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."
Future in Computer Hell
Junkie XL Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or phallus symbols
To be obnoxious, outrageous
But the sound will be very contagious
Like nuclear fallout radius
No need for bands with tight Spandex
Macho flex, high voices from Larynex
With walnuts to show sex
But plain, obscure, high tech
Junkie XL will tell
Junkie XL will tell
Junkie XL will tell
The future in computer hell
Junkie XL will tell
Junkie XL will tell
Junkie XL will tell
The future in computer hell
No slacker trendy attitudes
Or boys that play so crude
Or smokers obsessed on weed
To be hardcore with fatigues
Let the perpetrator weep
That is the Junkie beats that grim reap
And shuffle the feet and put all asleep
In front of their MTV screens sweep
Lost souls are in deep
In their trash cash, middle class heap
Junkie XL will tell
Junkie XL will tell
Junkie XL will tell
The future in computer hell
Junkie XL will tell
Junkie XL will tell
Junkie XL will tell
The future in computer hell
We, the Junkie megabyte creep, hell
The lyrics to Junkie XL's song "Future in Computer Hell" showcase the artist's perspective on the state of modern culture and music. The opening lines assert that attention-grabbing gimmicks such as confetti bombs and phallic symbols are no longer necessary to be outrageous - instead, a simple, obscure, high-tech sound can spread like nuclear fallout. This observation speaks to the inescapable influence of technology on society and music.
The following verses continue this theme, highlighting the irrelevance of once-popular rock tropes such as tight spandex, high voices, and provocative stage attire. Instead, Junkie XL calls for a more genuine and unique approach to music-making, free from trend-chasing and the pressures of fitting a certain image.
The chorus reaffirms Junkie XL's position as a visionary and oracle, stating that the artist will reveal the future of music in the digital age. Overall, the lyrics to "Future in Computer Hell" suggest a longing for authenticity and innovation in a world increasingly dominated by manufactured trends and technology.
Line by Line Meaning
No need for confetti bombs
There's no need to go overboard with flashy tricks or grand gestures
Or phallus symbols
There's no need to use crude sexual imagery or references
To be obnoxious, outrageous
You don't have to be loud or offensive to get attention
But the sound will be very contagious
Even without those things, the music will still catch on and be popular
Like nuclear fallout radius
The popularity of the music will spread widely, like radiation from a nuclear blast
No need for bands with tight Spandex
You don't need flashy costumes or gimmicks to make good music
Macho flex, high voices from Larynex
You don't need to be overly macho or have a high-pitched singing voice
Tight jockstraps stuffed with socks
You don't need to resort to crude or silly physical humor to be funny or get attention
With walnuts to show sex
You don't need to resort to crude or silly sexual humor to be funny or get attention
But plain, obscure, high tech
Instead, focus on making music that's straightforward, unique, and uses advanced technology
Junkie XL will tell
Junkie XL will predict and explain
The future in computer hell
The future of music, particularly electronic music that relies heavily on computer technology
No slacker trendy attitudes
Don't be lazy, uninspired, or follow trends blindly
Or boys that play so crude
Don't be immature or do things solely for shock value
Or smokers obsessed on weed
Don't rely on drugs or other substances as a crutch for creativity or enjoyment
To be hardcore with fatigues
You don't have to rely on military or other extreme attire to be taken seriously
Let the perpetrator weep
Let those who rely on these things and don't create meaningful music suffer the consequences
That is the Junkie beats that grim reap
Junkie XL's music will expose and highlight the deficiencies of those who rely on flashy gimmicks or trends
And shuffle the feet and put all asleep
Junkie XL's beats will lull those who rely on these gimmicks into complacency
In front of their MTV screens sweep
These people will be too distracted by superficial things to appreciate more meaningful or nuanced music
Lost souls are in deep
People who rely on superficial things are missing out on the deeper, more meaningful aspects of music
In their trash cash, middle class heap
These people are chasing empty, materialistic goals, and are stuck in a shallow sense of what's valuable or enjoyable
We, the Junkie megabyte creep, hell
Junkie XL and their music are a creeping force that's disrupting and exposing the shallow aspects of the music world
Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANTONIUS J. B. TOM HOLKENBORG, PATRICK I. TILON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind