SOULWAX
E TALKING
P.I.A.S.

What happens when your dad is Belgium’s answer to John Peel? You grow up with the best record collection, you start a band and you DJ at parties. This is how Stephen and David Dewaele have ended up with not one but two full-time jobs. It’s quite obvious that their band Soulwax is the closest activity to their hearts but the fact is DJing has turned into an extraordinary venture. Indeed by burning house music’s dogmatic rulebook, their eclectic approach to djing has arguably revolutionised dance. Their Essential Mix aired on NY’s day proposed a mad trip into their collector’s gigantic psyche. Old bores will struggle to compare once more such nonconformist labour of love to Jive Bunny’s high street cheese. With second to none mixing and impeccable music tastes, the brothers’ main asset is still somehow the sheer rock’n’roll energy they communicate when they hit those decks. Funnily enough Soulwax are never as good as when the influence of djing’s reflected in their material. On stage they cover Daft Punk, use the intro of ‘Rapper’s Delight’ and ‘E Talking’ cheekily turns into Alter Ego’s ‘Rocker’ for a grand techno-rock contest that never fails to dazzle crowds. Opening their 3rd album ‘Any Minute Now’ this last track is unquestionably one of their strongest ever and for its release as single an impressive package as been put together. They are producing Tiga’s forthcoming album so it was only natural that their Canadian pal would join in the fun. His Disco Drama remix is a cold yet glamorous reinterpretation for which he’s re-sung the vocals. Man of the moment Rex The Dog delivers another futuristic funk groover whilst Jagz Kooner offers a new-wavey re-rub. However it’s Soulwax’s own Nite Version that really tears the floor up here (129 BPM). Stripped down to the bare essentials of drums and live bass, this heavily compressed peaktime weapon stops abruptly to a tech-trance breakdown where LCD’s Nancy does the E talking.

5 Out Of 5

Reviewed By: Jerry Bouthier