Holkenborg was born in Lichtenvoorde, Gelderland, the Netherlands. Classically trained by his mother, herself an accredited music teacher, Holkenborg started playing piano when he was three 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 moving to Leeuwarden, at the age of 17, he decided to take a job at a local music store selling keyboards and other digital gear and began to have an appreciation for the combination of electronic and organic sounds.
Shortly after learning about synthesizers, he became a multi-instrumentalist and producer for the Dutch new wave group Weekend at Waikiki. From 1988 until 1991, the band did a lot of traveling, which took them across Poland and portions of the Soviet Union. Additionally, he played and produced the album Sputnik (1994). 1993 saw Holkenborg produce the Dutch metal band The Gathering’s song “Almost a Dance.” Later that year, he and Phil Mills formed the industrial rock group Nerve.
He continued as a producer, working with hardcore punk and metal bands like Sepultura, Fear Factory, and Dog Eat Dog, while also licensing some of his instrumental electronic tracks for racing video games like The Need for Speed and Test Drive 5.
He signed with the label Play It Again Sam in 1992 and released two LPs, Cancer of Choice (1993) and Blood & Gold (1994). He also started composing the music for the Dutch motion picture Siberia, which Warner Bros. Netherlands was going to distribute during this period.
Saturday Teenage Kick, Holkenborg’s first album under the “Junkie XL” alias, was released in 1997. With hits like “Billy Club,” “Def Beat,” and “Dealing with the Roster,” the album blended rock and psychedelic elements with hard breakbeat rhythms.
Tom Holkenborg’s Mind-Blowing Musical Journey in Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon:
When Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon movie was first made as a single picture in January 2023, he became part of the production. The movie was divided into two parts, with portion Two: The Scargiver (2024) being the second. Holkenborg would also compose the soundtrack for the upcoming portion.
During the film’s production, Holkenborg wrote the soundtrack on Californian sets. Rebel Moon, which debuted on an agricultural planet, is described as having an “advanced score with futuristic elements,” yet it’s also really grounded and earthy. In order to highlight the characters’ values, morality, and humanity, Holkenborg employed straightforward instruments. Vocals were then used to give each character a unique sound and depict their unique travels. After that, the score was recorded between August and October 2023 in London’s Abbey Road Studios.
