The Verge: Sitting in a room that looks more spaceship than studio, movie composer Tom Holkenborg (also known as Junkie XL) tells me about the first time he heard his music in a movie. It’s an iconic scene you might know — the blood rave from Blade. “It’s a track from my first album,” he says. “It’s a very aggressive breakbeat track, and it plays when all that blood comes out of the ceiling.” The track worked so well, that he “really got interested in pursuing [movie scoring] myself.”
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5 comments:
WOW! Deadpool, Tomb Raider, and Mad Max Fury Road. THIS MAN IS SUPER COOL. And the fact that he produces these sound tracks from inside his small studio because he mainly uses analogue tools to execute his sounds… he’s brilliant. This video is really well done. I commend the interviewers. They really showcase this man’s talent and his origin story, while also making the information palatable for anyone who likes listening to a movie soundtrack or score. The anecdotal story in the interview about Tom Holkenborg’s experience working on Mad Max and the collaboration of putting together the music for particular scenes is so interesting and makes me hopeful that positive interactions between the Director and departments actually exist within movies. In addition to creating really cool soundtracks, this man has also had an entire music career through mixing synthesizers. AND! He makes instruments. In his free time and for movies.
Another really interesting article about an other interesting composer. I absolutely love that Tom Holkenborg combines analog synthesizers, computers, and traditional orchestration to make unique scores for incredibly unique movies. While I have not watched Mad Max Fury Road, or Deadpool, or Tomb Raider, or literally any film Mr. Holkenborg has worked on, this article made me go and find his compositions. Another cool thing that he does is creating his own instruments. I have noticed more and more composers have started to do this to create different sounds that they like or need for their scores. Usually this experimentation was with traditional instruments, such as the piano, but now its with analog synths which can turn out endless possibilities. His ideas of the future of computer generated music is also refreshing. He views computers as a way to bring more people in on a project, and to create music more collaboratively, which is something that I believe is lacking in composing. Film is a huge collaborative enterprise. Why shouldn't music? Such a cool article that once again has me side-tracked for another hour.
Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL) is an interesting artist to pay attention to in terms of how he accomplishes what he sets out to do. His unique setup allows him to create sounds that lend an interesting sensibility to each film that he works on. A particularly interesting fact about his setup is that it is a collection. By not throwing out anything from the decades-worth of items he has, he is able to create more intricate and unique sounds when these different devices from across the years interact with each other. It will definitely be exciting to see what kind of music he is able to make in the years to come as his collection accrues. This setup also allows for a wide variety of styles in his work, which can also inspire further diversification in the work of his peers. Electronic means of producing scores is a very exciting advancement in the field of sound design.
Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL) is an interesting artist to pay attention to in terms of how he accomplishes what he sets out to do. His unique setup allows him to create sounds that lend an interesting sensibility to each film that he works on. A particularly interesting fact about his setup is that it is a collection. By not throwing out anything from the decades-worth of items he has, he is able to create more intricate and unique sounds when these different devices from across the years interact with each other. It will definitely be exciting to see what kind of music he is able to make in the years to come as his collection accrues. This setup also allows for a wide variety of styles in his work, which can also inspire further diversification in the work of his peers. Electronic means of producing scores is a very exciting advancement in the field of sound design.
- J.D. Hopper
Tom Holkenborg is such an interesting composer and a true artist. I think it is amazing that he combines multiple genres, instruments, and technology into his compositions. The latest technology can do so much, but sometimes there is something that classic instruments can give that technology cannot. To me, it is important to fuse the old with the new. This goes with lighting as well as all of the different facets of a production. It’s important to combine your incandescents with your LEDs to achieve more with your designs. Holkenborg recognizes this and I think that is why he is so successful. This is a great example of designers and composers taking initiative. If he is looking for a particular sound he makes that instrument. He is innovative and so very talented. I think it is also so important that he educates the public by running a YouTube channel with Q&A sessions about his work. He also has a program called SCORE academy which admits two students a year to learn how to become score composers. These education initiatives are so important to making sure we are creating a generation of innovative artists.
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