In film scores, he is best known for his work in the DC Extended Universe beginning with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with Hans Zimmer, contributing to the theme song for Wonder Woman, as well as the scores for Deadpool and Mad Max: Fury Road.
Holkenborg was born in Lichtenvoorde, Gelderland, Netherlands. Classically trained by his mother – herself an accredited music teacher – Holkenborg started playing piano when he was four years old, drums when he was eight, and guitar at 12. Influenced by the psychedelic-pop of Pink Floyd and King Crimson, he took up the bass by age 14. After taking a job at a local music store selling keyboards and other digital gear, he began to have an appreciation for the combination of electronic and organic sounds. 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 parts of the former Soviet Union, from 1988 to 1991. He also contributed to their final album, Sputnik. 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. After signing with label Play It Again Sam in 1992 and releasing two LPs – Cancer of Choice (1993) and Blood & Gold (1994) – he continued as a producer, working with hardcore and metal bands like Sepultura, Fear Factory, and Dog Eat Dog, 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 Brothers Netherlands.
In collaboration with Harry Gregson-Williams, he contributed additional music to the Tony Scott film Domino (2005), and served as the composer on the Dutch film Blind, 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 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, 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. Shortly after, he was brought in by Zack Snyder, the producer of 300: Rise of an Empire, to create the score for the film. He is credited as the composer for the 2014 film Divergent, with Hans Zimmer credited as "Executive Producer" for the soundtrack. 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. The "supergroup" of artists ranging from diverse backgrounds teamed up to compose the score for the Marvel comic reboot's second feature film of the original Spider-Man trilogy The Amazing Spider-Man 2. He was the primary composer for the 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road and the 2016 film Deadpool, and was co-composer for the film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, along with Zimmer. Holkenborg's theme music for Wonder Woman was used in the film of the same name. Zimmer was replaced by Junkie XL to write and compose the music for Justice League releasing in 2017. Holkenborg was later replaced by Danny Elfman, brought up by Joss Whedon.[2] On 8 December 2017 Holkenborg was revealed to be composing the score for the 2018 film Alita: Battle Angel, based on the manga Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro.
To go along with his numerous artist albums and EPs, Holkenborg has been creating original music for video games since the mid-90s. 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: Underground, Need for Speed: Carbon, FIFA 08, and FIFA Street 3, among others. He composed the soundtrack for EA's Darkspore.
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 Venice, Los Angeles, California. He uses the name JXL in cases where the term "Junkie" might cause offense. 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."
Configuring Audio System
Junkie XL Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pasabas por la puerta cuando yo te conoci...
Tomando una cerveza, me volaste la cabeza...
Y yo que puedo hacer? con esa pendeja...
Tirado en mi cama pensando si volveras,
Escribiendo este tema para ver si te acordas,
Los abrazos, llantos que tuvimos que pasar...
Peliabas con tu vieja para podernos amar...
No supe valorar lo que siempre me distes vos.
Hablaba con amigos y me decian .que paso?
Si ustedes se amaban mucho. por que se termino?
La vida nos golpea y no cierra cada puerta.
Pero nos abre ventanas para comenzar de vuelta.
(Se rompe los cristales como corazones)
(Se corazones como los cristales)
(Se rompe los cristales como corazones)
Amigo mio, que haces en la calle y con frio?
Toma mi abrigo, deja de flashar con princesas
Te traje una cerveza para camuflar tristeza.
Ella... no va a volver... mira para adelante,
Seca esos ojos y levanta ya esa frente.
Los vagos te estan esperando, si vos es diferente.
Sacate los parlantes a la vereda... brindemos por que esa gila no vuelva...
Yo se que a vos te duele...
Pero prendi una vela para ver si se te borran las secuelas.
Ya somos grandes amigo, ya no vamos a la escuela.
Ya vendra otro amor en esta larga vida
Que no venga ni con cuentos, ni con embrollos,
Que sane tu dolor y brille de nuevo el amor.
The lyrics of Junkie XL's song Configuring Audio System describe the aftermath of a breakup and the search for closure. The song begins with the singer reminiscing about the day he met his former partner, describing how she captured his attention and made him feel alive. But as time passed, their relationship began to deteriorate, and the singer found himself reflecting on the arguments and struggles they endured in order to be together. He regrets not realizing at the time how much his partner meant to him and how much she had given him.
The second half of the song introduces a friend coming to console the singer in his grief, offering him a drink and urging him to move on. While the singer is given support and encouragement to look for love again, he acknowledges that finding a new love won't necessarily erase the pain of the old, but that healing is possible.
The lyrics of the song are emotional, heartfelt, and relatable to anyone who has experienced similar feelings after ending a relationship. They show the ups and downs of love and how it can leave lasting marks on a person even after it's over.
Line by Line Meaning
Todo empezo, ese dia que te vi,
It all started that day when I saw you, passing by the door when I met you.
Pasabas por la puerta cuando yo te conoci...
You were passing by the door when I met you...
Tomando una cerveza, me volaste la cabeza...
Drinking a beer, you blew my mind...
Y yo que puedo hacer? con esa pendeja...
And what can I do? With this girl...
Tirado en mi cama pensando si volveras,
Lying on my bed, wondering if you'll come back,
Escribiendo este tema para ver si te acordas,
Writing this song to see if you remember...
Los abrazos, llantos que tuvimos que pasar...
The hugs, tears that we had to go through...
Peliabas con tu vieja para podernos amar...
You fought with your mother to be able to love each other...
Y ahora no te tengo esa no fue mi intencion...
And now I don't have you, that was not my intention...
No supe valorar lo que siempre me distes vos.
I didn't know how to value what you always gave me.
Hablaba con amigos y me decian .que paso?
Talking with friends and they asked me, 'What happened?'
Si ustedes se amaban mucho. por que se termino?
If you both loved each other so much, why did it end?
La vida nos golpea y no cierra cada puerta.
Life hits us, but it doesn't close every door.
Pero nos abre ventanas para comenzar de vuelta.
But it opens windows for us to start over.
(Se rompe los cristales como corazones)
(The glass breaks like the hearts)
(Se corazones como los cristales)
(The hearts break like the glass)
(Se rompe los cristales como corazones)
(The glass breaks like the hearts)
Amigo mio, que haces en la calle y con frio?
My friend, what are you doing outside in the cold?
Toma mi abrigo, deja de flashar con princesas
Take my coat, stop dreaming of princesses.
Te traje una cerveza para camuflar tristeza.
I brought you a beer to disguise your sadness.
Ella... no va a volver... mira para adelante,
She's not coming back... look forward,
Seca esos ojos y levanta ya esa frente.
Dry those eyes and lift up your head.
Los vagos te estan esperando, si vos es diferente.
Your buddies are waiting for you, if you are different.
Sacate los parlantes a la vereda... brindemos por que esa gila no vuelva...
Let's take out the artists to the street... Let's drink to that girl not coming back...
Yo se que a vos te duele...
I know it hurts you...
Pero prendi una vela para ver si se te borran las secuelas.
But I lit a candle to see if the aftermath will fade away.
Ya somos grandes amigo, ya no vamos a la escuela.
We're grown-ups now, buddy, we don't go to school anymore.
Ya vendra otro amor en esta larga vida
There will be another love in this long life.
Que no venga ni con cuentos, ni con embrollos,
That doesn't come with tales, nor with mess.
Que sane tu dolor y brille de nuevo el amor.
That heals your pain and makes love shine again.
Writer(s): Antonius B J Tom Holkenborg, Rod Chong
Contributed by Kaelyn K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.