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."
Off the Dancefloor
Junkie XL Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We are just a bunch of kids
Looking for fun under the sun never done
To the party is
We can pop a couple pills
I'm just looking for a thrill
Anything to get my mind off paying all these god damn bills
City lights walking out that door
Come on DJ gimme some more
Feel the bass on my back sweat dripping off my clothes
Now this is your chance here, now this your chance here
If you ain't gonna dance trick, get yo ass off my dancefloor
I'm waiting for the light to see
A wonderful life unfold
I've never seen this side of you before, I've never seen this before.
Get yo ass off my dancefloor
I'm waiting for the light to see
A wonderful story untold
I've never seen this side of you before, I've never seen this before.
Get yo ass off my dancefloor
Hot damn hoe, here we go again
Look man, i'm just looking for a friend
Listen here mister, I insist that you buy me a drink
We can talk about yesterdays, skinny jeans were all the craze
Now all the cool kids acting stupid, acting stupid
Neon lights walking out at the beerstore
On my way to dancehall
Come on DJ gimme some more
Feel the bass on my back sweat dripping off my clothes
Now this is your chance here, now this your chance here
If you ain't gonna dance trick, get yo ass off the dancefloor
I'm waiting for the light to see
A wonderful life unfold
I've never seen this side of you before, I've never seen this before.
I'm waiting for the light to see
A wonderful story untold
I've never seen this side of you before, I've never seen this before.
You gotta keep your head up
Your innocence is gold, gold, gold
You gotta keep your head up
Your innocence is gold
Get yo off my dancefloor
I'm waiting for the light to see
Come on DJ gimme some more
A wonderful life unfold
Come on DJ gimme some more
I've never seen this side of you before, I've never seen this before.
Get yo ass of my dancefloor
I've never seen this side of you before, I've never seen this before.
I'm waiting for the light to see
Come on DJ gimme some more
A wonderful story untold
Come on DJ gimme some more
I've never seen this side of you before, I've never seen this before.
Get yo ass off my dancefloor
Yeah here we go again
The lyrics of Junkie XL's "Off the Dancefloor" speak about a group of young people who go out to party and forget their problems. The lyrics start off with the singer asking why everyone is so serious when they're all just a group of young people looking to have fun. They pop pills and do whatever it takes to forget about their problems and have a good time. The singer then describes the feeling of being in a club, the music, and the atmosphere. The lyrics explain that anyone who isn't going to dance and have a good time should get off the dancefloor. The chorus repeats several times throughout the song, with the singer waiting for the light to see a wonderful life unfold and a wonderful story untold.
The lyrics also touch on themes of innocence and growing up. The singer tells the listener to keep their head up, reminding them that their innocence is gold. The song seems to be about the fleeting moments of youth and the joys of partying and forgetting about one's problems.
Overall, "Off the Dancefloor" is a high-energy song that encourages listeners to let loose and enjoy life to the fullest.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh why so serious
Why are you so serious? We're just here to have fun.
We are just a bunch of kids
We're all young at heart and don't take things too seriously.
Looking for fun under the sun never done
We're always looking for new experiences and adventures.
To the party is
We're headed to the party and ready to have a good time.
We can pop a couple pills
We're willing to take risks and try new things to enhance our experience.
I'm just looking for a thrill
I'm seeking excitement and adventure in this moment.
Anything to get my mind off paying all these god damn bills
I'm looking to escape the stresses of everyday life and enjoy myself for a while.
City lights walking out that door
Leaving the city behind as we head out to party and let loose.
On my way to the disco
Heading to the club to dance and have fun.
Come on DJ gimme some more
Asking the DJ to keep playing music and keep the party going.
Feel the bass on my back sweat dripping off my clothes
Feeling the music in my bones and getting lost in the music and dance.
Now this is your chance here, now this your chance here
This is the moment to let go and enjoy the party to the fullest.
If you ain't gonna dance trick, get yo ass off my dancefloor
If you're not here to dance and have fun, then leave the dancefloor.
I'm waiting for the light to see
Waiting for something to happen or for a moment to reveal itself.
A wonderful life unfold
Hoping for a great experience or moment to happen.
I've never seen this side of you before, I've never seen this before.
This is a new experience or side of someone that I haven't witnessed before.
Hot damn hoe, here we go again
Expressing excitement and anticipation for another wild night.
Look man, i'm just looking for a friend
Trying to make new connections and friendships at the party.
Listen here mister, I insist that you buy me a drink
Asking someone to buy a drink as a way to break the ice and socialize.
We can talk about yesterdays, skinny jeans were all the craze
Making small talk and reminiscing about past trends and experiences.
Now all the cool kids acting stupid, acting stupid
People are letting loose and acting silly, enjoying the moment.
Neon lights walking out at the beerstore
Leaving the everyday world behind and entering a space for entertainment and fun.
On my way to dancehall
Heading to the dancefloor to enjoy the music and dance.
Your innocence is gold, gold, gold
Your ability to still find joy and wonder in the world is precious and valuable.
Get yo off my dancefloor
Asking someone to leave the dancefloor because they're not participating in the fun.
Come on DJ gimme some more
Asking the DJ to keep playing music to keep the party going.
Yeah here we go again
Starting another round of partying and fun.
Contributed by Stella W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Stepan Molotov
I feel like there is something behind.... One of my favourite songs right now, and surelly its gonna be played on a proper dance floor! Good work ;)
Leon Shaner
Tom, your versatility never ceases to amazing me, time after time! Wow! Kudos! =D
Anton F
Funky with heavy bassline!!Great!!
Music Paradise Channel
Oh why so serious/We're just a bunch of kids/Looking for fun under the sun/Never done till the party is/We could pop a couple pills/I'm just looking for a thrill/Anything to get my mind off paying all these goddamn bills
naf sko
wow great random set of images, fighting the urge to add a narrative or create a pattern aint easy...this video is like my brain on tumblr
Jim Vortex
Sooooo cool
hrzk5
inovative sound..
TheAris621
The drums kinda sound like Justice's
RailsimProductions
Anyone else notice potato girl?
C Dogg
funkie