Soulwax

Soulwax
source
Name	Soulwax
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Ghent, Belgium
Years active	1992–present
Members	David Dewaele; Stephen Dewaele
Associated acts	2manydjs; Machines Are Good; The Flying Dewaele Brothers; Trixie Whitley; Kind Of Like Spitting

Soulwax

Soulwax are a Belgian rock and electronic music duo formed by brothers David Dewaele and Stephen Dewaele in Ghent. The group gained international attention through a fusion of rock, electronic, and alternative pop, and through remixing and DJ work that connected them to scenes around London, New York, Berlin, and Paris. They have released studio albums, remixes, and film and television scores while touring extensively across Europe and North America.

History

Formed in Ghent alongside contemporaries from Belgium such as dEUS and Airbag, Soulwax emerged during the 1990s alternative wave alongside bands like Radiohead, Blur, Oasis, and The Verve. Early releases came as part of the independent circuit associated with labels like PIAS Recordings, Play It Again Sam, and international partners including Warner Music Group and PIAS. The Dewaele brothers recorded and toured through the late 1990s and early 2000s, intersecting with festival circuits such as Glastonbury Festival, Sziget Festival, Reading Festival, and Rosklide Festival. During this period they collaborated with producers and engineers connected to Steve Albini, Flood, Nigel Godrich, and studios in London, New York City, and Brussels. As their sound evolved, they engaged with the electronic scenes of Berlin and Manchester, relocating certain production periods to studios near Berlinale-adjacent facilities and working with artists from Belgium, France, The Netherlands, and United Kingdom.

Musical style and influences

Soulwax blend elements associated with rock music luminaries and electronic innovators including references to acts like The Stooges, Joy Division, New Order, Kraftwerk, and Daft Punk. Their aesthetic borrows arrangements familiar to audiences of The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Roxy Music while integrating dancefloor practice linked to Chicago house progenitors and the Detroit techno lineage, including nods to Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles, Juan Atkins, and Derrick May. Production techniques evoke studios and figures such as Abbey Road Studios, Trident Studios, Sun Studio, and engineers from Motown Records and Sire Records. They have cited inspirations from soundtrack composers linked to John Carpenter, Ennio Morricone, and Vangelis, and have adapted post-punk textures comparable to The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Echo & the Bunnymen. The resulting hybrid aligns Soulwax with contemporaries such as LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, New Order-era revivals, and remix culture exemplified by The Chemical Brothers and Underworld.

Discography

Their studio releases sit among catalogs maintained by labels including PIAS Recordings, Play It Again Sam, and HarperCollins-adjacent distributors. Key albums and works reference scenes and formats familiar to collectors of vinyl records and compact disc issues distributed through retailers like Tower Records, HMV, and independent shops in Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, and Rotterdam. Notable releases placed them on charts and playlists curated by broadcasters including BBC Radio 1, NME, Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone. Collaborations and remixes appear alongside releases by Nine Inch Nails, Madonna, Kraftwerk, The Prodigy, Muse, Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, Beck, Justice, The Rapture, The Kills, PJ Harvey, and Sia.

Live performances and DJ sets

Soulwax have performed at venues and festivals across global circuits including Madison Square Garden, Fillmore (San Francisco), Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Stadium, and underground warehouses in Berlin such as Berghain-adjacent spaces. Their DJ alter ego projects have appeared in club lineups with residents and guests from Fabric (club), Ministry of Sound, Space (Ibiza), and DC10 (club). They have shared bills and back-to-back sets with artists including Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Carl Cox, Sasha, John Digweed, The Prodigy, LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, Deadmau5, Calvin Harris, and DJs from the Paris and New York scenes. Multimedia live shows incorporated visuals by collectives associated with MTV Europe Music Awards, projections reminiscent of work for Björk and Radiohead, and stage design influenced by productions at Coachella and Primavera Sound.

Side projects and collaborations

The Dewaele brothers are known for side projects and production work including their DJ project alongside 2manydjs, remixes credited to aliases used in scenes around Manchester and Leeds, and production for artists linked to Vineyard studios and independent labels. They collaborated with musicians and producers such as Tiga, James Murphy, Nicolas Jaar, Jamie xx, M.I.A., Björk, Safety Scissors, Hot Chip, The Knife, Erol Alkan, Soulwax Nite Versions, Trixie Whitley, and members of dEUS. Film and television scoring projects brought them into contact with directors and producers from Netflix, HBO, Canal+, BBC Drama, and film festivals including Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival.

Awards and recognition

Soulwax have received accolades and coverage from institutions and publications such as MTV Europe Music Awards, NME Awards, Mercury Prize, Grammy Awards-adjacent press, and national Belgian honors from arts councils in Flanders and Wallonia. Press recognition includes features in The Guardian, The New York Times, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, Rolling Stone, and Pitchfork, and curatorial invitations to events at institutions like Tate Modern, MoMA, Berghain-adjacent exhibition spaces, and national radio features on BBC Radio 6 Music and Été 78-style broadcasts. Their impact is noted in retrospectives on European electronic and indie rock crossovers curated by festivals such as Sónar, Meltdown Festival, and All Points East.

Category:Belgian musical duos Category:Electronic music groups Category:Rock music groups