Speaking at International Music Summit Ibiza 2026, Soulwax revealed the history of Despacio, the sound system and event co-created by them and LCD Soundsystem‘s James Murphy, and the ambitions they have for its future.

READ MORE: Inside James Murphy and Soulwax’s Despacio – the world’s greatest sound system

“We’ve done it everywhere in the world, but it was made to be in Ibiza,” says Soulwax’s Stephen Dewaele, who is joined onstage by his brother and bandmate, David Dewaele, and interviewer Gabriel Szatan. “It’s still our quest to one day do Despacio here.”

The duo elaborated further on the Ibiza roots of Despacio during their interview at IMS Ibiza 2026, recalling how it all started from a recording session on the White Isle in the early 2010s. “When we came here to record, we brought James [Murphy] with us. And we got the idea of like, “Why don’t we make a sound system that’s really [focused on] playing music at a little slower tempo?” This idea, says David, was heavily inspired by the Balearic DJs Jean-Claude Maury and Alfredo Fiorito, and the iconic Ibiza club, Privilege.

Despacio launched at the Manchester International Festival in 2013, and quickly gained a cult following after appearances at major festivals including Sónar, Coachella, Glastonbury, Portola, and at venues such as London’s Roundhouse.

“It seemed fresh to us because it was a reaction to what we were seeing everywhere else in the world,” explains Stephen. “It was just like, a lot of big clubs with Funktion-One sound systems and seven people on the lineup — everyone would play an hour, or an hour and a half [DJ sets]. If you’re an 18-year-old kid now, and you hear about Despacio, you would say, ‘Ah, so it’s three middle-aged dudes playing vinyl back to back on an audiophile system!’ But for us, back in 2012, that was kind of the antithesis of what we were experiencing every week, and it’s amazing that there is much more awareness for [audiophile] sound and vinyl and all that stuff now.”

The impact it has now, 12 or 13 years on, is much bigger than it had in the beginning,” adds David. “When we do it now in the States, it’s a thing that people come up to us and they’ve had one of the biggest experiences of their lives, and it’s huge for them, whereas that wasn’t the case in 2012.”

Discussing the current setup for Despacio, the duo explains how Coachella and Portola, festivals run by California events brand Goldenvoice that have hosted Despacio in recent years, are now well-adapted to the sound system. “A big percentage of the people who come into Despacio end up staying for eight hours,” says Stephen, adding that the tent Goldenvoice provides is acoustically treated. “We know by now how to tune that tent to make it sound really good.”

When an audience member asked if the Despacio team are looking for a permanent place for the sound system, Soulwax expressed enthusiasm for the idea. “We would love it…I’m not going to speak for James [Murphy], but I think he would love that as well.”

Soulwax’s interview was a keynote speech at IMS Ibiza this year. The conference, which is owned by Beatport, also saw panels on the state of the electronic music business, workshops by AlphaTheta, and more interviews with artists such as Suzanne Ciani, Pete Tong, Vintage Culture and more.

The post “It’s still our quest to one day have Despacio here”: In Ibiza, Soulwax discuss the future of their famed sound system appeared first on MusicTech.