Though they’re currently making waves in America fronting the electronica-rock troupe Soulwax, Belgian brothers Stephen and David DeWaele are among the hottest DJs making the circuit in their native land. Known as The Flying DeWaele Brothers – a name they despise, despite their popularity – the duo has spun in such global dance hotspots as Paris, Athens, Amsterdam and Copenhagen. They enjoy DJing and always try to give the clubgoer a unique experience with their eclectic mix, but they both contend that the exploding European DJ phenomenon has gotten a bit out of hand and could use a dose of perspective.

“We are a bit cynical about the whole DJ thing right now,” says Stephen. “There are way too many people doing the same thing. To me, an interesting DJ is someone who has their own technique and differs from what others are doing. You’ve got to remember, when DJing, it’s still someone else’s music. It’s not your own. You’ve got to develop your own sound.” 

With that in mind, Stephen and David offer up DJ sets armed only with stacks of vinyl, basic gear and their creativity. “We never use CDs, though I understand why some DJs prefer it,” says Stephen, an admitted vinyl junkie. “We go out there with just some Technics 1200s, an Ecler mixer with EQ/kill switches and Stanton Trackmasters. We never use samplers, or any drum machines when DJing. I love to keep it raw.”

Musically, their live set is packed with innovative connections to their youth. “We might play ‘Eye of the Tiger’ and mix it in with a house beat – who knows?” says Stephen. “There are so many different things that we love to play, you never know what we’re gonna throw on.”

Soulwax’s American debut, Much Against Everyone’s Advice (Almo Sounds), is an amalgam of rock, funk, hip hop, and everything else that’s moved the DeWaeles as DJs. And much like the brothers’ DJ sets, it’s difficult to pinpoint one overriding sound. “Our father was a DJ here in Belgium,” says Stephen. “We grew up around thousands of records. So we would get a ton of records to listen to. My brother and I would then go out and buy everything else, like ’80s New Wave or anything else that was strange and obscure.”   

Soulwax – which includes Stephen on vocals, David on guitars, loops and keyboards, plus three side musicians – recorded numerous parts of Much Against Everyone’s Advice in their own studio in Belgium. But going to California, the group admits, allowed them a different flavor. Says Stephen: “We did a lot of beats and programming here and then went to Los Angeles to work on the laying down live drums and guitar to give it that ‘rock-out’ sound.”

Throughout the album, the brothers display a tunefulness that matches its edgy production values. “The Salty Knowledge of Tears,” a song reminiscent of Jeff Buckley’s high-pitched and dynamic vocal style, and imminent single, the jungle-jangle “Too Many DJ’s,” show the extreme range of creations within the DeWaeles’ music. Some of their songs, like the title track, combine their all-over-the-map approach, while others are more genre-specific – like the melancholy acoustic guitar strum of “More Than This” or the bubblegum pop beats of “Saturday.”

But for Soulwax, the album’s wild eclecticism and sheer pop sensibility are simply reflections of their DJ background and vinyl fetishism. Of the album, says Stephen with understatement: “It’s a good mixture of what we are about.”

Taken from DJ Times Magazine - February 2000
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