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Email Interview With Junkie XL a.k.a. JXL

June 03, 2002 | People
Can you tell us something about the person behind the letters "JXL"?

JXL, stands for Junkie XL. My name is Tom Holkenborg and my friends call me Junkie because I spend a huge amount of time in my studio, a real working Junkie. XL stands for expanding limits, open your eyes for all kinds of music.


Are you an Elvis fan yourself?


I have approximately 15 albums of him, a lot of his early stuff is definitely music I'm personally attached too, cause I grew up with his music. My father is the real fan!


What made you choose an Elvis song for the commercial? Or was it a choice made by Nike?


When you make music for a commercial like this you sit down with all the people involved and have a serious brainstorm session. This was one of the options.



We read that you had to work from a live version (from the 1968 Comeback Special), how come you didn't get access to other tapes?


I think because of the huge amount of music Elvis produced, sometimes original recordings get lost, stolen or accidentally destroyed. So I had to work with a mono mixed version of the track.


Was the mix created for the commercial alone or were there immediate plans for the release of a single?


No, not before we got the clearence from the Elvis-estate for the commercial.


Was the video leading for the mix and the sound of it?


Not the sound of it. But of course the edits in the song had to fit the video, more or less. For the commercial release I made another version.


What kind of reactions do you get on this mix, and is there a difference between the reactions from Elvis fans and dance fans?


Well , in the UK all the dance people are really pleased with it. It entered the Buzz Dance Chart at nr. 1. People that I know here in Holland who are Elvis fans seem to really like it as well.


Do you think this mix could do the same for Elvis as the "Kiss" cover with The Art Of noise did for Tom Jones?


Maybe, of course this is a different situation, because Elvis is no longer with us, God bless him. The real gain is that a new audience get's in touch with the sound of Elvis and people who know some of Elvis might get into other stuff he has done which is not as popular yet..


Which other, perhaps more known song, from Elvis would you like to remix and what kind of "sound" would you give it?


I would say, never remix a classic tune of Elvis, always stick to the more unknown ones.




Which other artists would you like to remix in the future and why?


One of my favourite singers of the 60's/70's is David Bowie. Just working with him on a track would be an experience!


How do you remember Elvis' passing?


I remember listening to the radio when the news went out, My father felt terrible about it.


Which question did we forget?


What would Elvis think of it?
Answer: No clue!! I treated the track with the best respect I could, to give it what it, in my humble opinion, needed.


We'd like to thank Tom Holkenburg (a.k.a. Junkie XL a.k.a. JXL) for doing this EmailInterview and Michiel Groeneveld for making it happen.


For more information on Junkie XL visit his website.

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