I am on telephony hold and jazzy muzac is playing a wonderful light piano piece. A husky female sings. “They wont thrill me like you used to…if there will never ever be another you…” The saxophone stops and Tom Holkenborg, aka Junkie XL aka JXL says a warm hello. “So excited to be speaking with you…” I say.
Holkenborg’s alter ego, JXL was born out of working as a freelance producer. Friends called him Junkie because of long hours spent in the studio being creative and ‘near-obsessive.’ The XL stands for (e)xpanding limits and thinking outside the square. He is addicted to “vocal house” and “certain key changes,” and lucky for him. It has led to his music being played across the world and enjoyed by millions.
Often categorized as belonging to the ‘progressive’ genre, Holkenborg says his music is a “balance between acoustic music and electronic music.” He accepts that progressive house started as a great name for music not 100% dance, but something else. With all music genres that become defined, “you get copy cats on the case that more or less like to copy that sound… it becomes dull and unexciting” he says “Nowadays, progressive almost sounds like a dirty word.” So why has he positioned himself in such a musical ‘non-place’? “I feel really comfortable on the edge. Where pop music almost becomes dance music and dance music almost becomes pop.”
The location of neither here, nor there has a lot to do with his musical maturity over the past 15 to 20 years. In 1985, he worked at a music shop that sold electronic instruments and it was from this point, he became somewhat visionary. Holkenborg says “the combination of electronic instrument and the classical way of playing acoustic instruments” has made him develop a signature style of ‘on the edge’ music. He also attributes growing up in the Holkenborg musical family “where everyone played more than one instrument.” Not to mention past productions with Sepultura, Fear Factory and Dog Eat Dog, as well as playing drums, bass, guitar and keyboard in two bands, Weekend in Waikiki and Nerve. Out of breath, this could perhaps explain why he has such a knack of interesting genre fusion.
‘Vocal house’ and ‘certain key changes’ are evident on ‘Red Pill, Blue Pill,’ the soundtrack for the new Matrix movie. He classifies the soundtrack as the riskiest he has played. “Everyone started booing, when I first played it,” says Holkenborg of one gig in Germany. Certainly a different crowd reaction to the same song here on his last tour for Two Tribes. The true show person that he is, he laughs when I describe my first JXL experience – working the crowd with a smile, a golf cap and happy ninja kicks. And the fantastic light show of blue and red lights timed to the words of the soundtrack. 
Holkenborg has been at the right place at the right time. After friend, Sander Kleinenberg plays ‘Future in Computer Hell’ down the phone line to Sasha, it results in Holkenborg being included on the ‘Airdrawndagger’ album. His popularity soon rose which leads to a deal with Nike to put music together for the 2002 Succor World Cup series. Elvis’ ‘A Little Less Conversation’ went number one in 24 countries around the world. Nike’s “money is not an issue,” offer to Holkenborg could almost be classified as a musicians’ dream come true. He came up with idea to sample the funky Elvis song because “a little less conversation and a little more action is spot on for football.”
A lot of music travels via international phone lines. Holkenborg works around different time zones because “Sasha is based in Florida, Sander is traveling around the world and I’m based in Amsterdam.” International calls and glob trotting is currently hectic. They are great friends who leave musical pieces for one another on voice mail. And swap recipes.
Holkenborg has a passion for cooking and his favorite cuisine at the moment is Japanese. So is Sashas. I can hear Holkenborg smile down the phone line about Sasha. “Oh yeah…last time I was on the phone to him…he said you should go to page…like 197…that marinade is unbelievable.” Holkenborg laughs. I laugh too. “Sasha and I are really, really big fans of cooking.” The two mega DJ stars in aprons. It adds even more dimension to the talented redhead. And Sasha.
The call from Amsterdam has gone over time and I have no further questions for the fair-haired one. I feel rather privileged as we start to chat an extra 15 minutes about red hair and school. “Yeah….hassled…started playing drums…then I was known as the ‘interesting’ weird kid…”
The multi faceted red head is sincere and it is humbling. He explains that translated in English, his red hair means from orange to green, like a traffic light. He then becomes a little shy.
His fame has as much to do with his musical talent as it does with his charismatic beautiful nature. The call ends and jazzy music begins. The saxophone plays again and I hang up. I feel like I have just left a jazz club ”...If there will never ever be another you.”
You can chat LIVE with Junkie XL, Monday October 20 at 7.30pm EST. Everyone who logs on goes into the draw to win tickets to see him live or copies of his latest album. Click HERE for more info!
Catch Junkie XL performing live on the Ministry of Sound Annual Tour:
Brisbane: Sat Oct 18 @ The Pavilion
Adelaide: Thu Oct 23, Heaven [BUY TICKETS]
Perth: Fri Oct 24 @ Metro City & Globe
Melbourne: Sat Oct 25 @ Room 680 [BUY TICKETS]
Sydney: Sun Oct 26th @ SoS [BUY TICKETS]
