Sweeter than chocolate

Belgium might be more famous for its chocolate than musical exports, but things have certainly improved since the days when Jacques Brel was their biggest musical export. And anyway, everyone thought he was French.

Along with 90s rockers dEUS, Belgian guitar pop-rock five-piece Soulwax are winning new-found respect for Belgian music right around the world.

Formed in 1994 around brothers Stephen and David Dewaele, their debut album of 1996, Leave The Story Untold, started the ball rolling in Europe. On the back of 1998's follow-up, Much Against Everyone's Advice, they've conquered the continent, made considerable inroads into the Euro-phobic UK and won fans in the US. And now it's Australia's turn.

The album's opener, 'Conversation Intercom', has already enjoyed Triple J airplay and now Soulwax's single - the album's title track - has followed suit, drawing attention for its imaginative video.

The work of director Evan Bernard - who has made videos for Les Rythmes Digitales and Beastie Boys - the clip has won two video awards in Holland and Belgium. Its band-on-the-run theme where the lyrics take on a life of their own also had the band hook, line and sinker.

"That's the first video we've ever done with an outside director," guitarist David Dewaele says. "All the other ones we've done internally. He came up with six equally strong ideas. Anyone who can come up with something so Monty Python-esque has our vote."

As Dewaele explains, Much Against Everyone's Advice seems 'old' to the band - "we just kept on touring and kept on touring, building and building". The brothers have already started writing material for the next album, which they hope to record in July.

"We have to finish writing the songs," David says. "It's hard because we've got so much on in-between."

So much on in-between includes the brothers' DJing, for which they are equally renowned. The pair DJ three times a week, have residencies in Antwerp, Amsterdam and London, and often get asked to do aftershow parties - like one for Muse that's coming up. They also present their own weekly TV show in Belgium which David equates to the local variation of MTV.

"It's very commercial, like Britney and Christina," he explains. "Two years ago they asked us to present the indie/alternative show. They pretty much gave us carte blanche so the show is pretty much like anti-television. It's like a hobby. It takes ten minutes to record and then we spend a day editing it. We even do it on tour and we just send a tape in.

"It's funny for hardcore fans because I think they're often very surprised by our choices. It's not your typical indie rock show. We play a lot of bands that we come across on tour, bands like Brassy and Titan. We also play stuff like Grandmaster Flash or old Small Faces. We just like to take good things from 30 years of music."

So how do you approach songwriting when you get the chance?

"My brother and I come up with the ideas separately. It depends on the song - some of them are completely finished - music and lyrics. We have no real system. Even when I write a complete song, I feel like Stephen's been part of it. Getting his approval is much the same as writing a song with him.

"We tend to balance each other out. If he's written a simple song, I'll take it and make, like, the chord structure more intricate. We have our own home studio where we record demos of all the songs - the basics."

Occasionally some of these demos even make the grade and end up as part of the finished product.

"The first minute of 'Much Against Everyone's Advice' was a demo. The producer liked what we'd produced and said he couldn't make it sound any more spontaneous. We were just trying it out - we weren't trying to top it. We realised we couldn't top it."

That producer - David Sardy - has again been drafted to man the desk for their forthcoming album.

"We had a good working relationship," Dewaele recalls. "We knew each other before as friends, so we clicked really well. He's one of these people who have an amazing talent. He makes us sound good because he tells us when to stop. If me and my brother were doing it ourselves, it would end up that people couldn't listen to it. It'd be too far out. We'd want to work all of our ideas into the same song."

As for a tour that includes Australia, Dewaele is eager to visit later in the year, especially if there's a chance to see one of his favourite new acts, The Avalanches.

"I think we think about music the same way - we kind of do our remixes the same way. Like blending Daft Punk with Dolly Parton."

This page published on Tuesday, March 27, 2001