Soulwax Albums Ranked: Fan Favorites (2025)

Trying to pin down the discography of Soulwax is a thrilling challenge. The Belgian duo has a restless creative spirit that guides them through crunchy alternative rock, slick electro, and conceptual synth explorations.

Their journey makes ranking their work a lively debate among fans. Everyone has a different entry point and a favorite era.

Here, we explore the Soulwax albums ranked according to the dedicated fans who know the music best. This gives us a solid look at what many consider the best Soulwax albums.

We'll also see how their records stack up based on current popularity data.

Ranking Soulwax's albums: The fan favorites

Here's how the albums stack up based on fan sentiment, community discussions, and overall buzz.

We're starting with the most beloved.

1. ESSENTIAL (2018)

Soulwax is a band known for ambitious projects, and ESSENTIAL is a prime example. The album was born from a request to create an "Essential Mix" for BBC Radio 1.

Instead of a DJ set, the band recorded an hour of brand new music centered around the word "essential."

The result is a seamless journey through their electronic influences, showcasing their production skill and creative vision.

Key tracks:

• Essential Four
• Essential Three

It's fascinating that a conceptual studio project, not a traditional album, takes the top spot. This speaks volumes about what fans value in Soulwax.

ESSENTIAL captures their studio wizardry and commitment to an idea, something the core fanbase clearly admires deeply.

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2. FROM DEEWEE (2017)

Recorded live in a single take at their own DEEWEE studio, this album was a monumental undertaking. It captured the energy of their "Transient Program For Drums And Machinery" tour.

The lineup featured three drummers, including the legendary Igor Cavalera, creating a powerful, rhythmic foundation.

FROM DEEWEE is a testament to their musicianship and a perfect blend of human performance and machine precision.

Key tracks:

• Is It Always Binary
• Missing Wires

Landing at number two, FROM DEEWEE is celebrated by fans for its sheer audacity and flawless execution.

It was a triumphant return to the album format after a long break, proving the band's power had only grown. It feels like a definitive statement.

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3. Nite Versions (2005)

Nite Versions is a remix album that completely reimagines the tracks from their previous record, Any Minute Now.

The band reworked their own songs, transforming them into dancefloor-focused anthems. The name itself is a nod to the extended "Night Versions" of Duran Duran songs from the 80s.

For many, this album became the definitive version of these songs and a cornerstone of the mid-2000s indie dance scene.

Key tracks:

• Krack
• E Talking

This album’s high ranking isn't surprising at all. Nite Versions is iconic. It represents the moment Soulwax fully embraced their electronic identity.

It's the bridge between Soulwax the rock band and 2manydjs the world-class selectors, and fans adore its relentless energy.

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4. Much Against Everyone's Advice (1999)

This is the album that brought Soulwax to wider international attention. It's a sharp, witty collection of alternative and electronic rock tunes.

The record showcased their love for clever production and catchy, guitar-driven hooks. It was a clear step forward from their debut, honing their sound with confidence.

A hidden track, "Turn on the A.C.," can be found by rewinding before the first song on the CD version.

Key tracks:

• Too Many DJs
• Much Against Everyone's Advice

As a fan favorite, Much Against Everyone's Advice holds a special place. It’s the sound of a band finding its voice and having fun with it.

The prophetic track "Too Many DJs" alone makes it a classic, but the entire album is packed with a creative spirit that fans still connect with.

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5. Any Minute Now (2004)

Any Minute Now is the rock-oriented foundation upon which Nite Versions was built. Released in 2004, it's a raw and energetic record.

The album features punchy tracks that blend rock aggression with electronic textures, foreshadowing the direction they would soon take more explicitly.

Singles like "E Talking" and "NY Excuse" became staples of their live shows and the indie scene of the era.

Key tracks:

• NY Excuse
• E Talking

This album's ranking often suffers from being overshadowed by its legendary remix counterpart, Nite Versions.

However, dedicated fans recognize Any Minute Now as a powerful and essential part of the Soulwax story, containing the brilliant songwriting that made the remixes possible.

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6. Close to Paradise (2017)

This release is a unique entry in the Soulwax catalog. It's a short, focused project that showcases their knack for creating atmospheric and driving electronic soundscapes.

The title track builds with hypnotic intensity, serving as a reminder of their production prowess outside of a traditional album cycle.

Key tracks:

• Close to Paradise
• Close to Paradise - Instrumental

As a smaller release, Close to Paradise is naturally less discussed than their full-length studio albums.

Its lower ranking reflects its status as more of a deep cut for dedicated followers rather than a major statement piece in their discography.

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7. DEEWEE Sessions, Vol. 01 (2020)

This album is a highly experimental work created with a rare and iconic synthesizer, the EMS Synthi 100.

It's a collection of ambient, abstract, and rhythmic explorations, showcasing a more academic and sound-design-focused side of Soulwax.

The project is a collaboration with the Institute for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music at Ghent University, where the instrument is housed.

Key tracks:

• Movement 6
• Movement 1

This release is for the true synth nerds and the most adventurous listeners in the Soulwax fanbase.

Its specialized, instrumental nature means it's less accessible than their song-based work, which explains its position in the fan ranking.

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8. Leave the Story Untold (1995)

This is where it all began. Soulwax's debut album is a product of its time, steeped in the alternative and grunge rock sounds of the mid-90s.

While it shows flashes of the band they would become, the sound is far more straightforward rock than their later, more celebrated electronic work.

It was re-released a decade later as more fans discovered the band through their 2manydjs moniker.

Key tracks:

• Caramel
• Reruns: Daisy Duke

For many fans who discovered Soulwax through their electronic music, the band's rock debut can be a surprising listen.

Its lower fan ranking reflects that it represents a very different version of the band, one that existed long before their transformation into electronic pioneers.

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9. All Systems Are Lying (2025)

Released in 2025, All Systems Are Lying sees Soulwax once again pushing their sound into new territories.

The album merges pulsing electronic rhythms with a darker, more atmospheric tone, reflecting a mature and evolved sound palette.

Key tracks:

• Hot Like Sahara
• Pills And People Gone

As the newest album in their discography, All Systems Are Lying is still finding its place among the classics.

New releases often take time to climb fan rankings as listeners live with the music and see how it holds up against the band's established legacy.

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Picked your top Soulwax classic? Check out Soulwax's discography on their Roll The Record Artist hub.

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Soulwax albums: A look at popularity data

While fan sentiment paints a rich picture, current popularity data can offer another interesting angle.

This looks at an artist's discography through a different lens.

Below is a ranking of Soulwax's albums based on their popularity scores from available data. This reflects which releases are currently seeing significant engagement.

Popularity Rank	Album Title	Release Year
1	All Systems Are Lying	2025
2	Nite Versions	2005
3	FROM DEEWEE	2017
4	Much Against Everyone's Advice	1999
5	Any Minute Now	2004
6	ESSENTIAL	2018
7	Close to Paradise	2017
8	DEEWEE Sessions, Vol. 01	2020
9	Leave the Story Untold	1995

So, our journey through the Soulwax albums ranked is complete.

We've seen how fan sentiment champions their bold, conceptual work, while popularity data gives a slight edge to their newest material and dancefloor classics.

The best Soulwax album is the one that connects with you. Their catalog is a playground of sound, with different eras for different moods.

What does your ranking look like?