Inside Abbey Road's First-Ever Rave, Hosted by Soulwax

Variety

by Ellise Shafer

February 24, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

Abbey Road Studios, the legendary birthplace of recorded music and home to iconic acts like The Beatles, recently hosted its first-ever rave in a historic and surprising turn of events. Organized by Belgian electronic music duo Soulwax—known for their alter ego 2ManyDJs—the event took place in Studio One, the largest space at Abbey Road, which is typically used for recording film soundtracks. The brothers David and Stephen Dewaele were initially surprised when approached by Abbey Road’s director of marketing, Mark Robertson, with the idea to host a rave. “We were shocked they even knew who we were,” David admitted. The night transformed Studio One into a dance hall, marking a groundbreaking moment for both the venue and the music industry. The event, titled “Abbey Road After Hours,” featured a mix of classic and contemporary electronic tracks, including remixes and reworked versions of hits like Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)” and Blur’s “Girls & Boys.” The Dewaele brothers also debuted a new Soulwax track recorded in Studio Two the day before using vintage equipment, such as the same grand piano used by The Beatles and Pink Floyd. This attention to historical detail, combined with their Deewee sound system—featuring massive speaker stacks in each corner of the room—created an immersive and powerful audio experience. “It’s a very old-school approach,” David explained, emphasizing how

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Originally published on Variety on 2/24/2026