So, who is going to turn up to the party for this new album? Is it Soulwax the indie-guitar band? Or Soulwax the electro-synthpop band?
There are so many strings to the Dewaele brothers’ bow that it’s hard to know what is going to come next. It’s been 12 years since their last ‘proper’ LP (2005’s ‘Nite Versions’) and closer to 20 since the excellent ‘Much Against Everyone’s Advice’ hit shelves, but there’s been plenty going on in the interim. You’ve got a remix list longer than most people’s arms, the occasional stints as 2ManyDJs and a soundtrack to last year’s Belgica, a film about a nightclub in their hometown of Ghent.
‘From Deewee’ is an altogether different beast again. Here we are presented with Soulwax as a live setup, creating a dozen tunes designed to slide effortlessly from one to the other.
It’s a clever mix of their band and DJ personas and yet still packs a punch when inevitably dredged up on shuffle mode. It’s clever, but also a little more grown-up than earlier offerings. And by grown up, read a little flat in places.
Tirelessly rehearsed, proudly recorded in one take and clocking in at a little under 50 minutes, it does beg the question as to why it has taken over a decade to materialise (see above for your answers). But there are plenty of hidden treasures dotted throughout to give Soulwax the benefit of the doubt.
As experimental records go, this is a very accessible one. With the use of multiple drummers and intentionally dated technology, you could be forgiven for thinking it was recorded in the early ‘00s and, given the band’s habit of leaving things on the shelf for a while, that’s an entirely plausible theory.
Opener Preset Tense is straight out of the Moroder School of Synth (akin to the output of Gruff Rhys/Boom Bip outfit Neon Neon) and this bleeds into first song proper Masterplanned, which introduces the hushed, sometimes nonchalant vocals of Stephen Dewaele to add a little softness to a harsh bassline.
Things then take a turn for the mediocre, though, and the fact that the songs blend into each other means that there is little room for any jumps in time signature or tempo. So, if you’re expecting any surprises then you may be in for a disappointment. The trio of Do You Want To Get Into Trouble? through to Transient Program for Drums and Machinery, for example, might as well be one epic tune because as standalone tracks they don’t necessitate repeat listening.
Maybe the fact that this is a single take detracts from the overall effect of the record; it’s quite clear from some of the songs that they have been rehearsed to a point where on the actual recording they seem a little lacklustre. In front of a live audience, the setup could inject a little more urgency to proceedings, making for a much more worthwhile experience, but as an LP it falls some way short.
Soulwax Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Sat April 08 2017 - LONDON Electric Brixton
Sun April 09 2017 - MANCHESTER O2 Ritz
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