and organic sounds.[2] It was shortly after he discovered synthesizers that he joined the Dutch new wave ensemble Weekend at Waikiki as a multi-instrumentalist and producer, touring extensively with the band, including through Poland and parts of the Soviet Union, from 1988 to 1991. He also produced and played on their 1994 album, Sputnik.[3] In 1993, Holkenborg produced Almost a Dance by Dutch metal band The Gathering, and later that year went on to form the industrial rock band Nerve with Phil Mills.[4] After signing with label Play It Again Sam in 1992 and releasing two LPs – Cancer of Choice (1993)[4] and Blood & Gold (1994) – he continued as a producer, working with hardcore punk and metal bands like Sepultura, Fear Factory, and Dog Eat Dog,[4] while simultaneously licensing some of his instrumental electronic tracks for racing video games like The Need For Speed and Test Drive 5. It was during this time that he also began scoring the Dutch feature film Siberia, which would be released by Warner Bros. Netherlands.[5]
Career
1997–99: Saturday Teenage Kick and Big Sounds of the Drags
In 1997, Holkenborg released Saturday Teenage Kick, his first album under the "Junkie XL" moniker.[4] Featuring singles such as "Billy Club", "Def Beat", and "Dealing with the Roster", the album combined pounding breakbeat rhythms with elements of rock and psychedelia.[4] Much of the album's songs featured lyrics and vocals by Patrick "Rude Boy" Tilon, vocalist for the Dutch rap rock band Urban Dance Squad.[4] After a brief tour with The Prodigy and festival dates at Fuji Rock and Roskilde, Holkenborg made a name for himself in the upcoming U.S. rave scene. His second LP, Big Sounds of the Drags, was released in 1999, once again with Tilon providing vocal work to most of the album's songs, as in "Action Radius", "Power of Big Slacks", "Zerotonine", "Love Like Razorblade", "Legion", and "Next Plateau". "Future in Computer Hell (Part 2)", the last track on the album, was featured prominently on Welsh DJ and producer Sasha's mix album Global Underground 013: Ibiza.
2002: "A Little Less Conversation"
While making inroads as a film composer – contributing to movies like Blade (1998) and The Beach (2000) – Holkenborg was asked to remix Elvis Presley's 1968 single "A Little Less Conversation" (with three different music videos) for a 2002 Nike World Cup commercial, titled "Secret Tournament". The occasion marked the first time Presley's estate had granted permission for any of Presley's material to be remixed. The song reached No. 1 in 24 countries, including the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia and Mexico, and was released as a single under the name "Elvis vs. JXL". The song was also featured as the title song to the NBC TV series Las Vegas, and in feature films like Shark Tale, Next, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, MegaMind, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
2003: Radio JXL: A Broadcast from the Computer Hell Cabin
The success of "A Little Less Conversation" set the stage for his 2003 double-disc album, Radio JXL: A Broadcast from the Computer Hell Cabin. The name "Computer Hell" referred to Holkenborg's Amsterdam studio and headquarters. Loosely based around the concept of a fictitious pirate radio station, the album's 3PM side features collaborations with The Cure's Robert Smith, Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan, Peter Tosh, Chuck D from Public Enemy, Gary Numan, Solomon Burke, and Saffron, along with the said Elvis Presley remix. The 3AM side consists mostly of progressive house instrumentals, including "Breezer", a collaboration with Sasha. The album was to be launched simultaneously with a fully functioning internet radio station at www.RadioJXL.com, which was to feature exclusive shows and mixes with top EDM producers and DJs, but the undertaking proved to be too expensive and time-consuming to continue. Subsequently, two downloadable albums were released from the site: 7AM Ambient and 7AM Dance.
2004–08: Today and Booming Back at You
Holkenborg decided to relocate to Los Angeles in 2003, and in April 2006, released his fourth full-length album, Today, an album that reflected the personal and professional changes that were occurring in his life. Today features only one guest vocalist, Nathan Mader, and reverts to the more guitar-based sound of his first two albums. His fifth album, Booming Back at You, saw Holkenborg cultivate a stronger club sound punctuated by tracks like "1967 Poem", featuring Steve Aoki. Many of the lyrics on the album were written in collaboration with Electrocute's Nicole Morier, who appears in "Mad Pursuit", "Not Enough", and "New Toy". The album was released on Artwerk Music, a joint venture between Nettwerk Music and video game company Electronic Arts, and peaked at 11 on Billboard's Top Electronic Album chart. It was the first Junkie XL full-length to chart in the U.S., and featured the hit single, "More", with Lauren Rocket. Rocket also contributed vocals to the Siouxsie and the Banshees' cover "Cities in Dust".
2012: Synthesized
On 27 November 2012, Junkie XL released his sixth full-length album, entitled Synthesized. The album was preceded by a single EP for "Molly's E", which was released on 6 September and features remixes by Azari & III and Canblaster. A second single, "Gloria" (with Fredrik Saroea of Datarock), was released on 23 October. Stylistically, Synthesized strikes a balance between the introspective sound of Today and the club-heavy sound of Booming Back at You, and features collaborations with Isis Salam ("Off The Dancefloor"), Tears for Fears' Curt Smith ("When Enough is Not Enough"), and Tommie Sunshine ("Love Machine"). The album also features a spoken word excerpt from Timothy Leary's The Psychedelic Experience, read by Leary, on the song "Leave Behind Your Ego". A video for "Off the Dancefloor" was created by Japanese electro-pop band Trippple Nippples. The videos for "Gloria" and "Leave Behind Your Ego" were directed by John Christopher Pina for Clean Sweep.
Composing for film
In collaboration with Harry Gregson-Williams, he contributed additional music to the Tony Scott film Domino (2005), and served as the composer for the Dutch film Blind,[6] which was nominated for Best Original Music Score at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2007 and received the Grand Prix award for Best Original Music Score at the 2008 Aubagne International Film Festival. Holkenborg continues to work in the film and television industry, collaborating with composer Hans Zimmer as a sequencer programmer on Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. The film marks the fourth scoring collaboration between Holkenborg and Zimmer, including Megamind (2010), Inception (2010) and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012). Since moving into Zimmer's Remote Control Productions studio, the two have worked together on many other musical projects, including Man of Steel, the reboot of the Superman franchise, and a remix of that year's Academy Awards theme song. Holkenborg has provided music for the films Kingdom of Heaven, Domino, DOA: Dead or Alive,[7] Shark Tale, The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury, The Animatrix, and Resident Evil, and has had his original music featured in a number of major motion pictures, including Blade ("Dealing with the Roster") and The Beach ("Synaesthesia"). In 2013, he composed the music for the Relativity Media film Paranoia.[8] Shortly after, he was brought in by Zack Snyder, the producer of 300: Rise of an Empire, to create the score for the film.[9] He is credited as the composer for the 2014 film Divergent, with Hans Zimmer credited as "Executive Producer" for the soundtrack.[10] He is a member of the Magnificent Six, a collaborative group of five other musicians, consisting of Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, Johnny Marr (from The Smiths), Michael Einziger (from Incubus), Andrew Kawczynski, and Steve Mazzaro.[11] The "supergroup" of artists ranging from diverse backgrounds teamed up to compose the score for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. He was the primary composer for the 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road[12] and the 2016 film Deadpool,[13] and was co-composer for the film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,[14] along with Zimmer (who still wrote all the main themes,[15] including the music for Wonder Woman which was later used in the film of the same name). Holkenborg was set to compose the music for the Snyder's 2017 film Justice League, but was replaced by Danny Elfman when director Joss Whedon was brought on to finish the film.[16] Holkenborg composed the scores for the 2018 film Mortal Engines, the 2019 films Alita: Battle Angel[17] and Terminator: Dark Fate,[18] the 2020 films Sonic the Hedgehog[19] and Scoob!,[20] the 2021 releases Zack Snyder's Justice League, Godzilla vs. Kong,[21] and Army of the Dead,[22] and the 2022 releases The 355,[23] Sonic the Hedgehog 2,[24] and Three Thousand Years of Longing.[25]
Composing for video games
To go along with his numerous artist albums and EPs, Holkenborg has been creating original music for video games since the mid-1990s. In addition to composing the soundtrack for Xbox racing games Forza Motorsport and Quantum Redshift, Holkenborg is responsible for the SSX Blur soundtrack. He has also licensed a number of his album tracks for video game use. "Future in Computer Hell (Part 2)", "Synasthesia", and "Dance USA"—all taken from his album Big Sounds of the Drags—were licensed to the racing video game TD Overdrive: The Brotherhood of Speed (2002). The title track for Today is featured on the soundtrack for the video games Burnout Legends and Burnout Revenge, while "More"—taken from his fifth album, Booming Back at You—is featured on the soundtrack to EA Games' Need for Speed: ProStreet, which also includes a full score from Holkenborg. His cover of Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Cities in Dust" is featured on Electronic Arts' Burnout Paradise. He has written additional music for and licensed music to The Matrix: Path of Neo, Destroy All Humans!, The Sims 2: Nightlife, The Sims 3, Need for Speed: High Stakes, Need for Speed: Underground, Need for Speed: Carbon, FIFA 08, and FIFA Street 3, among others. He composed the soundtrack for EA's Darkspore.
Remixes
Holkenborg had made remixes—for both A-list pop superstars and lesser known artists. Highlights include work for Scissor Sisters ("Mary", "Land of a Thousand Words"), Depeche Mode ("Enjoy the Silence"), U.N.K.L.E. ("Burn My Shadow"), Justin Timberlake ("What Goes Around"), Fatboy Slim ("Weapon of Choice"), Coldplay ("Talk"), Bloc Party ("Sunday"), Michael Bublé ("Sway"), Avril Lavigne ("Girlfriend"), Daft Punk ("The Grid"), Madonna ("4 Minutes"), Fischerspooner ("Emerge"), and Hans Zimmer ("Inception" and "Bombers Over Ibiza"). His remix for Britney Spears' "Outrageous" was used in the 2004 film Catwoman, and his remix of "And Then We Kiss" was featured on Spears' 2005 remix album B in the Mix: The Remixes. In 2008, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for his remix of Madonna's "4 Minutes". His remix of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation" has gone to No. 1 in 24 countries.
Commercial work
Holkenborg's music has also been featured in a number of international ad campaigns for major brands like Nike, Adidas, Heineken, and Cadillac. His remix of Eagles of Death Metal's "Don't Speak" was used in the 2008 Nike "Take it to the Next Level" commercial, which was directed by Guy Ritchie. "Today" was featured on ESPN commercials for Major League Soccer, while "A Little Less Conversation" provided the soundtrack to Nike's 2002 World Cup campaign.[26][27][28]
Personal life
Holkenborg is an associate professor at the ArtEZ Conservatorium, one of the major art institutes in the Netherlands, where he teaches producing, remixing, and music composition. He resides in Tarzana, Los Angeles, California.[29]
He uses the name JXL in cases where the term "Junkie" might cause offense. One example of this was with his biggest hit, a remix of the song "A Little Less Conversation" which was performed by Elvis Presley, a singer who toward the end of his life was addicted to prescription drugs and whose death in 1977 at the age of 42 was at least partially caused by them.[30] Holkenborg says of his name: "I called myself Junkie XL from the point of view that once you're completely overworked, you never want to go there again. The 'XL' stands for expanding limits; broadening up your vision."[31]
Discography
Studio albums
- Saturday Teenage Kick (1997)
- Big Sounds of the Drags (1999)
- Radio JXL: A Broadcast from the Computer Hell Cabin (2003)
- Today (2006)
- Booming Back at You (2008)
- Synthesized (2012)
Film scores
Video game scores
Year | Title | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Quantum Redshift | Curly Monsters | Microsoft Game Studios | — |
2003 | Need for Speed: Underground | EA Black Box | Electronic Arts | "Action Radius" |
2005 | Burnout 3: Takedown | Criterion | Electronic Arts | — |
Forza Motorsport | Turn 10 Studios | Microsoft Game Studios | — | |
The Sims 2: Nightlife | Maxis | Electronic Arts | Neighborhood Theme remix | |
2006 | Need for Speed: Carbon | EA Black Box | Melody - Feel the Rush (Remix)Yonderboi - People Always Talk About The Weather (Remix) | |
2007 | SSX Blur | EA Montreal | EA Sports BIG | — |
Need for Speed: ProStreet | EA Black Box | Electronic Arts | Composed with Andre Ettema and Sam Estes | |
2008 | Burnout Paradise | Criterion | — | |
2010 | The Sims 3 - Re-Imagined | Maxis | — | |
2011 | Darkspore | Maxis | — | |
2015 | Madden NFL 16 | EA Tiburon | EA Sports | — |
2017 | FIFA 18 | EA Vancouver EA Romania |
— | |
2024 | Skull and Bones | Ubisoft Singapore | Ubisoft | — |
Television scores
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2012 | Lijn 32 | 8 episodes |
2019–present | Love, Death & Robots | 3 episodes |
2019 | Chimerica | 4 episodes Composed with Shigeru Umebayashi |
2020 | White Lines | 10 episodes |
References
- ^ a b Chitgood, Adam (21 March 2018). "Tom Holkenborg Reveals How He Crafted the 'Tomb Raider' Score". Collider. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018.
- ^ a b Dutch: Roomse Herrie, De digitale pop-encyclopedie van Oost-Gelre, Tom Holkenborg
- ^ Dutch: Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid, Muziekencyclopedie.nl Weekend at Waikiki
- ^ a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 247. ISBN 0-7535-0257-7.
- ^ a b Rooney, David (June 15, 1998). "Siberia". Variety. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021.
- ^ a b "Junkie XL componeert muziek voor Blind". Trouw (in Dutch). Amsterdam. 3 January 2007.
- ^ a b Willis, John; Monush, Barry (2010). "Domestic films". Screen World: the films of 2006. New York: Applause. p. 230. ISBN 9781557837295.
- ^ a b "Junkie XL maakt muziek voor Hollywood-thriller". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). 1 August 2013.
- ^ a b Elsa Vanden Abeele (21 May 2013). "Junkie XL maakt muziek voor '300: Rise of an Empire'". De Morgen (in Dutch).
- ^ a b "Ellie Goulding records new song for Divergent movie soundtrack". Digital Spy. 23 January 2014. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019.
- ^ a b "'The Amazing Spider-Man 2′ Soundtrack Update". March 12, 2014. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Mad Max: Fury Road [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015.
- ^ a b Furino, Giaco (16 February 2016). "How Junkie XL Brought the 'Deadpool' Soundtrack to Life [Exclusive]". Vice. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
- ^ a b McFarland, Kevin (24 March 2016). "Thank a Man Named Junkie XL for Batman v Superman's Ominous Sound". Wired (magazine). Archived from the original on 25 March 2016.
- ^ "Hans-Zimmer.com". Hans-zimmer.com. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ Kit, Borys (June 14, 2017). "'Justice League': Danny Elfman to Compose Score (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ a b Solis, Jose (11 March 2019). "Elimination Leads to Creation: Junkie XL on His Score for 'Alita: Battle Angel'". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023.
- ^ a b Couch, Aaron (22 March 2019). "Junkie XL to Score Terminator: Dark Fate". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019.
- ^ a b Han, Karen (12 February 2020). "Sonic the Hedgehog composer Tom Holkenborg is obsessed with updating vintage sound". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020.
- ^ a b Burlingame, Russ (29 May 2020). "Tom Holkenborg Unveils His Theme Song for Scoob!, Talks Modernizing the Classic Score [Exclusive]". ComicBook. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Godzilla vs. Kong: How Junkie XL Found New Themes for Monsters' Soundtrack". Den of Geek. 30 March 2021. Archived from the original on 30 March 2021.
- ^ a b Chitwood, Adam (13 May 2021). "Exclusive: Tom Holkenborg's Army of the Dead Soundtrack Set for May Release; Listen to a Preview Track Now". Collider. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021.
- ^ a b Burlingame, Jon (11 December 2020). "Tom Holkenborg Scoring Female-Driven Spy Thriller The 355 (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021.
- ^ a b Grierson, Tim (28 March 2022). "'Sonic The Hedgehog 2': Review". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Three Thousand Years of Longing". Cannes Film Festival. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023.
- ^ "Presleys in the Press: Elvis vs JXL - A Little Less Conversation". www.elvicities.com. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ "ElvisNews.com - Elvis Presley news magazine - By Fans For Fans". ElvisNews.com. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ "Remembering the Elvis Presley Remix That Somehow Changed Culture". www.vice.com. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ "Studio Visit: Film Composer JunkieXL". Coolhunting. July 31, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ Higginbotham, Alan (August 11, 2002). "Doctor Feelgood". The Observer. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
- ^ a b "Junkie XL confirmed to score Mortal Engines". mortalenginesmovie.com. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL) componeerde de filmmuziek voor De Gelukkige Huisvrouw". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). 8 April 2010.
- ^ "7th Seattle International Film Festival catalog". Seattle International Film Festival. 2011. p. 230.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Boyd Van Hoeij (22 February 2011). "Review: 'New Kids Turbo'". Variety. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
- ^ "Bringing Up Bobby: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 27 September 2012. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021.
- ^ "De Heineken ontvoering". Nederlands Film Festival (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 4 December 2021.
- ^ "Junkie XL to Score 'Run All Night'". Film Music Reporter. 4 December 2014. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015.
- ^ Lemire, Christy (1 April 2016). "Kill Your Friends". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016.
- ^ Minow, Nell (13 October 2015). "Composer Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL) on Black Mass". Motion Picture Association. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019.
- ^ Sobczynski, Peter (26 December 2015). "Point Break". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2015.
- ^ Lund, Carson (7 March 2017). "Review: Brimstone". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022.
- ^ Kaye, Ben (28 November 2016). "Junkie XL builds "Increasing Vibes" on new track from Distance Between Dreams soundtrack — listen". Consequence. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022.
- ^ Mike Fleming Jr (17 November 2016). "Netflix Lands Legendary Sci-Fi Action Film 'Spectral'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016.
- ^ Greiving, Tim (4 August 2017). "Meet The '90s Dance DJ Behind The Score For 'The Dark Tower'". NPR. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017.
- ^ Mamo, Heran (12 March 2021). "'Zack Snyder's Justice League' Soundtrack Is the 'Mount Everest of Scores': See Release Date & Track List". Billboard. Archived from the original on 15 March 2021.
- ^ Grierson, Tim (15 December 2023). "'Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child Of Fire': Review". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024.
- ^ Scott, Ryan (30 March 2024). "Cool Stuff: Tom Holkenborg's Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire Score Surges Onto Vinyl". /Film. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (18 April 2024). "'Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver' Review: An Even More Rote Story, but a Bigger and Better Battle". Variety. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024.
- ^ Shachat, Sarah (26 May 2024). "'Furiosa' Meticulously Blends Sound and Score in its Quest for Vengeance". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024.
- ^ McPherson, Chris (14 July 2024). "Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Gets Exciting Update From Composer Junkie XL". Collider. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024.
External links
- 1967 births
- 20th-century Dutch composers
- 20th-century Dutch male musicians
- 21st-century Dutch composers
- 21st-century Dutch male musicians
- Dutch electronic dance music DJs
- Dutch film score composers
- Dutch male film score composers
- Dutch remixers
- Dutch video game composers
- Electronic composers
- Living people
- MNRK Music Group artists
- Musicians from Oost Gelre
- People from Lichtenvoorde