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."
Metrolike
Junkie XL Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Human race
Glance attrack.
Give a shot
Life's a rut
Experience in a long shot.
Big strut,
Big strut,
What you got
They throw some mud
Leap strut
Move hubbub
Something that you can't dodge
Dodge, avoid,
Umemployed,
How you gonna fill the void?
Void gap it's you that
Tries to step,
Step by step,
Metrolike,
Metrolike.
Pep choice,
It's your choice
To make some noise toys
Cool boys watch the mind,
Voice,
Voice tone,
Stand alone,
How did I land on this
Zone, space
One of these days,
Opportunity knocks, go chase
Be an ace,
Race, craze,
Speeds fades nowadays,
Feel pissed,
Get dismissed,
Your favorite wish gets dismissed
Tongue twist,
Throw a fit
Fix a "hit" like the other's did
Determine wit,
Takes up,
Breaks up,
No job is tip top.
Ad men
Plan again.
Things get out of hand man.
Oops up behind your head,
Can you see who back stabs?
Corporate talk
Make's steps
Hand clap
Money puts you on the right track
Nothing is gone last fad
One day long another passed.
Billboard list take a dip,
The record slime he needs a bit,
Play hip,
Get tripped,
Always knew you don't fit,
You know,
I know,
Who's foolin who
But you don't go.
Get shoved
Feel the heat
Someone's gonna take a seat
Get cropped get beat
Find your ass down on a street
Sour mood,
Substitute,
Maybe he's going for the looth.
All ideas,
See no ears,
Tight suit,
Fat neck
Just peer...
Out of here
Need just more
A true help to your career
Nothing's clear
In the pot,
The man who stirs ownes a lot
All I've got,
Battered soul
Payed a toll.
So what will unfold?
Ad man plans again,
Things get out of hand man!
The lyrics of Junkie XL's "Metrolike" delve into themes of identity, purpose, and societal pressures. The opening lines, "Start act, Human race, Glance attrack, Give a shot," set the tone for the rest of the song, which is a call to action for individuals to take control of their lives and make something of themselves. The verses depict the challenges and obstacles that one might encounter, such as feeling stuck in a rut and being unsure of how to fill the void in their life. The chorus, "Metrolike, Pep choice, It's your choice, To make some noise toys," reinforces the idea that it’s up to each person to find their own path and make their own noise in the world. The song ends with a sense of ambiguity as the singer wonders what the future holds and whether their efforts will pay off. Overall, "Metrolike" is a thought-provoking commentary on the human experience and the struggle to find meaning in a chaotic world.
Line by Line Meaning
Start act
Let's begin
Human race
The entirety of humanity
Glance attrack.
Quickly get the attention of others
Give a shot
Attempt to do something
Life's a rut
Life is boring and monotonous
Experience in a long shot.
Having new experiences is unlikely
Big strut,
Feeling confident
Big fun,
Having a lot of enjoyment
What you got
What do you have to offer?
They throw some mud
Others criticize and belittle you
Leap strut
Jumping while feeling confident
Move hubbub
Move among the chaos
Something that you can't dodge
Something is unavoidable
Dodge, avoid,
Try to not encounter or engage with something
Umemployed,
Not having a job
How you gonna fill the void?
How will you find purpose without a job?
Void gap it's you that
The emptiness you feel is your own doing
Tries to step,
Attempt to progress forward
Step by step,
Gradually move forward
Metrolike,
Move forward in a rapid and efficient way
Metrolike.
Move forward in a rapid and efficient way
Pep choice,
Choose to be enthusiastic
It's your choice
You have the power to decide
To make some noise toys
Choose to express yourself and make noise like a child would with toys
Cool boys watch the mind,
The ones who are calm and collected don't let their emotions control them
Voice,
Expression of oneself
Voice tone,
The manner in which one speaks
Stand alone,
Be independent
How did I land on this
How did you end up here?
Zone, space
A place or area
One of these days,
At some point in the future
Opportunity knocks, go chase
An opportunity presents itself, go after it
Be an ace,
Be the best
Race, craze,
Compete, become obsessed
Speeds fades nowadays,
The fast-paced world is fading
Feel pissed,
Feel angry
Get dismissed,
Get rejected
Your favorite wish gets dismissed
Even your strongest desires can be unattainable
Tongue twist,
Struggle to articulate your thoughts
Throw a fit
Become very angry or upset
Fix a "hit" like the other's did
Find a way to feel good like others have
Determine wit,
Use intelligence to make decisions
Takes up,
Gets busy with something
Breaks up,
Separate or interrupt something
No job is tip top.
No job is perfect
Ad men
The people who create ads
Plan again.
Create a new plan
Things get out of hand man.
Things become chaotic and unmanageable
Oops up behind your head,
Something unexpected happens without warning
Can you see who back stabs?
Can you identify who is betraying you?
Corporate talk
Professional, polished communication
Make's steps
Take action toward a goal
Hand clap
Applause
Money puts you on the right track
Money can help you succeed
Nothing is gone last fad
Nothing lasts forever
One day long another passed.
Time keeps moving forward
Billboard list take a dip,
A chart ranking declines
The record slime he needs a bit,
The music industry needs help to be successful
Play hip,
Be cool, trendy
Get tripped,
Get caught up in something negative
Always knew you don't fit,
Always knew you don't belong
You know,
You understand
I know,
I understand
Who's foolin who
Who is deceiving who
But you don't go.
But you don't leave
Get shoved
Be pushed aside
Feel the heat
Feel the pressure
Someone's gonna take a seat
Someone else will take your place
Get cropped get beat
Get cut out, lose a competition
Find your ass down on a street
Be homeless and alone
Sour mood,
Bad attitude
Substitute,
Replace with something else
Maybe he's going for the looth.
Maybe he's going after the money
All ideas,
All the possible options
See no ears,
Nobody's listening
Tight suit,
Formal attire, strict dress code
Fat neck
Arrogant and pompous
Just peer...
Just look and observe
Out of here
Leave this place
Need just more
Need more than what you currently have
A true help to your career
Something that will genuinely aid your success
Nothing's clear
Nothing is understood
In the pot,
In the mix
The man who stirs ownes a lot
The person who controls the situation influences the outcome
All I've got,
All that I have
Battered soul
A beaten down, tired spirit
Payed a toll.
Paid a price for something
So what will unfold?
What will happen next?
Ad man plans again,
The people who create ads must come up with a new strategy
Things get out of hand man!
Things become chaotic and unmanageable
Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANTONIUS J. B. TOM HOLKENBORG, PATRICK IAN TILON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind