Soulwax

The Dewaele brothers Stephen and David have sustained Soulwax as an enduring Belgian outfit that fuses electronic dance elements with sharply crafted rock melodies. Renowned equally for their original songwriting, remix productions, and club performances, the group notched multiple U.K. chart successes through their own material, earned a Grammy nomination for remix contributions, and emerged as central figures in the bastard pop movement through their inventive mash-up work. Launched initially in an alternative-rock format, the band first attracted notice with their second full-length release, 1998’s Much Against Everyone’s Advice. Attention soon turned toward the Dewaeles’ parallel 2 Many DJs endeavor, whose 2002 installment As Heard on Radio Soulwax, Pt. 2 achieved lasting cult status after its official issue. Subsequent Soulwax output embraced electroclash and dance-punk textures, evident on 2004’s Any Minute Now and across an extensive catalog of reworkings for LCD Soundsystem, Justice, and Gorillaz. Their 2017 album From Deewee captured a live-show energy through a single continuous take, a method repeated on 2018’s Essential, while 2020’s Deewee Sessions, Vol. 01 highlighted the duo’s fascination with classic analog instruments.

Joined by bassist Stefaan Van Leuven and drummer Piet Dierickx, the Ghent-based collective issued its debut album Leave the Story Untold via Play It Again Sam in 1996. The follow-up Much Against Everyone’s Advice arrived two years later, bringing wider international exposure and strong critical notice. At that point the brothers increasingly prioritized 2 Many DJs—titled after the standout track from the prior album—crafting intricate mash-ups broadcast via their own Radio Soulwax internet platform. Selections from the Hang All DJs and As Heard on Radio Soulwax series appeared in succession, culminating in an official PIAS edition of the second volume that earned Album of the Year recognition from the New York Times. Both projects continued in tandem through the decade. Soulwax’s third album, Any Minute Now (2004), yielded three U.K. Top 40 singles and was complemented the next year by the dance-focused remix set Nite Versions. Most of the Remixes… (2007) gathered reworkings for LCD Soundsystem, Sugababes, Daft Punk, and additional artists, while the 2008 package Part of the Weekend Never Dies combined live recordings with documentary footage. Production credits for Tiga, Peaches, and Das Pop followed, along with a 2010 collaboration alongside Crookers and Mixhell on the single “We Love Animals.”

The Radio Soulwax mobile application debuted in 2011, hosting further DJ sets by the brothers. In 2013 they programmed the in-game Soulwax FM station for Grand Theft Auto V. Returning in 2016 to filmmaker Felix Van Groeningen—whose earlier feature Steve + Sky had featured their score—they assembled the Belgica soundtrack by inventing sixteen fictional bands, each supplying an original track tied to the narrative. The percussion-driven From Deewee appeared in 2017, recorded in one uninterrupted session with percussionists Igor Cavalera (ex-Sepultura), Victoria Smith (ex-Ipso Facto), and Blake Davies of Turbowolf; the same approach shaped the 2018 release Essential. Their remix of Marie Davidson’s “Work It” achieved major club traction and received a 2020 Grammy nomination for Best Remixed Recording. Deewee Sessions, Vol. 01 (2020) was realized exclusively on the EMS Synthi 100 and documented over twelve months at Ghent University’s Institute for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music. The single “Empty Dancefloor” closed out that year, succeeded in 2021 by remixes for Fontaines D.C., Chet Faker, Sylvester, and Priya Ragu.