Some of you may already know Tom Holkenborg's remix work with Roadrunner artists like Nerve, Kong and Fear Factory (Remanufacture). Holkenborg's strength lies in his seamless ability to create textures that groove and rock simultaneously. "For me, crossover has always been the ultimate musical direction. Ten years ago it was Rap with a band, then it was Metal with raps, all these different styles blending together. That's the interesting side of music", says Holkenborg "Bands don't usually blend Rock & Electronica well... Electronic bands use a little bit of guitar without the guitar feel or rock bands add samples to their music, but it's still a Dance band with some guitars or a Rock band with some samples. What I try is to blend the guitars and dance elements into something new so that they don't lose their original strengths".

Holkenborg lets his music do the talkin' with Junkie XL, an Amsterdam-based Electronic act with guitar-addict appeal. The debut album, Saturday Teenage Kick, is a powerful recording which synthesizes the Rock experience down to it's rhythmic core and then spits it back in your face. Holkenborg employs the use of friends like Dino Cazares of Fear Factory and rapper Rude Boy of Urban Dance Squad fame to create a funky groove that shreds. The opening "Underachievers" beckons you to the dancefloor and then drops you flat on your skull. Tracks like "X-Panding Limits" or the robotic beat of "War" are 'hardcore' for all the right reasons. The twelfth and final cut, an 18-minute opus called "Future In Computer Hell" is appropriately titled. But Holkenborg points to the song Saturday Teenage Kick as the essence of Junkie XL; dope Hip Hop grooves with guitars blaring. "The title track has a positive feeling and a sense of humor", he offers. "All that I reflect as a person is in that track. That's one hundred percent me".

Holkenborg's musical journey began as a 14 year-old, playing in local Funk and Reggae bands, before getting into New Wave and formative Alternative Rock acts. Ten years ago, he started working in a music store in Holland selling computers, synthesizers and software. That led to a move into The prolific European House Music scene, and in 1996 he won the Grand Prix of The Netherlands in the Dance Music category for "Best House Producer". It was soon thereafter that he began incorporating the sum of his influences; combining electronics with guitars. Saturday Teenage Kick is his first international release. Tom tells the story behind the Junkie XL moniker: "My friends call me a working junkie because I'm a total workaholic. Actually, Dino from Fear Factory was one of the first guys who said, 'Hey Junkie, what up?' 'XL' stands for 'expanding limits.' I try to absorb different styles of music and make something really cool of it".

"I consider this project an Alternative band but leaning more towards Dance than Rock", Holkenborg continues. "This 'gray area' is getting big. People who come to see our shows are people who've gone to see Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, Chemical Brothers, Underworld and The Prodigy. I come from a Rock background and step by step I've adapted Electronic elements into my music. In the last 5 years I've been doing a lot of remixes and that's how I came more into the Dance area".

Junkie XL's crossover odyssey took full flight with their recent European tour with The Prodigy. "We did four or five shows with The Prodigy in Germany and Liam told me he thought it was one of the best shows he'd seen in years", Tom enthusiastically states. "that led to more touring with them, and more positive exposure".

Junkie XL, the touring band, features DJ Frankie D, drummer Baz Mattie, guitarist Renee van der Zee, and rapper Rude Boy. "In the beginning it was horrible because it's difficult to find a band to play this music live. If you're not careful, it sounds like a school band. You need to rehearse a lot and figure out what to do. With Rude Boy from Urban Dance Squad doing all the rapping - I leave gaps where they need to be and he fills them with raps - and then I mix everything onstage with the sequencing. I've got all the instruments being played on stage through my desk and I put all kinds of effects on them. It blends together and sounds like it does on the album. Otherwise it would sound like a traditional band and that's not something I'm interested in".

In closing, Holkenborg describes the overall mindset behind Junkie XL: "I'm trying to make good songs without losing the dancefloor feel".

What else do you really need to know?