Soulwax are a Belgian electronic band and production collective from Ghent, formed around brothers David and Stephen Dewaele. Active since the mid-1990s, the group has moved between alternative rock, dance-punk, electroclash, electronic music and club-oriented production without settling permanently in any one style. Their work is defined by a combination of live-band energy, meticulous studio construction and an unusually broad knowledge of pop, rock and dance music history.
Soulwax first appeared with the EP 2nd Handsome Blues in 1995, followed by their debut album Leave the Story Untold in 1996. Their early material was rooted in guitar-based alternative rock, but the Dewaele brothers increasingly incorporated programmed rhythms, synthesizers and dance production into the band's sound. Much Against Everyone's Advice established Soulwax internationally in 1998, producing songs such as "Conversation Intercom," "Much Against Everyone's Advice" and "Too Many DJs." The record showed the group beginning to treat rock songwriting and electronic sequencing as equal parts of the same musical language.
That development became fully apparent on Any Minute Now in 2004. Driven by hard-edged synths, insistent rhythms and distorted vocals, the album produced the singles "E Talking," "NY Excuse" and "Any Minute Now." Its visual identity was equally striking. The video for "E Talking," filmed at London's Fabric nightclub, presented a stylized alphabet of drug references and became associated with the provocative, confrontational image of Soulwax's mid-2000s period. The following year's Nite Versions recast songs from Any Minute Now as more overtly club-focused pieces, emphasizing the band's ability to rebuild its own material for the dancefloor.
The Dewaeles' parallel career as 2manydjs became just as influential as their work under the Soulwax name. Initially performing under names including The Fucking Dewaele Brothers, they developed DJ sets that combined unexpected pairings from rock, pop, punk, disco and electronic music. The 2002 release As Heard on Radio Soulwax Pt. 2 presented this approach as a continuous mash-up, turning the act of DJ selection and musical collision into a formal composition. Their broader Radio Soulwax project later expanded into radio shows, visual mixes, live events and digital projects.
Soulwax have also built a substantial reputation as remixers and producers. Their credits include work connected with Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem, Gorillaz, Justice, Klaxons, Tiga, Peaches and The Gossip. The live documentary and album Part of the Weekend Never Dies captured the group's high-volume touring style, while the brothers' production work demonstrated that their influence extended well beyond their own records.
In the 2010s, Soulwax developed an elaborate live format based on multiple drummers, synths and electronic machinery. That arrangement led to From Deewee in 2017, recorded in a single take, and Essential in 2018. The group also created the soundtrack for Felix van Groeningen's film Belgica, inventing a series of fictional bands to represent the nightclub world of the movie. Their experimental Deewee Sessions, Vol. 1 was recorded using the rare EMS Synthi 100 synthesizer.
The Dewaeles founded the DEEWEE label and studio in Ghent, extending Soulwax's activities into artist development and production. In 2025, Soulwax released All Systems Are Lying, described as a rock album made without electric guitars. Built from modular synthesizers, live drums, tape machines and processed vocals, it continued the band's long-running interest in making electronic music feel physical, immediate and performed rather than merely programmed.