Junkie XL 'Booming Back At You' album

With the arrival of his fifth proper studio album, Dutch-born musician, producer and remixer JUNKIE XL (Tom Holkenborg) has crafted a disc that not only builds on his beloved back catalog but also builds a bridge with today’s vibrant new school of dance-rock music. Due out March 11, 2008, Booming Back At You will be released as the first offering from Artwerk Music—the record label started by Electronic Arts (EA) in conjunction with Nettwerk Music Group. “In the past, I always made conceptual records or tried to find a theme. But I’m such an energetic performer, very upbeat, and I wanted to capture that,” states Junkie XL. “This album throws that vibe right back at the fans.”

The album’s first single is “More,” the lead track from the EA game Need For Speed Pro Street TM featuring Lauren Rocket, front-woman for emerging LA all-girl rock outfit Rocket which has been dazzling dance floors around the world. Other songs on the album include: “Cities In Dust,” a cover of Siouxsie & the Banshees modern rock classic also with vocals by Lauren Rocket; “Booming Right At You” which features Tommy Vext (who sings in Divine Heresy with ex-Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares) and utilizes a snippet of Stetsasonic’s 1988 hip-hop classic “DBC Let The Music Play” to make the track uplifting and soulful as it is inventive; and “1967 Poem,” a hard-slamming dance floor burner produced in collaboration with Hollywood superstar DJ and Dim Mak label maverick Steve Aoki.

On Booming Back at You, Junkie has also found joy by partnering with young up-and-coming talents like Rocket, Vext and Electrocute vocalist Nicole Morier, who has three co-writing credits and had a significant role in shaping the disc. Of her sultry delivery to the jazzy, gritty “Mad Pursuit,” Junkie says, “Nicole did such a wonderful job on it. And it gives the record a different energy than it might otherwise possess. It reminds me of something that should be in a Tarantino film.” There’s also the ground-quaking “Clash” which seems like the ideal tune to supplant Gary Glitter’s “Rock & Roll Part II” at sporting events; a instantly catchy pop song “Not Enough” (which features vocals by Gus Seyffert); the direct, irresistible melody “New Toy”; and the funky “Stump”–which boasts a hook built around 1950’s film dialogue.

The prolific, Venice, California-based Holkenborg’s solo efforts also include 1998’s Saturday Teenage Kick, 2000’s Big Sounds of the Drags, 2003’s Radio JXL: A Broadcast from the Computer Hell Cabin and 2006’s Today. Radio JXL: A Broadcast from the Computer Hell Cabin included collaborations with Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan, Gary Numan, Robert Smith from The Cure, and Public Enemy’s Chuck D. and featured his breakthrough collaboration with the late Elvis Presley). When he reworked The King’s moderately successful 1968 single “A Little Less Conversation” for a 2002 Nike World Cup Commercial, the updated version unexpectedly catapulted Junkie into the spotlight. The song became a #1 hit in more than 20 countries.

An electronic music jack-of-all-trades, Junkie XL has established himself as a world famous club remixer who has turned out epic takes on tracks by the likes of Britney Spears (most recently his remix of “Gimme More” appears on her album Blackout), Coldplay, Justin Timberlake, Scissor Sisters, Rammstein, the aforementioned Fear Factory, Bloc Party, Sarah McLachlan and Avril Lavigne. He also keeps extremely busy creating the music for video games contributing music to “The Sims 2: Nightlife,” Xbox games “Forza Motorsport” and “Quantum Redshift,” as well as Electronic Art’s “Burnout,” “SSX Blur” and “Need For Speed” series.

An extension of that affiliation, Booming Back at You marks a new partnership with Artwerk, the record label started by Electronic Arts in conjunction with Nettwerk Music Group. Although the video game scoring and record deals don’t technically intertwine and the respective companies are separate, Junkie says he is ecstatic to be working for EA and Artwerk. “It’s such a forward thinking arrangement,” he says. “These guys are way more advanced and ahead of the game when it comes to thinking about what you can use music for these days. Aside from gaming, there’s digital distribution, and just thinking how to market and approach getting my music out there in an untraditional way.”

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Junkie XL - Booming Back At You