LA Times Profiles Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL)
Composer behind the scores for Mortal Engines, Alita: Battle Angel, Mad Mad: Fury Road, Deadpool, Black Mass, among others
Read the article here
The LA Times has today released their profile of avant-garde film score composer Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL). The interviews dives into Holkenborg's score for Mortal Engines, the recent dystopian fantasy film from Peter Jackson's production company Wingnut. Holkenborg shares intimate details about the innovative composition process behind the Mortal Engines score and also touches on his work on the upcoming Robert Rodriguez-directed film Alita: Battle Angel. Read the full article here.
"He’s on a path to become as influential as Hans Zimmer, his onetime mentor and collaborator." - LA Times
"There’s nothing more exciting than hearing new sounds and textures from Junkie’s self-built arsenal. His production gives even his orchestral work a fresh spin, so it does appeal to those who want something bold and exciting, and he’s got the experience and chops to masterfully weave between them all.” - Robert Rodriguez (directed Alita: Battle Angel)
“I’ve been privileged to work with some wonderful composers, and I’ve learned so much from them. With Tom it was a master class. He has a scholar’s mind. He studied law, taught music and sound design, and has a fierce, wide-ranging intellect. I guess he’s a kind of musical omnivore. But none of this gets in the way of an agile and powerful artistic intuition.” - George Miller (directed Mad Max: Fury Road)
“The best thing about working with Tom -- aside from his immense talent — is the pure enthusiasm he brings to the work. And I'm talking about the pure, childlike glee that he has when digging into the work. He's just so excited — and it's mostly about the opportunity to do something new and different. His first suggestions are usually way, way out there, but in the best possible way.” - Tim Miller (directed Deadpool)
Tom Holkenborg has shared further insights about the Mortal Engines score on his popular online series, Studio Time, which features in-depths breakdowns of his scores (namely Mortal Engines for the new season) and tutorials demonstrating the techniques he used while composing various projects. Studio Time is fully funded by Tom himself and all episodes are available for free on his YouTube channel.
Listen to Tom Holkenborg's score for Mortal Engines: HERE
