An empowering and freeing questioning of the systems that surround us.

Hailing from Ghent, Belgium, Soulwax is a duo renowned for constantly reinventing the sound of electronic music. Led by brothers David and Stephen Dewaele, they’ve spent years blending rock, dance and experimental sounds into something completely their own. They’ve built a reputation for pushing boundaries while keeping their music full of energy and style. From the reimagined club tracks on Nite Versions to the live, one-take magic of From Deewee, Soulwax brings a mix of precision, creativity and attitude that makes their sound stand out in any setting.

Their recent release, All Systems Are Lying, continues that evolution with a darker, more mechanical edge that feels both futuristic and human. It captures the tension between control and chaos, showing that after all these years, Soulwax is still finding new ways to keep their sound alive and unpredictable.

In the opening track, “Pills and People Gone,” it feels like a collision between man and machine. The track is built on modular synths, live drums, tape loops and heavily processed and looped vocals running the name of the song repeatedly. Throughout the many highlights on this record, “Constant Happiness Machine” stands out as what brings the message of the album together. The album questions the systems that shape modern life, suggesting that many of them are breaking down or misleading us. The title, All Systems Are Lying, works as both a warning and a realization that the structures we depend on, from technology to institutions, often distort our sense of reality.

In the track “Idiots in Love,” production is sharp and deliberate but never sterile. You can hear the room in the recordings, the tension in the beats and the push and pull between structure and improvisation. Sonically, the album sounds like a conversation between man and machine, full of friction, movement and moments of release. It captures Soulwax’s ability to make electronic music feel tactile and emotional, turning sound itself into a statement about control and freedom.

In the end, All Systems Are Lying serves as both a critique and a celebration. It exposes how modern systems can deceive us, but also finds beauty and emotion in the chaos, reminding listeners that there is still a human pulse at the heart of all the noise.