Soulwax Rock, Sans Guitars, On ‘All Systems Are Lying’
The intersection of rock and electronic music has been complex for years, requiring exceptional skills to stand out.
Belgium’s Soulwax have been a key part of this nexus for decades, with their creative core of David and Stephen Dewaele evolving from grunge to leftfield-techno.
We wanted to capture the feeling of a band playing electronic instruments — live, loud and loose.
Using modular synths, live drums, tapes machines, and processed vocals, Soulwax claim to have made “a rock album … without any guitars.”
However, All Systems only occasionally rocks, with the opening track "Pills And People Are Gone" sounding like an end-of-the-party lament.
Author's summary: Soulwax releases a unique rock album without guitars.