JXL: The king and I
Earlier this year Will Young made chart history when he notched up the fastest-selling chart debut of all time.
Just three months later it looks like history is set to be rewritten again - thanks to a relatively unknown Dutch DJ.
This week Junkie XL's - that's Tom Holkenborg to his parents - remix of the Elvis Presley track A Little Less Conversation is released and it is widely tipped to go to No 1.
If that happens it means Elvis will have had 18 No 1s - one more than The Beatles and more than any other artist in the pop chart's 50 year history.
And all the signs are looking good. The track has been A-listed by Radio 1, it is the most played pre-released tune on national radio and the soundtrack to the latest Nike advert featuring former Manchester United striker Eric Cantona.
The 34-year-old Amsterdam-based DJ and producer seems to be slightly taken aback by all the interest in the track.
"It's a great honour to be the first person to get Elvis's estate's official seal of approval. Everything else which has happened is amazing - it's like a penny from heaven.
"I can only guess why they have let me be the first person to officially remix an Elvis track. I think it could be because it is a pretty obscure track and I have left the original song intact. You have got to treat the voice of Elvis with respect.
"It is weird to think that I could be responsible for Elvis making chart history. I hope I don't end up upsetting too many Beatles fans," he jokes.
But JXL reveals he had to alter his DJ monicker to ensure Elvis's estate gave him the final go-ahead.
"Junkie is my nickname," he says. "My friends gave it to me because I used to spend so much of my life in the recording studio. But Elvis's estate didn't want any connection with the word Junkie so I respected their wishes."
JXL also finds himself in the unenviable position of going head to head with this country's favourite pop princess Kylie whose latest single Love At First Sight is also released this week.
"I wasn't one of those boys who used to have a poster of Kylie on my bedroom wall but I have always been a big fan of hers. Can't Get You Out Of My Head is an amazing track and I'm still a huge fan."
While he might be making his name for a collaboration with a star who died nearly 25 years ago, JXL has been working with a couple of well-known names who are still very much alive on his forthcoming album, which is scheduled for release in the autumn.
"Saffron from Republica is on four tracks," he says. "One of my sound engineers also used to be Republica's sound engineer so I got him to invite Saffron to a live London show.
"She came along and loved it. We got chatting and really clicked. We ended up recording one track, then another and another."
And continuing his current revival, electro pop king Gary Numan is also featured on one of the tracks.
JXL says: "Gary Numan is a personal hero of mine. When I was a kid one of the first records I heard was Are Friends Electric?
"I was a little overawed when I first met him. For the first 50 minutes he was in the studio all I could think was 'Wow it's Gary Numan'. But he is a great guy.
"Gary is really talented. He is typical of people who have a true talent - laid back and prepared to work really hard. It is only those people who have very little talent who become arrogant."
If all this isn't enough to keep him more than busy, JXL is currently working on the soundtrack for the forthcoming film Resident Evil starring Milla Jovovich (), has just completed the score for the Xbox game Quantum Redshift and produced DJ Sasha's debut album Airdrawndagger.
It seems that his fans have been responsible for a giving him a helping hand when it comes to all this extra work coming his way.
"I originally wrote the score for a couple of scenes in Wesley Snipes' film Blade because a fan worked for the film company. This led to me getting offered the Resident Evil soundtrack.
"It was the same with the Nike advert I did for the last Olympics. A fan worked in the company advertising department and asked me if I would be interested in writing the score for the advert. It didn't take long to think of my answer."
Although he has recorded two previous albums it's only since the Elvis remix that people in the record industry have started to sit up and listen to JXL. Despite several tempting offers he maintains he will stay on his own musical course.
"The music industry can be pretty tough but when you do come up with something which looks like becoming a hit you get a lot of people calling you up.
"I've had a fair few calls from people who are interested in working with me on the back of the Elvis remix but I want to keep making music which I enjoy making - the Elvis track is a one off."
(Elvis Vs JXL A Little Less Conversation was released on Monday, June 10.)
