so... this is why I loved Junkie XL so very much...
"I JOINED the Dutch group WEEKEND AT WAIKIKI, which was inspired by TALKING HEADS, YELLO, THE CLASH and PETER GABRIEL. I was sort of a multi-instrumentalist producer, and was able to mix my twin loves of rock and electronics, using a Fairlight computer to produce the 1987 album. WAW toured Russia around the fall of the Iron Curtain - an experience which was amazingly insane - yet in true rock 'n' roll style it wasn't to last, and personal differences brought about about the end. I then formed INDUSTRIAL BAND, NERVE, which was a harder fusion more like DAF and NINE INCH NAILS, and released the 'Cancer of Choice' and 'Blood & Gold' LPs before splitting in 1995.
BY THIS TIME, I had already started to work as a freelance producer, working with bands like SEPULTURA, FEAR FACTORY and DOG EAT DOG. But as my friends continuously remind me, a near-obsessive work ethic drove me close to the edge. The life I was leading as a producer definitely took its toll because of my workload, and I was only sleeping two or three hours a night. That's where the Junkie XL name came from, since my friends always called me Junkie because I spent so much time in the studio.
After a bit of a break and a new outlook, JUNKIE XL WAS BORN IN 1997 with the release of our album, 'SATURDAY NIGHT TEENAGE KICK'. I called myself Junkie XL from the point of view that once you're completely overworked you never want to go there again. The 'XL' stands for '(e)xpanding limits', broadening up your vision. And I found that a decade in studios had given me a huge advantage compared to other dance producers in that I knew how to put layer on top of layer. What was new to me was, 'How do I make a dance track?'
After that, we joined THE PRODIGY for a roller-coaster tour of Germany, conquering international festivals from FUJI ROCK to ROSKILDE and taking on the burgeoning US rave scene. Our second album 'BIG SOUNDS OF THE DRAGS' returned to the psychedelia of the sixties, where we began to minimize the vocals and experiment with guitar effects and delving deeper into dance.
So now we've released the third Junkie XL album, which was created in my Amsterdam studio. The album features a lot of really cool and influential people, and is based around the concept of a virtual pirate radio station. The album features special vocal appearances by artists like SAFFRON, PETER TOSH, GARY NUMAN, DAVE GAHAN, ROBERT SMITH and many more, which really helps with the pirate radio feel. And to top it off, the timing has worked out so weel with the 'Red Pill Blue Pill' remix for The Matrix; I had a blast playing some of these tracks at the Pinkpop Festival on June 9th, and it was great to see so many people understanding and appreciating the set!
Now what I want is for Junkie XL to become a mark of quality when it comes to a certain sound. I feel really comfortable saying I make progressive dance music that can cross over between different genres - and I'm always asking, 'HOW FAR CAN I GO?'
Current new remixes include Britney Spears, Coldplay.... New ads include Xbox 360 and Adidas.... New movies Include Dead or Alive"
and most of all, is the hype that he had always manage to build...
rock on, TOM!!!!!!!!!
