Search: lineup
Kelman Duran releases new album 'A Night In Tijuana' on Scorpio Red
Dominican-American producer Kelman Duran has released his new album 'Night In Tijuana'. The album is the first release on his own label Scorpio Red, that he started together with visual artist Annie Mackinnon. Apart from music, the label will also release commissioned essays and prints by artists. Over the past years,...
Pixel Paradise x Something Happening Somewhere
Prepare yourselves for a special event: Pixel Paradise x Something Happening Somewhere, unfolding within the cozy confines of dB’s. This one-of-a-kind event is brought to you by Something Happen...
Iris van Herpen & Salvador Breed
Fashion designer Iris van Herpen and sound artist Salvador Breed curate a lineup of artists and performances symbolizing their highly intertwined aesthetics, developed over years of collaborating on n...
Curator: Phil Elverum
Taking his name from a spot near to his heart and home, Phil Elverum of Mount Eerie and The Microphones makes music heavily imbued with that foggy green mood of Washington state. But far from limiting...
COSMOS Embassy Film: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
V2X represents a new generation of Vietnamese creatives shaping their own identities. Operating as an independent media company on the intersection of art, music, culture, V2X highlights creative comm...
Lik De Kikker
Born during a Christmas Night mushroom trip, Lik de Kikker (Lick the Frog) set out to create an awe-inspiring noise band. With two frogs in control, they craft harsh tek and noise using various gear....
COSMOS Embassy: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
V2X represents a new generation of Vietnamese creatives shaping their own identities. Operating as an independent media company on the intersection of art, music, culture, V2X highlights creative comm...
LGW22 photo series: The Staples Jr. Singers, Nyege Nyege, Estrella Morente, clipping. and more
Our residential photographers Juri Hiensch and Melanie Marsman have been exploring Le Guess Who? again in 2022, captured different photo series during the festival. The upcoming time, we'll be sharing these series on this website and our social media. Curated by Animal Collective, by Juri Hiensch For LGW22, Baltimore quartet Animal Co...
LGW21 photo series: Hidden Musics, Pink Oculus, Eddie Chacon, Hakuna Kulala Club Night and more
Our residential photographers Juri Hiensch and Melanie Marsman have been exploring Le Guess Who? again in 2021, captured different photo series during the festival. The upcoming time, we'll be sharing these series on this website and our social media. Portrait series at LGW21, by Melanie Marsman At Le Guess Who? 2021, residential phot...
10 things you might not have discovered (yet) in the LGW19 program
Le Guess Who? 2019 is almost upon us! There is an abundance of performances and activities happening this week, so we can imagine that some acts or activities may have slipped through the cracks. Therefore, we've selected 10 things you might not have discovered (yet) in the LGW19 program. 1. Three-day Film Festival at Springha...
Kapitaal x Stranded FM x Julian Brimmers host Official LGW22 Hangout with live sessions, artist talks, DJ sets, print-making & exhibitions
Utrecht's beloved independent print workshop, Kapitaal, collaborates with Stranded FM and Julian Brimmers to host the official Le Guess Who? 2022 Hangout through all things print and sound. The program includes radio and DJ sets, artist interviews, live sessions, art exhibitions, film screenings, and print-making from Friday 11 November - Sunday 13 November.
Listen/read: AMPFEMININE: "Your excuse of ‘there aren’t that many good female and non-binary DJs’ is not valid"
You can also listen to this story – below or via your favorite podcast app. Words & audio by Cheri PercyPhotography by Tengbeh Kamara Rotterdam based-DJ collective AMPFEMININE scours its diverse database to bring an evening of fresh feminine energy to this year’s Le Guess Who? proving that female and non-b...
Listen/read: How seven trailblazing LGW artists reimagine their cultural & musical heritage
You can also listen to this story – below or via your favorite podcast app. Words by Julian BrimmersAudio by Cheri PercyCover photo by Gianfranco Bello For 16 years and counting, Le Guess Who? has strived to create a space for generations of music lovers and makers to come together. A podium, where icons of their trade n...
Watch: Vrije Geluiden sessions at LGW22, featuring Hatis Noit, Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul, Noori & His Dorpa Band + more
VPRO Vrije Geluiden were present at Le Guess Who? 2022 to capture several sessions with festival artists in TivoliVredenburg. Over the next couple of weeks, these will go online every Sunday. The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar Jajouka is the name of a hidden village in the Jebala foothills of northern Morocco. Here, The...
LGW x IDFA: film program during LGW22 at Slachtstraat Filmtheater
This year, LGW is collaborating with IDFA, one of the world's leading documentary events. IDFA believes in the power of documentary film as a high-quality, artistic form of information and reflection. We’re presenting a film program on Friday, Saturday & Sunday during LGW22. This program is screened at Slachtstraat Filmtheater...
Coco María presents Club Coco: vital new music influenced by vintage sounds
When DJ and artist Coco María moved from Mexico to Europe, she brought the hidden gems of Latin American musical culture with her. Growing up surrounded by music, Coco María not only grew fond of the sounds of her childhood but also developed a love for sharing them with the rest of the world.
Born out of this passion of hers is the show ‘Club Coco’, hosted on Worldwide FM, on which Coco María shares the best of contemporary and heritage music rooted in Latin sounds. A captivating exploration of African rhythms that lie embedded within Central and South American music, ‘Club Coco’ is as colourful and memorable as Coco María herself, leaving listeners in a joyful and energetic mood.
Launching COSMOS, a new, hybrid platform by Le Guess Who?
As an international festival, Le Guess Who? has always worked with a borderless and boundary-crossing ethos. Now, we further enhance this focus with the launch of COSMOS: a new, hybrid platform that connects the local, physical festival environment with exclusive content that is available for worldwide, online streaming, via cosmos.legues...
FACT to host 3-day program at BASIS during LGW19, featuring Mala, Príncipe Discos, Vladimir Ivkovic & more
FACT, one of the long-term collaborators of Le Guess Who?, will host a program across three nights during the festival this year at BASIS: a nightclub located in a wharf cellar in the city center of Utrecht. BASIS has been a part of the festival since last year and is a perfect location to discover some of groundbreaking and forward-think...
Suuns - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Avant-rock group Suuns have always surprised us with their releases and their newest, ‘The Witness’, on Joyful Noise, is yet another impressive step of their sonic universe. Following the release of the album, Suuns performed at Le Guess Who? 2021, and we're happy to now share the concert film of this performance as well as th...
NAR & 3voor12 Utrecht join forces for U?
(scroll naar beneden voor de Nederlandse tekst) NAR and 3voor12 Utrecht have wanted to collaborate for a long time, and now, it’s finally happening. The program contains music with influences from different countries and various music styles. The bands and music are both challenging and exciting, aligning with the festival’s...
Indofuturist Sanctuary: A COSMOS Goa Residency Recap
In the spring of 2023, COSMOS – Le Guess Who’s? global music community – organized its first artist residency in Goa, India. Over the past few years, Goa has become a sanctuary for artists and freewheeling spirits of all kinds, including REProduce-founder Rana Ghose. In collaboration with Rana, COSMOS created a space for...
Slumberland feat. Sainkho Namtchylak - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Belgian musician, composer, and instrument maker Jochem Baelus aka Slumberland and experimental Tuvan singer Sainkho Namtchylak gave a collaborative performance during Le Guess Who? 2021 at Utrecht’s Jacobikerk. With Slumberland, Belgian musician, composer, and instrument maker Jochem Baelus creates hypnotic krautrock and post punk...
LGW19 curators Jenny Hval, The Bug and Moon Duo announce new albums
Three of the Le Guess Who? 2019 curators have just announced new albums and released new music to go along with it: Jenny Hval Norwegian avant-pop artist Jenny Hval will release her new album 'The Practice of Love' on 13 September via Sacred Bones. At Le Guess Who?, she will present her new performance baring the same title as the album...
Explore the 3rd edition of Hidden Musics at Le Guess Who? 2022, aimed at deeply localized music
In 2019, the concert series Hidden Musics originated between Le Guess Who?, Chris Eckman of Glitterbeat Records and GRAMMY Award-winning producer and writer Ian Brennan, from the shared belief that it is important to platform underrepresented artists, and magnify music produced far from the mainstream. In 2022, we are proud the present the third edition of the project live at Le Guess Who?.
Read: Jori Collignon talks running Gris Gris Records with Tânia Baldé
Having spent many years touring and drawing inspiration from many corners of the world, Jori Collignon has at last found a home in the idyllic Palmela, Portugal. It is here where you can find a home complete with a guesthouse, garden, studio, and a vibrant hub where artists from different parts of the world come together to exchange ideas...
Modulation takes center stage at U?
Modulation is Utrecht’s own accessible night of live performances and concerts centered around modular synthesizers and other hardware electronic instruments. A place for newcomers as well as veterans, from ambient to noisemakers, explosive beats, cinematic soundscapes – and everything in between. All performers will be playin...
Le Guess Who? presents the second edition of concert series Hidden Musics at 2021 festival
After an overwhelming first edition in 2019, the celebrated concert series Hidden Musics returns to Le Guess Who? from 11-14 November 2021 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Hidden Musics presents international musical performances that are not usually experienced on stages or at festivals; these rich, often centuries-old musical traditions ar...
‘A sudden, uncontrollable urge to dance’: the magic of Nyege Nyege Tapes & Hakuna Kulala Club Night
Forget Detroit, Chicago, and Berlin for a minute. Some of the most exciting electronic music records are being cut in the capital of Uganda, Kampala, and many are coming out of label Nyege Nyege Tapes. The collective is committed to shedding light on some of the best outsider music made in Kampala and all around East Africa. This Novembe...
Watch: VPRO Vrije Geluiden sessions with Etran de L'Aïr, Víctor Herrero, Ored Recordings, Mazaher & Mario Batkovic at LGW21
During Le Guess Who? 2021, VPRO Vrije Geluiden recorded live sessions with multiple artists who performed at the festival. All sessions are now online, featuring Etran de L’Aïr, Víctor Herrero, Mario Batkovic, Mazaher, and Zaur Nagoy in collaboration with Jrpjej, presented by Ored Recordings. Mazaher, Ored Recordi...
Photo series: The Getdowns by Rogier Boogaard
The Getdowns are a young hardrock & punkband from Utrecht. Influenced by bands like Pearl Jam and The Beatles, the four boys produce a massive amount of noise characterised by distortion pedals and raw vocals.
Watch/read: ZENITH x Zilzal by Rogier Boogaard
For U? 2023, Utrecht-based collective ZENITH and independent, Palestinian sound platform Zilzal join forces at the former Pieter Baan Centrum that serves as a powerful channel for 00970, gbw9, RAGASA, and Noise Diva to express their “current mental situation.” Photographer Rogier Boogaard documented a part of the artists ZENIT...
Knekelhuis Presents: four artists you don't want to miss at Le Guess Who? 2021
Knekelhuis is an Amsterdam-based independent record label that heightens the aesthetic similarities between different genres, eras, and scenes, including wave, punk, synth-pop, industrial, ambient, techno, and abstract electronics. This year, Knekelhuis is presenting an international selection of label-related artists and dear friends th...
Read via The Quietus: which records would Angel Bat Dawid seek out at the Mega Record & CD Fair?
We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...
Watch: OSEES plays live cover of Faust's 'J'ai Mal Aux Dents'
Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, visual artist and record label owner John Dwyer is one of the curators of Le Guess Who? 2021. One of the artists he invites to the festival is German krautrock group Faust, who will perform their iconic album 'Faust IV'. Earlier this year, Dwyer's main band OSEES played a l...
Gonzo (circus) presenteert: de essentiële Le Guess Who? 2019-leeslijst
"De curatoren van Le Guess Who? 2019 maakten een zorgvuldige keuze, maar het aanbod blijft overweldigend.", aldus Gonzo (circus), het Vlaams-Nederlandse magazine voor muziek en andere kunstvormen. De redactie van Gonzo (circus) heeft daar iets op bedacht: De essentiële Le Guess Who? 2019-leeslijst aan de hand van de ke...
Watch: COLORS Shows with LGW22 artists Liv.e, Zebra Katz, and Lex Amor
Over the last couple of years, COLORSxSTUDIOS has become an important music platform aimed at showcasing exceptional new talent from around the globe. In their own words: "All COLORS shows seek to provide clear, minimalistic stage that shines a spotlight on the artists, giving them the opportunity to present their music without distractio...
Watch: 3voor12 live sessions at LGW21 with Bendik Giske, Automatic, Mario Batkovic, and Vanishing Twin
At Club Nine on the top floor of TivoliVredenburg, the main location and hub of Le Guess Who?, Dutch broadcaster VPRO 3voor12 recorded live sessions with four artists who performed at Le Guess Who? 2021.Watch and listen to the sessions with Berlin-based abstract saxophonist Bendik Giske, Los Angeles indie punk band Automatic, Bosnian-Swis...
'Baskot Lel Baltageyya', debut album of musician Adham Zidan & poet Anwar Dabbour
Last month, Baskot Lel Baltageyya (meaning 'cookies for thugs'), a Cairo-based project headed by musician Adham Zidan and poet Anwar Dabbour, released their self-titled debut album. An album that serves as an extension of their phantasmagoric live show. Baskot Lel Baltageyya by Baskot Baskot Lel Baltageyya started as...
Listen to Nihiloxica’s new album ‘Source of Denial’
As Nihiloxica, musician Spooky-J and producer pq harness the full force of the Nilotika Cultural Ensemble's ancient Bugandan drumming tradition of Uganda and focus it on the contemporary dance floor through a dark lens of techno sensibility. Their new album, Source of Denial, which serves as a follow-up of their 2020 debut album Kaloli,...
Le Guess Who? & U? present Nusantara Beat
Nusantara Beat are a psych-groove sextet from Amsterdam. The group has quickly amassed a cult following, largely due to the deep connection to their Indonesian roots and a passion for honoring their cultural heritage.
Photography by Juri Hiensch
Revealing the initial line-up for Le Guess Who? 2019
We're pleased to reveal the initial line-up for Le Guess Who? 2019, dedicated to boundary-crossing music from all over the world. The first 87 acts include very rare performances by Asha Puthli, Ustad Saami, and Ayalew Mesfin & Debo Band, as well as the curated programs by Jenny Hval, Moon Duo, Patrick Higgins and The...
Cate Le Bon and Deerhunter's Bradford Cox to release collaborative EP; listen to 'Secretary'
Earlier this year, Cate Le Bon collaborated with Deerhunter to produce their new album, 'Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?'. Now, their collaboration continues, with Cate Le Bon & Deerhunter's Bradford Cox uniting on a new collaborative EP 'Myths 004', to be released via Mexican Summer on November 1st. Fo...
Listen: Damon Locks' Black Monument Ensemble release new song 'Keep Your Mind Free'
Chicago's Damon Locks' Black Monument Ensemble have released a new song from their upcoming album 'NOW', to be released on April 9th. With a mix of pulsing trumpet sounds, 'Keep Your Mind Free' originated from the reflection that Covid-19 has different outcomes for each group of society, especially for people in prison...
Galya Bisengalieva announces remix album 'Aralkum Aralas' and shares first track featuring Jlin
Kazakh/British violinist and composer Galya Bisengalieva has announced the new album 'Aralkum Aralas', which features remixed tracks from her 2020 album 'Aralkum'. This new collection of remixes will be released 15 October via One Litte Independent and includes contributions of a.o. Moor Mother, Coby Sey, Nazira, Jing, and CHAIN...
Listen to upsammy's new track 'Agglo', taken from the 'Virgin Forest' benefit compilation
Dutch electronic producer upsammy constantly shapeshifting sound gleefully travels outside of club conventions like a kid skipping class. During Le Guess Who? 2022, she will collaborate with multidisciplinary artist Sjoerd Martens. Meandering through digital and analog interactions, they form an introspective but expansive, ever-morphing...
Watch: Slumberland collaborates with Tuvan voice artist Sainkho Namtchylak, considered the first female overtone artist
With Slumberland, Belgian musician, composer, and instrument maker Jochem Baelus creates hypnotic krautrock and post punk colored with distorted exotica. Recently, he started collaborating with Sainkho Namtchylak, a 64 years old voice artist from Tuva, an autonomous republic in Russia north of Mongolia. Namtchylak is regarded as the...
Introducing Ensemble Klang, presenting the live premiere of 'Thrift Hybrids' at LGW21
The Hague innovative music Ensemble Klang, known for their dynamic approach to contemporary music and sonic adventure, were invited by this year's LGW curator Midori Takada to perform at the festival. They will present 'Thrift Hybrids' by composer and producer Matthew Wright and soprano Claron McFadden, which already exists as a video ins...
Listen to Cate Le Bon and Deerhunter's Bradford Cox collaborative EP 'Myths 004'
Cate Le Bon and Deerhunter's Bradford Cox are certainly no strangers to each other. Earlier this year, Le Bon produced Deerhunter's new album 'Why hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?', and now, the duo release a collaborative EP 'Myths 004' via Mexican Summer. Previous pairings in the series have included Ariel Pink with Weye...
Read: The Line of Best Fit interviews Jenny Hval & The Raincoats ahead of LGW19
The Line of Best Fit recently sat down with Jenny Hval and The Raincoats ahead of their performances and Jenny Hval's curation at Le Guess Who? 2019, discussing their careers, albums & lots more. The interview with Jenny discusses the concept of her latest record 'The Practice of Love', language and her mother tongue, Norway an...
Zwangere Guy - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
With his unshakeable conviction, found all over his rhymes and delivery, Zwangere Guy quickly became considered ‘the boss of Brussels rap’. In his live shows, his boastful, insolent and exciting personality always shines bright. Zwangere Guy performed live at TivoliVredenburg's Ronda during Le Guess Who? 2021 on the nig...
Interview: Future Feminism with Johanna Constantine
On a sinking ship penetrated by patriarchy, what do you “choose” to do?: Future Feminism with Johanna Constantine This year, Le Guess Who? collaborates with Turkey's Bant Mag. The independent magazine, based in Istanbul, has been bringing together new and exciting tendencies about music, film, arts and culture since 2004. Sta...
Listen/read: Rats on Rafts' David Fagan: "If we're gonna do a live show, let's try and do something special"
Ever the experimentalists, Rotterdam post-punk quintet Rats on Rafts bring their multi-disciplinary spectacle, Visions of Chapter 3, to Le Guess Who? for its first public-facing debut. And, as frontman David Fagan admits, there’s no telling just quite how it will all pan out…
Watch & read: Irena & Vojtěch Havlovi play four hands piano recorded by Vincent Moon
Throughout their decades-long musical partnership, Czech artists Irena Havlová and Vojtěch Havel have traveled far and wide, crossing continents, cultures and mediums with styles of European classical music ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary. In the process, the duo made fans and friends which include Sufjan Stevens and T...
Podcast: Part 2 of 'DJ Fitz: The Birth of a Scene'
Le Guess Who? presents 'The Big Playback', a podcast about all things music. For the occasion of Le Guess Who’s 15th Edition, we pay tribute to DJ Fitz- the man, the legend, the only artist to have been on every single lineup.
In this final episode of the series (revisit the first part here), we follow Fitz to Berlin and beyond, where he co-founds Kreuzberg venue West Germany, labors to propagate Turkish psych on dance floors across all Hipsterdom, and fully evolves into DJ Fitz- festival DJ extraordinaire.
Podcast: listen to Part 1 of 'DJ Fitz: The Birth of a Scene'
Le Guess Who? presents 'The Big Playback', a podcast about all things music. For the occasion of Le Guess Who’s 15th Edition, we pay tribute to DJ Fitz- the man, the legend, the only artist to have been on every single lineup.
In this two part series we dig first into Fitz’s illustrious past in NYC as a DIY show organizer who, along with his Mighty Robot crew, were co-responsible for some of the most exciting early gigs of bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Liars, laying the foundation for a soon-to-be-exploding-Brooklyn.
EIGEN RISICO share new single 'Divine Intervention Ceremony'
EIGEN RISICO is a Groningen-based experimental art project that switches form- from one day to another without regards to genre whatsoever. Now, the group release 'Divine Intervention Ceremony' the first single from their new mixtape that will be released soon. The track was produced by EIGEN RISICO & Gerrie Hendrix and is released by...
Listen: The Brother Moves On release new album '$/He Who Feeds You…Owns You'
The Brother Moves On is the captivating South-African performance art ensemble from Johannesburg, famous for the way the artists masterfully draw from past, present and future within music. Now, the group releases an uplifting and inspirational new album entitled '$/He Who Feeds You…Owns You' via Shabaka Hutchings' Native Rebel Rec...
Dudu Tassa and Jonny Greenwood release collaborative album 'Jarak Qaribak'
Celebrated Israeli singer, musician and producer Dudu Tassa and award-winning composer and guitarist Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead, The Smile) have teamed up for the collaborative album Jarak Qaribak, which is released today via World Circuit Records. Jarak Qaribak translates, more or less, as ‘Your Neighbour Is Your Friend. It&r...
Decisive Pink (Kate NV & Deradoorian) release debut album 'Ticket To Fame'
Much like the Wassily Kandinsky painting which inspired their band name, the music of Decisive Pink (the duo made up of Angel Deradoorian (formerly of Dirty Projectors) and Russian experimental pop artist Kate NV) is a colorful puzzle, bursting with joy and romance. Now, Decisive Pink release their debut album 'Ticket To Fame', on...
Taiwan psych duo Mong Tong 夢東 release new album 'Tao Fire 道火'
Mong Tong 夢東 is the Taiwanese psychedelic group formed by brothers Hom Yu and Jiun Chi, whose music is heavily influenced by Southeast Asian culture, including its mythology and folklore, as well as 60s and 70s psychedelic music. Now, the siblings release their newest album, Tao Fire 道火, via the Kikagaku Moyo-ran Japanese label Gurug...
SANAM release debut album 'Aykathani Malakon صنم - أيقظني ملاكٌ'
Today, the Beirut-based free-rock post-folk sextet SANAM releases their debut album, 'Aykathani Malakon صنم - أيقظني ملاكٌ'. The album is mixed by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem in My Heart), who was one of the guest curators for Le Guess Who? 2017, and mastered by Heba Kadry, who is one of the guest curators for Le Guess...
African Head Charge release 'A Trip To Bolgatanga', first album in 12 years
Founded in 1981, pioneering dub-reggae ensemble African Head Charge has gone on to achieve cult status with epic live shows and 13 albums under their belt. Now, the group returns to On-U Sound with A Trip To Bolgatanga, their first new album in twelve years. A Trip To Bolgatanga is described as a musical journey to founding member,...
Moin release 'Clocked Off', new EP with outsider jams
"Moin are subtly but brilliantly reinventing rock music", wrote Pitchfork last year in their review of the London three-piece's album Paste. Rest assured, they keep doing exactly that with the release of their new EP Clocked Off, self-described as "Outsider jams that rolled out of the studio. Part experiments, part sketches." Compr...
Listen: Roadburn release recordings of Backxwash's European live debut
Born in Lusaka, Zambia, rapper and producer Backxwash's work is based in the horrorcore, hip-hop and industrial metal genres, and includes a culmination of themes around the intersection between faith, identity, and queerness. In April, the magnificent Roadburn Festival in Tilburg hosted Backxwash's European live debut with two special s...
Revisit our video portrait of James Holden in his London studio
James Holden's musical life is full of diversity, be it in roles assumed (producer, remixer, DJ, record label boss, synth maestro, band leader, mix engineer, and software developer) or in genres explored (trance, progressive house, minimal techno, IDM, synth, and jazz). His latest rave record, Imagine This Is A High Dimensional Space Of...
El Kontessa releases new album 'Nos Habet Caramel'
As El Kontessa, producer, DJ, and multidisciplinary artist Fajr Soliman deconstructs Cairo’s soundscapes and combines them with accelerating polyrhythms, echoing Mahraganat percussion, vocal hits and bursts of synths, turning them into multilayered sonic explorations. Since debuting in 2018, El Kontessa has been a staple of Egypt&...
Irreversible Entanglements announce new album 'Protect Your Light' via Impulse! Records
Free jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements, spearheaded by former LGW curator Moor Mother, met amidst an event protesting police brutality. Since then, they have released three full-length albums, the last being 2021's Open The Gates. Now, the collective add a new offering to their catalogue; their new album Protect Your Light will...
Irreversible Entanglements release new album ‘Protect Your Light’
Irreversible Entanglements, the free jazz collective hailed by NPR as “Perhaps the most thrilling band in jazz right now,” has released their new album Protect Your Light. Released through Impulse! Records, this album marks a significant milestone in the world of experimental jazz. The group is comprised of vocalist Cama...
Model/Actriz share new single ‘Winnipesaukee’
Brooklyn-based experimental group Model/Actriz are known for their genre-blending sound that incorporates elements of post-punk, noise rock, and electronic music, gaining recognition for their innovative approach.Earlier this year, Model/Actriz captivated audiences with their debut album, Dogsbody, blending relentless noise with frontman...
Colleen announces new double LP; listen to 'Subterranean (Movements I-II-III)'
French artist Cécile Schott, aka Colleen, is fearless when it comes to her willingness to explore new ways of expressing herself as a solo performer. Now, she announces Le jour et la nuit du réel: her first double LP and the follow-up to the glistening ambient pop of 2021's The Tunnel and the Clearing. Le jour et la...
MIKE teams up with Wiki and The Alchemist for collaborative album 'Faith Is A Rock'
Aged only 24, MIKE's demeanor, voice, rhyme technique and release schedule are that of a veteran. Following his latest solo album Beware of the Monkey and several guest verses - most recently on Sentry by Earl Sweatshirt and Alchemist - the New York City rapper now joins forces with Wiki and legendary producer the Alchemist once again for...
Joanna Sternberg shares new single 'Neighbors'
New York City singer-songwriter Joanna Sternberg is having a stellar 2023 so far. Earlier this year, their second album ‘I’ve Got Me’ was showered with praise for its personal and openhearted character. Now, the artists releases their new single 'Neighbors' via Fat Possum Records. 'Neighbors' was recorded at Sternberg&r...
Slauson Malone 1 releases new album 'EXCELSIOR'
Slauson Malone 1 is the musical project and performance piece of artist Jasper Marsalis. With this project he explores the intersections of popular music and performance art. Following two critically acclaimed prior releases — 2019’s A Quiet Farwell, 2016-2018 (Crater Speak) and 2020’s Vergangenheitsbewältigung (Crater Speak), he now releases his new album EXCELSIOR via Warp Records.
LA Timpa dives into his catalogue for Crack Magazine
Ahead of his performance at Le Guess Who? 2023, Nigeria-born, Canada-raised producer and musician LA Timpa dives into his catalogue for Crack Magazine and curates a playlist with a selection of powerful, woozy and spectral tracks that resonate with where he is at currently. "Sort of an unofficial or perhaps pre-mature 'Best Of' collectio...
MHYSA shares new album 'Release Control'
MHYSA is the underground popstar alter ego of multidisciplinary artist E. Jane. In her experimental club tracks, she channels the legacies of Black women icons into visions of utopias. Born in Maryland, E. Jane was enamored with singing form an early age, performing at church and school. Since 2015, they has been developing the perf...
Armand Hammer release new album ‘We Buy Diabetic Test Strips’
New York rap virtuosos billy woods and ELUCID, collectively known as Armand Hammer, are back with their much-anticipated album, We Buy Diabetic Test Strips. This release serves as a follow-up to their 2021 cult hit Haram, produced by the Alchemist. Listeners can also expect some familiar sounds of Le Guess Who?, as the duo has invited th...
Le Guess Who? & U? present Sydney Lowell
Sydney Lowell is a creative spirit, human, artist and entrepreneur from Amsterdam. She mainly operates as a poet, but recently started incorporating music and movement into her creative practice. Next to that, she’s a teacher, voice actor, host, and co-founder/producer of creative platforms We The People and 2PHRASE. Sydney sees...
Nusantara Beat announce second EP ‘Kota Bandung / Layung’
Nusantara Beat is an Amsterdam-based six-piece, consisting of members of EUT, Altın Gün, Jungle By Night, POM and Surf Aid-Kit. Through Swiss label Les Disques Bongo Joe and Indonesian label La Munai Records (who are also one of our COSMOS Embassies this year), they now announce the release of their second EP, on which they breathe n...
Lost Girls (Jenny Hval & Håvard Volden) release new album 'Selvutsletter'
Lost Girls, the Norwegian duo made up of former LGW curator Jenny Hval and Håvard Volden, released their sensual debut LP Menneskekollektivet in 2021, which was named one of the year’s best releases by Pitchfork, The FADER, Brooklyn Vegan, Paste, and more. Now, they return with their second album Selvutsletter, released throug...
Lee Gamble shares new album 'Models'
Lee Gamble creates genre-agnostic music. Across his discography - now spanning over a decade -, he has incorporated amongst others dub, garage, and jungle, bleeding into grindcore metal and machine-strength techno. Now, the UK-based musician, composer, producer, and label-head returns with his new album 'Models'.
The album, mastered by LGW23 curator Heba Kadry, features a suite of illusory anthems, subliming vulnerable, half-remembered fragments of dream pop, Soundcloud rap and trance in the process. Featuring cybernetic voices singing in an almost wordless language, these widescreen memories reverberate across the last few decades of pop history, smudging Elizabeth Frazer's surreal poetry into disembodied diva cries and Lil Uzi Vert's abstract, AutoTuned mumbles. Tune in below.
Ana Frango Elétrico releases new album 'Me Chama De Gato Que Eu Sou Sua'
Ana Frango Elétrico has been hailed as an indie wunderkind and "the most effervescent and innovative voice to surge up from Brazil’s new wave". Their 2019 album, Little Electric Chicken Heart, garnered plural accolades and even a Latin Grammy nomination; now, they releases their third and most confident album to date: Me Chama De Gato Que Eu Sou Sua / Call Me They That I’m Yours.
The album hints to a tradition of Brazilian boogie music, but also adds flourishes of modern pop sensibilities. As the Rio artist also mentions: seventies drums with eighties processing, funk-inflected R&B, art pop, cinematic chanson with lush strings and indie slacker Mac Demarco as well as nods to LGW23 curator Stereolab all grace the album. Listen below.
The Quietus talk to Stereolab about their curation at LGW23
Anglo-French avant-pop group Stereolab have been hailed as one of the most influential and fiercely independent groups of the 90s. Their curation at Le Guess Who? 2023 features a.o. UK’s noted electronic artist James Holden; Nigerien Tuareg musician Bombino; composer and organist Kali Malone together with cellist Lucy Railton and gu...
ZULI shares 'Komy' EP
The work of multi-talented sound artist Ahmed El Ghazoly (also known as ZULI) has spilled over Cairo's borders onto the rest of the world, garnering support from the likes of Aphex Twin and Autechre. The Egyptian producer now returns with his newest EP, Komy. The EP features Haykal, Dakn, Cocktail Party Effect, and Maoupa Mazzocche...
Photo series: Sophie Nzayisenga by Serrah Galos
This year, Le Guess Who? presents the fourth edition of Hidden Musics, a project that focuses on deeply localized music and features artists embedded in rich, often centuries-old musical traditions that have been developed with little or no outside influences. The first series was initiated in 2019 by Le Guess Who? in collaboration with Chris Eckman (Glitterbeat Records) and GRAMMY Award-winning producer Ian Brennan.
This year, Le Guess Who? is bringing the Sophie Nzayisenga, the master of the inanga from Rwanda, to Utrecht as part of Hidden Musics.
Photography by Serrah Galos
Photo series: The Good Ones by Marilena Umuhoza Delli
This year, Le Guess Who? presents the fourth edition of Hidden Musics, a project that focuses on deeply localized music and features artists embedded in rich, often centuries-old musical traditions that have been developed with little or no outside influences. The first series was initiated in 2019 by Le Guess Who? in collaboration with Chris Eckman (Glitterbeat Records) and GRAMMY Award-winning producer Ian Brennan.
This year Le Guess Who? is bringing The Good Ones, an accomplished group known for their soulful melodies from Rwanda, to Utrecht as part of Hidden Musics.
Photography by Marilena Umuhoza Delli
Photo series: Rəhman Məmmədli by Azad Alizade & Sitara Ibrahimbayli
This year, Le Guess Who? presents the fourth edition of Hidden Musics, a project that focuses on deeply localized music and features artists embedded in rich, often centuries-old musical traditions that have been developed with little or no outside influences. The first series was initiated in 2019 by Le Guess Who? in collaboration with Chris Eckman (Glitterbeat Records) and GRAMMY Award-winning producer Ian Brennan.
This year, Le Guess Who? is bringing Rəhman Məmmədli, a seasoned guitarist from Azerbaijan, to Utrecht as part of Hidden Musics.
Photography by Azad Alizade & Sitara Ibrahimbayli
Photo series: Pankisi Ensemble by Dmitrii Zverev
This year, Le Guess Who? presents the fourth edition of Hidden Musics, a project that focuses on deeply localized music and features artists embedded in rich, often centuries-old musical traditions that have been developed with little or no outside influences. The first series was initiated in 2019 by Le Guess Who? in collaboration with Chris Eckman (Glitterbeat Records) and GRAMMY Award-winning producer Ian Brennan.
This year, Le Guess Who? is bringing the Pankisi Ensemble, a traditional music group from Georgia, to Utrecht as part of Hidden Musics.
Photography by Dmitrii Zverev
Bombino releases new album 'Sahel'
Despite being raised on Hendrix and Knopfler, Omara 'Bombino' Moctar breathes new life onto his strings with the mission to earnestly share the beauty of Tuareg culture with others. The first-ever GRAMMY-nominated artist from Niger was raised amidst governmental violence and persecution, and the force of resistance is brought out in each...
Photo series: Ustad Noor Bakhsh by Asa Wahag
This year, Le Guess Who? presents the fourth edition of Hidden Musics, a project that focuses on deeply localized music and features artists embedded in rich, often centuries-old musical traditions that have been developed with little or no outside influences. The first series was initiated in 2019 by Le Guess Who? in collaboration with C...
Library Card shares new single 'Cognitive Dissonance'
Rotterdam-based post-punk outfit Library Card effortlessly distinguishes itself within the city's already rich guitar music scene. The band's latest single, Cognitive Dissonance, perfectly encapsulates the essence of post-punk: angular guitar riffs, angsty spoken-word vocals, and an undeniable, incendiary charisma. Library Card comprises...
Efterklang - Live at Le Guess Who? 2019
Whether it’s the early, more electronic-driven beginnings or excavating field recordings at an abandoned settlement in the Arctic Circle, Danish pop adventurers Efterklang express boundless enthusiasm with each radical new undertaking. The band performed on the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2019, following the release of their new...
Aldous Harding - Live at Le Guess Who? 2019
Following the release of her latest album ‘Designer’ last year, New Zealand songwriter Aldous Harding performed at Le Guess Who? 2019, becoming one of the audience’s highlights of the 13th edition of the festival. The show rendered instrumentation and voice into the most vivid and impressionistic of scenes. Harding&...
Oiseaux-Tempête & Friends - Live at Le Guess Who? 2019
Oiseaux-Tempête & Friends gave an overwhelming and immersive performance at Le Guess Who? 2019, joined on stage by G.W. Sok (King Champion Sounds, formerly The Ex), Jessica Moss (Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band), Mondkopf and Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem In My Heart, also LGW17 curator). Oiseaux-...
Listen: Mala collaborates with Joe-Armon Jones and Nubya Garcia on new track 'Scratch & Erase'
Responsible for some of dubstep’s most iconic cuts, DJ, producer and label owner Mala is now part of a select group of producers taking it to thrilling forward-thinking pastures. His newest track is a collaboration with Joe-Armon Jones and Nubya Garcia. 'Scratch & Erase' is part of the compilation album 'Unti...
Haco collaborates with Takako Minekawa, Dustin Wong and Tarnovski on 'Kannazuki'
Japanese musician and sound artist Haco has released a new collaborative ambient piece with Japanese composer and musician Takako Minekawa, former Ponytail guitarist Dustin Wong and the Czech experimental artist Tarnovski. The track, entitled 'Kannazuki', is a live recording of the collaborative, one-off improvisational show of...
Listen: Prison Religion releases 2 tracks from upcoming album: '70 Mg' & 'Metal Mouth'
Richmond, Virginia-based collage-rap/noise duo Prison Religion show that the heaviest of music is often-times economical and raw in its execution. Following the release of their 2018 EP 'O Fucc Im On The Wrong Planet', the group is set to release their new album 'BEACHHEAD' in July. The new album is characterized by "an avant-club me...
Leila Bordreuil releases debut album 'Headflush'
Brooklyn-based, French cellist, composer and sound artist Leila Bordreuil has released her debut album 'Headflush'. The album was recorded in a single afternoon in Brooklyn and comprises a collection of unprocessed amplified cello works, exploring the limits of tonal perception. As a result of Bordreuil's aim to challenge convention...
Listen to French sound sculptor Félicia Atkinson's new album 'The Flower And The Vessel'
Today, Shelter Press just releases Félicia Atkinson's new album 'The Flower And The Vessel'. The French experimental composer and poet was partly influenced by the French classical pieces that shaped her childhood, including Maurice Ravel's 'L'enfant et les sortilèges', Debussy's 'La Mer', and Erik Satie's 'Gymnop&...
ZONAL (Kevin Martin & Justin Broadrick) announces debut LP, shares 2 tracks
ZONAL is the collaborative noise, dub and industrial project of Le Guess Who? 2019 curator Kevin Richard Martin (The Bug, King Midas Sound) and Justin Broadrick (Godflesh, JK Flesh). The group now announces their debut full-length album, to be released this fall via Relapse Records. The first two tracks; 'Cage Version' and 'No Versio...
Lolina (aka Inga Copeland) releases new album 'Who is experimental music?'
UK hybrid pop and stripped-down techno artist Lolina (aka Inga Copeland) has released a new album called 'Who is experimental music?' It features six new tracks of warped grooves and vocal loops and is the follow-up to Lolina's live album 'Live In Geneva', that was released in February. 'Who Is Experimental Music?' both embodies and...
Listen to Richard Youngs' new album 'Foot Songs'
Glaswegian singer, guitarist, improviser, and experimentalist Richard Youngs has always been a super-productive musician, with over twenty releases over the last two years alone. Now, he adds the new album 'Foot Songs' to the collection, which is released through his own label No Fans Records. In January 2019, Youngs also released...
Read The Vinyl Factory's story about how Dur-Dur Band defined Somali funk
Somalia's legendary Dur-Dur Band played a major role in the 1980s nightlife of the capital Mogadishu. After reissues by Awesome Tapes From Africa and Analog Africa, Dur-Dur Band's mix of vibrant funk and traditional Somalian rhythms earned renewed recognition globally. The Vinyl Factory's longread tells the story about how the Somalian C...
Los Pirañas announce new album 'Historia Natural'
Los Pirañas have announced their new album 'Historia Natural', to be released 11 October via Glitterbeat Records. It's the third album of the Colombian band featuring Eblis Alvarez (Meridian Brothers), Mario Galeano (Frente Cumbiero, Ondatropica) and Pedro Ojeda (Romperayo, Frente Cumbiero). 'Historia Natural' was recorded li...
Line Up 2019
Le Guess Who? 2019 Line-up Le Guess Who? 2019 featured programs curated by Jenny Hval, Fatoumata Diawara, Iris van Herpen & Salvador Breed, Moon Duo, Patrick Higgins and The Bug. View the full line-up via the link below. LE GUESS WHO? 2019 LINE-UP
Listen: Gruff Rhys talks new album 'Pang' & celebrates 20 years of 'Guerrilla' on 'Kyle Meredith with...'
Welsh artist Gruff Rhys might be best known as frontman of Super Furry Animals, though his solo records and side projects are just as brilliant, both on a sonic and conceptual level. On the latest episode of Consequence of Sound's 'Kyle Meredith with...', Rhys discusses his new album 'Pang': an album sang entirely in Welsh,...
Listen to DJ Firmeza's new track 'Intenso', from upcoming EP 'Ardeu'
Free-spirited Portuguese artist DJ Firmeza brings a blend of styles to the table. His music is rhythmically complex, insanely energetic and conjures a percussion-laced hybrid of Angolan dance workouts with penetrative house music. Now, he has announced his return to Príncipe Discos with a new EP 'Ardeu'. The EP...
Coucou Chloe discusses music & fashion for Crack Magazine's 'Aesthetic'
Coucou Chloe's malformed take on pop music is as mind-melting as it is urgent, ripping the elements of hip-hop, industrial, sampling and electro-pop asunder. The French artist and producer is also the co-founder of burgeoning label/collective NUXXE, and some of the tracks released via the label have also found their way onto fashion week...
Djrum returns to R&S with double a-side of "Ambient-Gabber"
Felix Manuel, also known as Djrum, takes elements from different musical sources and composes tracks that adhere to their own unique internal logic. His ears are attuned to the spontaneity of jazz while his production chops create original compositions out of a wellspring of samples, textures and beats. That's why he is widely acknow...
Le Guess Who? 2020 Press archive
The Netherlands 3voor12: Dit zijn de vijftig belangrijkste festivals van Nederland3voor12: Le Guess Who? slaat 2020 over3voor12: Beverly Glenn-Copeland blijft onverstoorbaar hoopvol3voor12: Le Guess Who? organiseert fysiek en online evenement3voor12: Le Guess Who? maakt volledige line-up LGW OFF bekend3voor12: Alternatie...
YĪN YĪN celebrate release of new album 'The Rabbit That Hunts Tigers' at LGW19; listen to first single 'Pingpxng'
Using South East Asian music from the 60s and 70s as their main inspiration, Dutch psych/funk group YĪN YĪN combines these influences with disco, funk, and electronic music for a blend that they like to call "Thaichedelic". After two remarkable singles released through Bongo Joe Records, they now announce their new album 'T...
Mary Lattimore releases stirring new 15-minute song 'Quintana'
Los Angeles-based harpist Mary Lattimore is having a creative streak the last couple of years. Last year, she released her critically acclaimed album 'Hundred of Days', and back in March she teamed up with Mac McCaughan on the collaborative LP 'New Rain Duets'. Now, she releases a stirring and wondrous 15-minute compostion...
Donato Dozzy announces sound installation album '12H' on Lorenzo Senni’s Presto!? Records
Donato Dozzy has a rare ability to work his way into peoples’ minds in both contemporary and classical settings. Now, the Spazio Disponibile boss will debut on Lorenzo Senni’s Presto!? Records with a two-hour-long album titled '12H', due out on October 25. The music is a summary of the material that...
Listen to Ami Dang's folkloric & transcendental album 'Parted Plains'
Ami Dang takes her listeners to higher states of mind through meditative sounds. The Baltimore ambient musician fuses sitar, voice, and electronics to create east-meets-west transcendental music. On her latest solo record 'Parted Plains', she draws inspiration from South Asian and Middle Eastern folkloric narratives. Dang c...
Listen to Italia 90's frenzied post-punk on new track 'An Episode'
South London's four-piece Italia 90 returns with the release of 2019 'An Episode': a fierce post-punk track and the first single from their upcoming EP, 'Italia 90 III', which will be out later this year. The distinctive vocal is paired with frenzied and textured guitar work, propulsive percussion and a distorted and dogged...
Listen to a unique collaboration between Ahmed Ag Kaedy and Marjo Smolander on new single 'Tenere'
Tuareg guitarist Ahmed Ag Kaedy has released a new single called 'Tenere' in collaboration with Finnish musician Marjo Smolander. Marjo plays the Finnish traditional instrument Kantele and together with Kaedy's enchanting guitar playing, the sounds blend together as one. Even if you can't understand the words they're both singin...
Kevin Richard Martin (The Bug) & Hatis Noit share exclusive track ahead of their live premiere at LGW19
The Wire Magazine shares an exclusive collaborative track from Le Guess Who? curator Kevin Richard Martin (The Bug) and Japanese voice artist Hatis Noit, entitled 'After The Storm'. Listen to the track and read a statement about the duo's collaborative project here on The Wire's website. To receive a free download of t...
The New Yorker picks Etran de L'Aïr's cellphone-recorded 'No. 1' as album of the year
Etran de L'Aïr are a wedding band based in the town of Agadez, an urban center of the desert, and a city renowned for the production of music – in particular the electric guitar and the so-called “desert blues”. The name Etran de L'Aïr translates to “the Stars of the Aïr,” the mountainous regi...
Listen to the gleaming optimistic sound of Y-Bayani & Baby Naa on their album ‘Nsie Nsie’
Y-Bayani & Baby Naa And The Band of Enlightenment, Reason & Love is a collaborative project between musicians Yussef Hussain (Y-Bayani), Naomi Addy (Baby Naa), Josie Coppola and Max Weissenfeldt (Philophon Records). Straddling the realms of reggae and Ghana’s Highlife movement into an innovative, cinematic sound that is...
John Dwyer's Osees release remix album 'Panther Rotate'
With 2020 - finally - coming to an end, John Dwyer's Osees manage to squeeze in one more release: 'Panther Rotate' is a remix version of their album 'Protean Threat', which was released in September. The album is out today; stream it below. KEXP offer an exclusive interview with John Dwyer, in which he talks about Osees’s insp...
Listen: Black Country, New Road release debut album 'For the first time'
The enigmatic seven-piece band Black Country, New Road have released their long anticipated debut album 'For the first time'. It was recorded with Andy Savours (My Bloody Valentine) and is released via Ninja Tune. In anticipation of the album release, The Quietus spoke to four of the members about what really...
Lucrecia Dalt releases outtakes from latest album 'No era sólida'
Following the release of 'No era sólida' last September, Lucrecia Dalt's latest album, the Colombia-born, Berlin-based experimental producer and sound artist now releases six outtakes from the album via RVNG, which she herself describes "a selection of the unselected." Among the six remixed tracks is one called 'Gt', whi...
Alabaster dePlume covers Arthur Russell and Jaimie Branch for Lagniappe Sessions
Jazz musician and poet Alabaster dePlume has recorded three covers for The Lagniappe Sessions, for which LA audio journal Aquarium Drunkard asks musicians to pay tribute to some of their favorite artists. The session includes covers of 'A Little Lost' by the late avant-pop artist Arthur Russell, friend and contempora...
Phil Elverum's The Microphones announce 'Foghorn Tape' LP featuring "100% background noise"
Following his impressive 'Microphones in 2020' LP last year, Phil Elverum has announced the next release under his moniker of The Microphones, entitled 'Foghorn Tape'. In Phil's own words: "Literally just the noisy fuzzed out tape loop of a “fog horn” (actually a distant pitch-bent bass) that plays through-out the backgro...
Alabaster dePlume shares new instrumental song 'Bean', available via Bandcamp for 24 hours only
Today, Friday 5 March, is Bandcamp Friday again, meaning the platform waives its fess in order to help artists and labels impacted by the pandemic. Jazz musician, songwriter and poet Alabaster dePlume takes the occasion to release the beautiful new instrumental track 'Bean' that is only available via his Bandcamp page for 2...
Listen: Model Home release collaborative album with Saint Abdullah
Washington-based experimental hip-hop duo Model Home have released a new collaborative album with Iranian dub duo Saint Abdullah. 'Invasive Inclinations' is described as a meeting of forces from "two similar planets in different galaxies but interchangeably habitable". The album was recorded in one day at Pioneer Works Center F...
Listen: Pink Siifu releases NEGRO DELUXE
Rapper and producer Pink Siifu's has become known for his mercurial talent for intersecting styles and culture. Last year, Pink Siifu released 'NEGRO', an album that employs influences from Sun Ra, Bad Brains and the late great Ras G to materialize a firebrand, revolutionary assault on police brutality and racism. Now, the rapper an...
Black Country, New Road share stripped back, acoustic version of 'Track X'
Following the release of their debut album 'For the first time' earlier this year, the enigmatic Black Country, New Road now display a new, more intimate side of the band with a stripped back and acoustic version of their single 'Track X', retitled into 'Track X (Guest)'. Listen below. "This version is where the lyri...
Watch a stunning live session with Alabaster dePlume at Oxford's Covered Market, presented by Upcycled Sounds
Composer, saxophonist, and storyteller/poet Alabaster dePlume will be Le Guess Who? 2021’s Artist in Residence this November. Now, Upcycled Sounds in collaboration with OCM presents a beautiful and intimate session with the group, captured at Oxford's Covered Market, in which they perform a composition based on the poem 'B...
Pa Salieu teams up with slowthai for new single 'Glidin'
Gambian-British grime/hip-hop artist and BBC Sound of 2021 winner Pa Salieu is one of the most exciting new voices in Britain’s flourishing hip-hop scene. Following the release of his celebrated 'Send Them to Coventry' last year, Pa Salieu now teams up with UK rapper slowthai to deliver the new single 'Glidin'. Watc...
Kenya's Duma, curated by Phil Elverum for LGW21, release new single 'Cannis/Mbukinya' via Sub Pop
Duma's Martin Khanja (aka Lord Spike Heart) and Sam Karugo are figureheads of the flourishing Nairobi underground metal scene. After releasing an overwhelming debut album last year through Uganda's Nyege Nyege Tapes, the duo now return with new single 'Cannis/Mbukinya' for Sub Pop's Singles Club. Listen to both songs via the emb...
Listen: Earth Girl Helen Brown release 'Earth' EP, featuring members of OSEES, Black Dice, and Total Control
Earth Girl Helen Brown Center For Planetary Intelligence Band (or E.G.H.B.C.P.F.I.B) is an inclusive, expansive, non-discriminatory communicative platform with a primary objective of directing and energy and capital toward organizations and causes committed to longevity, peace, popular intelligence, responsib...
Lori Goldston releases collaborative album with Dylan Carlson (Earth)
Besides lending her bow and fingers to a vast number of musicians and bands (including Nirvana) over the years, Lori Goldston has created a name for herself with her varied solo discography, in which she replicates her influences, from folk to jazz. Now, the experimental cello player and composer collaborates with Earth's Dylan Carls...
COSMOS Embassy: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
In partnership with V2X. About V2XV2X represents a new generation of Vietnamese creatives shaping their own identities. Operating as an independent media company on the intersection of art, music, culture, V2X highlights creative communities from all corners of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Their work curating emerging cultures in today's m...
LGW21 curator Lucrecia Dalt & Aaron Dilloway (Wolf Eyes) release collaborative album 'Lucy & Aaron'
Following the release of 'Field Recordings in the forest of Colombia' last year, experimental producers and sound artists Lucrecia Dalt & Aaron Dilloway now release their new collaborative album called 'Lucy & Aaron'. The duo met each other 10 years ago at a festival and have been fans of each other ever since. 'Lucy &a...
Argentinian "giant of musique concrète" Beatriz Ferreyra, curated by Lucrecia Dalt for LGW21, releases new album 'Canto+'
Beatriz Ferreyra is an 84-year-old composer and sound artist from Argentina, currently living in Hameau de Hodeng, France. Recently dubbed a "giant of musique concrète" by Pitchfork, Ferreyra has now released her new album 'Canto+' via Room40, the follow-up to last year's 'Echos+'. The album collects five pieces...
COSMOS Embassy Mix Vol. 1: Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective (HCMC, Vietnam)
Embassy Mix Vol. 1:Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective (HCMC, Vietnam) This year, COSMOS once again proudly partners up with acts, institutions, and collectives from around the globe. The 2023 Embassies are located in Vietnam, Australia, Indonesia, Canada, Greece, UAE, Peru and Ghana. In order to introduce the amazing talents behind these coll...
Listen: Pink Siifu releases new album 'GUMBO'!'
Rapper and producer Pink Siifu has released new album 'GUMBO'!', the follow-up to his 2020 release 'NEGRO' (which got expanded to 'NEGRO DELUXE' earlier this year). 'GUMBO'!' features guest appearances from a.o. Georgia Anne Muldrow, Bbymutha, Nick Hakim, Liv.e, and Maxo. Production comes from a.o. the Alchemist, Monte Boo...
Irreversible Entanglements, curated by Matana Roberts for LGW21, announce new album + share video for 'Open The Gates'
Irreversible Entanglements is a jazz collective from Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, DC, who have successfully cultivated jazz and associated Black music through a gripping form of avant-garde and free jazz. The group have just announced their new album 'Open The Gates', which will be a split release between the labels Internation...
Listen: Tara Clerkin Trio announce 'In Spring' EP and release title track
Bristol-based group Tara Clerkin Trio have announced the new EP 'In Spring', to be released October 1st. It is the second release by the experimental trio that draws from jazz, folk, modern composition, trip hop and downtempo electronica, yet evading all of those categorisations. The EP's title track was released alre...
COSMOS Embassy Film: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
In partnership with V2X Mag V2X represents a new generation of Vietnamese creatives shaping their own identities. Operating as an independent media company on the intersection of art, music, culture, V2X highlights creative communities from all corners of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Their work curating emerging cultures in today's metamod...
Listen: Lyra Pramuk releases 'Delta', a new take on a traditional remix album
Last year, Lyra Pramuk, a Berlin-based futurist folk musician, released her debut album 'Fountain'. The album was arranged entirely from the sound of her own voice, inspired by the collective ecstasy found in Berlin raves. Now, Pramuk releases an equally impressive work. 'Delta' is a new take on a traditional remix album and a...
Revealing the full line-up for Le Guess Who? 2021 with 70 new program additions
Le Guess Who? exists to bring people together through art and music, and despite the uncertainty of the times we have continued to work toward that end. Some things might change, and some things will change, but we have put together a festival for 2021 that we are extremely proud of, and will bring it to you in whatever form possible.&nbs...
Listen: Gambian-British rapper Pa Salieu releases new EP 'Afrikan Rebel'
Following his recent collaboration with slowthai called 'Glidin', Gambia-born, Coventry-based rapper and BBC Sound of 2021 winner Pa Salieu is back with a new, three-song EP titled 'Afrikan Rebel'. This latest EP features guest appearances from Nigerian artists Tay Iwar, Zlatan and Obongjayar. Listen to 'Afrikan Rebel' below. The Face al...
Listen: FLOHIO releases new single 'Whiplash'
Followiung the release of her mixtape 'No Panic No Pain' back in November, FLOHIO is now back with a new, one-off single called 'Whiplash'. The UK based, Lagos-born rapper wrote on her Instagram, “I can’t lie this is gonna be nuts. I love you and I’m proud we are in this together. Friday I’ll drop somethi...
Boss of Brussels rap Zwangere Guy releases new single 'FAMILIE BOVEN ALLES' with rap crew STIKSTOF
Zwangere Guy is renowned for his honest lyricism and compelling live shows. His unshakeable conviction, found all over his rhymes and delivery, led him to quickly be considered 'the boss of Brussels rap'. Now, together with rap crew STIKSTOF, Zwangere Guy releases 'FAMILIE BOVEN ALLES' (featuring Dutch rapper Sticks), the title...
Listen: spiritual soul sensation Gabriels release new single 'Blame'
With their last record 'Love and Hate in a Different Time', released earlier this year, neo-soul sensation Gabriels seek to address hate, hardship and war, but most of all how to push through. The album received praise from the likes of Elton John, Gilles Peterson, and Virgil Abloh. The group, featuring vocalist Jacob Lusk ...
Niger's Etran de L'Aïr share new single 'Toubouk Ine Chihoussay'
Hailing from the town of Agadez, which is known as “the gateway to the desert”, Etran de L’Aïr capture the pulse of everyday life at weddings, baptisms, political events, outdoor soirees alike. In 2020, The New Yorker's Amanda Petrusich picked the group's 'No. 1' as her favorite album of t...
Listen to multidisciplinary artist Lucinda Chua's exclusive mix for Bleep
Utilizing little more than her voice, a cello and an array of effects, South London multidisciplinary artist Lucinda Chua composes ambient pop songs that feel both intimate and colossal. Earlier this year, Lucinda Chua released her beguiling 'Antidotes 2' EP, "a haunting four-song set of slow-burning ambient chamber-pop, w...
Listen to 'Space 1.8', Caribbean-Belgian composer & harpist Nala Sinephro's cathartic debut album for Warp Records
Nala Sinephro is a composer, producer, and musician of Caribbean and Belgian origin, whose music is a blend of jazz, folk, field recordings, and meditative sounds. She recently released her debut album 'Space 1.8' via Warp Records. Hailed as 'Best New Music' by Pitchfork, the outlet describes the album as "a benchmark in ambient jazz feat...
Listen: LA-based songwriter Shannon Lay releases new album 'Geist'
Shannon Lay has already released an array of critically acclaimed solo records which were praised for their poetic lyrics, ingenious songwriting and commanding vocals. Now, she adds her new album 'Geist' to the catalogue: an album with tender intensity and of ethereal beauty. Lay first recorded vocals and guitar at Jarvis Tavinere...
Black Country, New Road announce new album 'Ants From Up There' + share first single 'Chaos Space Marine'
Over the last months, Black Country, New Road have become a steadfast live sensation with their mixture of post-punk, ashen Slint-like minimalism and pastoral dark folk leanings. Following the release of their debut album earlier this year, the group now already announce the follow-up: 'Ants From Up There' will be released February 4 via...
Watch: experimental hip-hop duo Model Home release video for 'Night Break'
Model Home is a hip-hop formation from Washington D.C. Instigated by rapper NAPPYNAPPA and producer Pat Cain, the duo is known for their experiments in liberated sound. On November 5th, the group will release their new album 'both feet en th infinite' via Don Giovanni Records. Completed in just two days and designed with live perfo...
Music for when the sun goes down: 'Under the Liliac Sky' by Arushi Jain
Arushi Jain, a Brooklyn-based singer, producer, NTS radio host, and engineer, has made waves with her music by combining North Indian ragas with an unconventional vision of a centuries-old tradition. Jain was raised on Hindustani classical music, but while studying engineering and coding, she discovered modular synthesis. On her debut al...
Klein announces new album 'Harmattan'; watch the video for 'Hope Dealers'
South London musician, composer and multi-disciplinary artist Klein's work sounds delightfully disheveled - ghostly R&B tracks not meant for the world to listen to. Next month, she'll return with 'Harmattan', her newest album, to be released November 19th via Pentatone. Klein wrote, produced, performed, and mixed the album hers...
Jessica Moss announces new album 'Phosphenes'; listen to first track 'Contemplation II'
Jessica Moss, a violinist and composer based in Montreal, will release her new album 'Phosphenes' (the phenomenon of seeing light without light entering the eye) on November 19th. Moss began her music career in 2014 and currently has four albums under her belt. She uses violin and vocal to create music that are inspired by Middle Eastern...
Listen: Cate Le Bon, The Notwist, Kate NV & more rework the music of Aksak Maboul on 'Redrawn Figures 1'
For over forty years, Belgian avant-garde group Aksak Maboul has been mixing and deconstructing genres to continuously re-invent themselves. In 2020, the group reappeared from a long hiatus with 'Figures', a double album hailed by critics as ambitious and mischievous. Now, the band release 'Redrawn Figures 1': an album of reworks, remixe...
Bertie Marshall releases new compilation 'Exhibit' featuring songs, spoken word, and poetry from the 80s & 90s
In the early 1980s, Bertie Marshall was the frontman for post-punk boundary-pushers Behaviour Red, a group that fed off sound experimentation, tribal drumming, searing vocals, and guitar feedback. In 1983, the group broke up, but Bertie continued sketching out atmospheric compositions, leading to his solo debut in the 1990s. Here, Bertie'...
Niger's desert blues group Etran de L’Aïr announce new album 'Agadez'; listen to 'Adounia'
Etran de L'Aïr, the best of Saharan rock, has been in the game for 25 years. They're well-known for their hypnotic sound and sun-bleached melodies. This family band of brothers and cousins shared a common ancestry; in the shadow of the grand mosque, Etran's members are all the sons of nomadic families who settled in Agadez's small ne...
Listen: Maria Reis, curated by Animal Collective for LGW22, releases new EP 'Benefício da Dúvida'
Last year, Maria Reis released 'A Flor da Urtiga', a beautiful EP produced by Animal Collective's Noah Lennox, aka Panda Bear. Now, the Lisbon-based artist returns with 'Benefício da Dúvida' (or 'Benefit of the Doubt'), her newest EP. The project’s title mirrors the artist’s openness to give into risk and to be...
Listen: Catalan's Marina Herlop, curated by Animal Collective for LGW22, releases new album 'Pripyat'
Conservatory trained composer, vocalist, and pianist Marina Herlop has been releasing music since 2016. Now, she has releases 'Pripyat', her first album released via PAN, the label also known for releasing records by Pan Daijing, Eartheater, Arca, and others. With 'Pripyat' Marina Herlop's production applies the same approach of ch...
Listen to Tampa rap duo They Hate Change's new LP 'Finally, New'; curated by clipping. for LGW22
Tampa's They Hate Change is a project born out of the duo's more-than-encyclopedic sonic knowledge. In between East Coast hip-hop influences and hyperlocal bass-music leanings, Dre and Vonne bond over their omnivorous appreciation of everything from grime to emo. The duo recently released their new album 'Finally, New' via Jagjaguwar to...
Listen: Kinshasa's KOKOKO! release new EP 'Elongi na Elongi'
Hailing from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the collective of KOKOKO! was born from radical youth protest. Known for rewiring and up-cycling materials such as metal, cans, engine parts, and plastic containers, the group provide the perfect soundtrack for the Congolese city’s harsh, yet explosively creative, reality. KO...
Oakland-born writer, MC, and producer Nappy Nina shares new single 'Amen'
While Nappy Nina previously made appearances on Yaeji, Quelle Chris, and Son Lux's music, her characteristic breezy flow has led her to conquer stages worldwide in her own right. For her Le Guess Who? performance, she will be joined by DJ Stas THEE Boss. Now, the Oakland-born writer, MC, and producer releases her new song, produced...
Listen to voice artist Hatis Noit's new album 'Aura'
Hatis Noit's musical awakening took place at the tender age of sixteen during a trek to Buddha's birthplace in Nepal. One morning when staying at a women’s temple she came across a female monk singing Buddhist chants whose otherworldly sounds moved her so intensely that she was instantly aware of the visceral power of the human voic...
Goat celebrate 10th Anniversary of debut album 'World Music' with limited edition remastered LP
Ever since the release of their debut album 'World Music' in 2012, Swedish psych/fusion group Goat remain a mystery and ghostly presence on the music scene. However, shortly after the release of the album, public and critical praise quickly caught up with them, with Happy Mag naming the record one of the greatest psychedelic rock albums o...
Listen: LGW22 curators clipping. release new remix EP 'CLBBNG Vol. 1'
West Coast-based hip-hop trio clipping. have refined their horror-inspired sound through multiple acclaimed releases over the years. In November, they will not only take the stage at Le Guess Who?, but they have also put together a personal and eclectic program for the festival ranging from rap to noise, from footwork to doom. ...
Tokyo-based hip-hop trio Dos Monos share epic collaborative track with Japanese novelist Yasutaka Tsutsui
‘Dos City’, Tokyo-based hip-hop trio Dos Monos’ 2019 debut album which balanced jazz and hyperactive verse spitting, became an introduction to the group’s uncompromised and intense sound. As we wrote in the trio's biography: "a certain promise of more purely original cacophony to come." Now, Dos Monos share a new...
Coby Sey, part of LGW22 curators CURL, releases debut album 'Conduit' + shares Sunday Mix for Crack Magazine
South East London producer, vocalist and DJ Coby Sey excitingly intersects contemporary club, DIY-art, and music production. After performing at Le Guess Who? in 2017, he now returns as part of the London collective & guest curators CURL, together with Mica Levi and Brother May. This week, Coby Sey released his debut album 'Con...
Listen: composer Flore Laurentienne announces new album 'Volume II' and shares the first single
Flore Laurentienne announces the release of his new album 'Volume II' and shares the first single 'Navigation IV'. With this single, the composer reveals the mood and concept of the new album. Flore Laurentienne is the project of Canada-based composer Mathieu David Gagnon. His score-like string compositions meet analog synthesizers in an...
Listen to Copenhagen-based composer and viola player Astrid Sonne's new song 'How Far'
In Astrid Sonne's music, electronic experiments coexist with baroque approaches, and there is space for improvisation amongst composition. Following her album 'Ephemeral Camera Feed' which was released earlier this year, Astrid Sonne now releases her new song 'How Far' as part of The Hearing Experience, a new series of singles from Londo...
Congolese-Canadian musician & songwriter Pierre Kwenders wins 2022 Polaris Music Prize
The 2022 edition of the Polaris Music Prize, an organization that "annually honours and rewards artists who produce Canadian music albums of distinction", has declared Pierre Kwenders’ latest album ‘José Louis and the Paradox of Love’ to be Canada’s album of the year. Pierre Kwenders, the stage name of Jos&...
Read/listen: The Face interviews Nia Archives, "the red-hot jungle producer taking over the UK's dancefloors"
Nia Archives is bent on taking space in jungle as a young black woman, representing her Jamaican roots - and succeeding, becoming one of the most talked-about newcomers to the jungle scene. In March, she released her 'Forbidden Feelingz' EP, with the title track becoming a future classic. In that same month, she won the NME Award for Best...
Read via Bandcamp: "Five Ainu Artists Revitalizing Indigenous Japanese Music", featuring LGW22 artist OKI
OKI's identity, as a part of Japan’s northernmost indigenous people, is central to his person and his art. His music, as heard on this year’s ‘Tonkori in the moonlight’, celebrates Ainu folk - while blending it with reggae, dub, throat singing, and Irish, African, and Central Asian tradition. Now, Bandcamp h...
"Champion of an obscure Ainu lyre": Read Songlines' feature on OKI
As a part of Japan’s northernmost indigenous people, OKI celebrates Ainu folk, while blending it with reggae, dub, throat singing, and Irish, African, and Central Asian tradition. Songlines recently featured the artist in their magazine, focusing on the tonkori, the rare lyre instrument traditionally played by the Ainu, and h...
Watch OSEES perform 'Turned Out Light' live at LGW21 + listen to Bent Arcana's full set at the festival
Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, visual artist and record label owner John Dwyer was one of the curators for Le Guess Who? 2021, presenting his personal program with inspirations and fellow like-minded artists. As part of the curation, Dwyer also performed twice himself on the final day of the festival: first with jam-loving c...
Listen: Sonos Radio speaks to Phil Elverum ahead of his curation & performance at LGW21
Ahead of his curation & performance with the Microphones at Le Guess Who? 2021, Phil Elverum spoke to Sonos Radio's Elia Einhorn about his pursuit of existential meaning via art, the unfairness of the streaming economy, and his desire to always be doing something new. In the interview, Elverum also revealed his plans to release a care...
LGW x SPEAK present: UK hip-hop/grime artist Pa Salieu introduced by Hannah Johnson
Le Guess Who? is proud to welcome both artists and visitors of many different nationalities to Utrecht each year. In collaboration with SPEAK, we started a new video series in which Utrechters with foreign roots introduce an artist on the Le Guess Who? 2021 line-up from their country. SPEAK connects locals, newcomers and migrants i...
LGW x SPEAK present: Dutch jazz musician Ronald Langestraat introduced by Renee Telkamp
Le Guess Who? is proud to welcome both artists and visitors of many different nationalities to Utrecht each year. In collaboration with SPEAK, we started a new video series in which Utrechters introduce an artist on the Le Guess Who? 2021 line-up from their country. SPEAK connects locals, newcomers and migrants in the city of Utrecht, b...
Watch Romani singer Mónika Lakatos in session at Festival Imaterial, captured by Vincent Moon
Mónika Lakatos was born in Budapest to an Olah Gypsy family, and it was her family and community who taught her to sing. In 1996, she became the first Romani singer to win Hungary's most popular talent show. With her powerful vibrato, both polished and gruff, she continues to collect accolades as an ambassador for her community&rsq...
LGW x SPEAK present: Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab introduced by Zainab Jamal & Tauqeer Raza
Le Guess Who? is proud to welcome both artists and visitors of many different nationalities to Utrecht each year. In collaboration with SPEAK, we started a new video series in which Utrechters with foreign roots introduce an artist on the Le Guess Who? 2021 line-up from their country. SPEAK connects locals, newcomers and migrants i...
LGW x SPEAK present: Colombian musician Julián Mayorga introduced by Carlos Tapias & Camila Duarte
Le Guess Who? is proud to welcome both artists and visitors of many different nationalities to Utrecht each year. In collaboration with SPEAK, we started a new video series in which Utrechters with foreign roots introduce an artist on the Le Guess Who? 2021 line-up from their country. SPEAK connects locals, newcomers and migrants i...
LGW x SPEAK present: Japanese composer Midori Takada introduced by Risa Arai
Le Guess Who? is proud to welcome both artists and visitors of many different nationalities to Utrecht each year. In collaboration with SPEAK, we started a new video series in which Utrechters with foreign roots introduce an artist on the Le Guess Who? 2021 line-up from their country. SPEAK connects locals, newcomers and migra...
LGW x SPEAK present: Brazilian songwriter Sessa introduced by Carlos Santos
Le Guess Who? is proud to welcome both artists and visitors of many different nationalities to Utrecht each year. In collaboration with SPEAK, we started a new video series in which Utrechters with foreign roots introduce an artist on the Le Guess Who? 2021 line-up from their country. SPEAK connects locals, newcomers and migra...
Read via The Quietus: which records would Aksak Maboul seek out at the Mega Record & CD Fair?
We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...
Damon Locks discusses Black Monument Ensemble's 'NOW' with Nombuso Mathibela for PAM
Pan African Music (PAM)'s contributor Nombuso Mathibela had the opportunity to interview Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble about their latest album, 'NOW', which features Erica Rene, Tramaine Parker, Richie Parks, Phillip Armstrong, Eric Tre’von, Monique Golding, and Angel Bat David (clarinet) and Ben LeMar Gay (cornet and me...
Read: "the crowning glory of Coventry"; PAM meets up with Pa Salieu
In an interview with LGW partners Pan African Music (PAM), Pa Salieu, a Coventry-based rapper and the king of UK-rap talks about his debut album, the history of Coventry, initial and current inspirations, and more. At just 24 years old, Pa has successfully collaborated with big names like Jorja Smith and FKA Twigs. He also dippe...
Read via The Quietus: which records would Ghalia Benali seek out at the Mega Record & CD Fair?
We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...
Introducing Siti Muharam, the 'golden voice of Zanzibar' & great granddaughter of taarab legend Siti Binti Saad
Zanzibar singer Siti Muharam, the great granddaughter of famed taarab singer Siti Binti Saad, brings a modern twist to taarab on her debut album ‘Siti of Unguja'. Her show at Le Guess Who? 2021 will mark her first ever European performance. Taarab is a popular music genre in Tanzania and Kenya, combining musical elements from A...
Read via The Quietus: which records would Vanishing Twin seek out at the Mega Record & CD Fair?
We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...
LGW x SPEAK present: Egyptian ensemble Mazaher introduced by Ahmed Mostafa
Le Guess Who? is proud to welcome both artists and visitors of many different nationalities to Utrecht each year. In collaboration with SPEAK, we started a new video series in which Utrechters with foreign roots introduce an artist on the Le Guess Who? 2021 line-up from their country. SPEAK connects locals, newcomers and migra...
Premiere: Old Time Relijun share video for 'Break Through', from upcoming album 'Musicking'
After more than a decade of silence, we're absolutely thrilled to announce the return of Old Time Relijun, "one of the most distinctive and feral rock groups", in the words of The Stranger. Headed by the idiosyncratic Arrington de Dionyso, the group is celebrated for their raw and life-affirming songwriting. After qui...
Read via The Quietus: which records would Ana Roxanne seek out at the Mega Record & CD Fair?
We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...
Attend online: Hidden Musics artists Etran de L’Aïr, live in Agadez, filmed in classic Agadez wedding style
Etran de L'Aïr, which translates to the Stars of the Aïr, is a music group based in Agadez, Northern Niger. Agadez is famous for its music production as well as the one-of-a-kind "desert blues." The group, founded in 1995, is regarded as one of the longest-running and best-performing bands in Agadez. Today, September 3rd, you'l...
Brooklyn post-punk five-piece Gustaf share video for new single 'Best Behavior'
Brooklyn post-punk group Gustaf have generated quite the buzz for a band which hasn’t been around for more than a few years. On October 1st, the five-piece will release their long awaited debut album 'Audio Drag For Ego Slobs' via Royal Mountain Records. Following the release of first song 'Book' last month, Gust...
Read via The Quietus: which records would Duma seek out at the Mega Record & CD Fair?
We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...
Read via The Quietus: which records would Pink Siifu seek out at the Mega Record & CD Fair?
We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...
Introducing 'Hadret Ishq', Ghalia Benali's latest musical project
Tunisian-Belgian musician, poet, writer, actress and visual artist Ghalia Benali is known for engaging in various musical genres and has been acclaimed for defining contemporary Arab music. In November, she will present 'Hadret Ishq', her most recent musical project that she developed during the confinement. In an intervie...
Brooklyn's Gustaf, curated by John Dwyer for LGW21, release video for 'Book' from upcoming album
Gustaf are New York's 'hardest working…and most reliably fun bands' according to BrooklynVegan. Now the five-piece announce their new album 'Audio Drag For Ego Slobs', out October 1st via Royal Mountain Records. As a result of their magnetic live show, the band caught the attention of a.o. Beck (who had the band open...
Read via The Quietus: which records would Jean-Hervé Peron (Faust) seek out at the Mega Record & CD Fair?
We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...
Read via OkayAfrica: "Uganda's Authentically Plastic Finds Queer Sanctuary on the Dance Floor"
Never shying away from disrupting societal norms and expectations, visual artist and performer Authentically Plastic picks up inspiration from northern Ugandan rhythms, afro-futurism, techno and vogue to organize explosive queer raves, to produce industrial music, and to found the ANTI-MASS collective, which is dubbed a "no...
Read via The Quietus: which records would Matana Roberts seek out at the Mega Record & CD Fair?
We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...
Meet Spirit Fest: members of The Notwist and Tenniscoats offer delightful moments of nostalgia
Spirit Fest is an international dream collective of musicians spread across England, Germany, and Japan. The quintet is formed by Saya and Ueno, aka Tenniscoats; Markus Acher, best known as singer of The Notwist; Mat Fowler, who plays with Jam Money and Bons; and Cico Beck, who’s making music with Joasinho, Aloa Input, and The...
Watch: Tarta Relena release video for new single 'Las alamedas'
Catalan vocal duo Tarta Relena have released a new song called 'Las alamedas'; the first single of their new upcoming album 'Fiat Lux', with a release date for the album to be announced later. 'Las alamedas' was based on a poem by Spanish poet, writer, theater director and one of the key figures of the 20th-century Spanish lite...
Read via The Quietus: which records would Phil Elverum seek out at the Mega Record & CD Fair?
We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...
Vanishing Twin announce new album & share video for 'Big Moonlight (Ookii Gekkou)'
London's Vanishing Twin's mission is to ‘synthesize psychedelic traditions from around the globe’, inviting psych-jazz and psych-pop flavors from Europe to Southern America. Their previous records clearly signal a job well done, and later this year, they will follow-up with their new album 'Ookii Gekkou' (Japanese for Big Moon...
Read Pitchfork's interview with Arooj Aftab, "the Defiant Singer Who’s Reimagining Traditional South Asian Music for Today"
Performing at Le Guess Who? 2021 as part of her first ever European tour, the Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab, listed by NPR as one of the top 100 young songwriters, talks to Pitchfork for an in-depth interview about her new album 'Vulture Prince', her inspirations, family, and the journey to escape the obvious. Inspired by the wo...
Listen: L'Rain releases new album 'Fatigue' + read New York Times interview
Following the release of three excellent singles, Brooklyn born and bred experimentalist and multi-instrumentalist Taja Cheek, better known as L’Rain, releases her second album 'Fatigue'. This is an important record, asking some fundamental questions; how do we embody change? How do we enact it in the compa...
Watch Faust's Jean-Hervé Peron in conversation with Julian Brimmers for LGW ON
Recently, we revealed 46 new program additions for Le Guess Who? 2021, including Faust IV Live! as part of John Dwyer's curation at the festival. Now, we're sharing the video conversation that journalist and filmmaker Julian Brimmers had with Faust's Jean-Hervé Peron last November for our online TV channel LGW ON. In th...
Read via The Quietus: which records would Black Country, New Road seek out at the Mega Record & CD Fair?
We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...
Watch Lucrecia Dalt & Aaron Dilloway's new video for 'Bordeándola'
Lucrecia Dalt & Aaron Dilloway (Wolf Eyes) will present their collaboration live at Le Guess Who? this year. The artists started exchanging ideas after appearing on a bill together in Toronto, some time after their first meeting at a festival ten years ago. The sound artists will release their new album 'Lucy & Aaron' i...
Watch: KeiyaA features in Solange's Saint Heron's short film 'Passage'
Neo-soul sensation, singer and producer KeiyaA stars in Solange's Saint Heron's 'Passage', a short film created in collaboration with avant-garde collective Standing on the Corner. The short was recorded to celebrate the 2021 International Woolmark Prize, an award that honors fashion talents from around the world who showcase th...
Read: The Guardian talk to The Necks' Tony Buck about improvising and bypassing the brain onstage
After a highly impressive performance in 2015, we can't wait to have dynamic, improvisational trio The Necks back at Le Guess Who? this November. Founded in Australia in 1987, the group have been happily making music on the fringes for over three decades, working outside of conventions and allowing stories to unravel with painst...
Letters from musicians: Bant Mag. talk to Phil Elverum
As it’s been a whole year under the pandemic conditions, Bant Mag. reached out to a number of musicians to hear about their varying feelings, realities and experiences. Next up in this series is songwriter and LGW21 curator Phil Elverum of Mount Eerie and The Microphones, who discuss time restrictions for his creative processes...
Letters from musicians: Bant Mag. talk to Damon Locks
Ahead of his performance at Le Guess Who? 2021, Turkey's Bant Mag. talk to Chicago visual artist, musician and sound artist Damon Locks. The interview is part of their series 'Letters from musicians'; as it’s been a whole year under the pandemic conditions, they have reached out to a number of musicians to hear about their varying f...
Read Bant Mag.'s track by track interview with Black Country, New Road
Even with just limited material out, the enigmatic Black Country, New Road became a steadfast live sensation with their mixture of post-punk, ashen Slint-like minimalism and pastoral dark folk leanings. Ahead of their performance at Le Guess Who? 2021, Turkey's Bant Mag. did a track by track interview with the British ban...
Damon Locks' Black Monument Ensemble announce new album 'NOW'; watch the video for the title track
Originally conceived as a medium for Chicago-based multi-media artist/activist Damon Locks’s sample-based sound collage work, Black Monument Ensemble (BME) has evolved from a solo mission into a vibrant collective of artists, musicians, singers, and dancers making work with common goals of joy, compassion, and intention. Follo...
Watch: Conjunto Papa Upa releases video for 'Todo Parao'
Conjunto Papa Upa, the so-called Afro-Caribbean retro psychedelic rhythm machine of Venezuelan, Amsterdam-based musician Alex Figueira, has released a new video for 'Todo Parao'. His music, a quirky combination of lo-fi surf rock, funk, psychedelica and samba, resounds the street scenes of Figueira's salad days in Caracas. You can w...
Watch: Pink Siifu releases new short film 'NATION TYME!'
Rapper and producer Pink Siifu has released the short film 'NATION TYME!'. Apart from the song of the same name on his latest solo album 'NEGRO', the film also features new music. 'NATION TYME!' quotes 'It's Nation Time', an iconic poem of writer, teacher, poet and political activist Amiri Baraka. As Pink Siifu states, he...
Read Bandcamp's feature about São Paulo guitarist Kiko Dinucci
São Paolo-guitarist, producer and songsmith Kiko Dinucci has been exploring myriad sounds throughout his career. His latest solo album 'Rastilho' is built around his rhythmically fierce acoustic guitar playing. Bandcamp has published a feature exploring Dinucci's affinity with both post-punk and samba. The article d...
Listen to & watch video for Black Country, New Road's new song 'Track X'
London-based seven-piece band Black Country, New Road have released a new song from their upcoming debut LP 'For The First Time', to be released February 5th via Ninja Tune. Vocalist and guitarist Isaac Wood states that 'Track X' was first worked on back in 2018 but never made it to Black Country New Road's live performances. ...
Watch a video portrait of Egyptian Zar ensemble Mazaher
Mazaher are a small group of mostly women musicians and singers who play Zãr music: chanting songs and playing hypnotic polyrhythms traditionally used as a purification and exorcism ritual to help pacify and cleanse the human spirit. Zar practitioners have been stigmatized because of this exorcist tradition and the aim of...
Watch Black Country, New Road perform new songs on ARTE's 'Echoes' with Jehnny Beth
The enigmatic Black Country, New Road became a steadfast live sensation with their mixture of post-punk, ashen Slint-like minimalism and pastoral dark folk leanings. Recently, the band signed to the more electronic-driven Ninja Tune label, for the release of their debut album 'For The First Time' in early February. Recent...
Watch: Brazilian artist Sessa performs a sultry session at the iconic KEXP studio
One of the first acts announced for Le Guess Who? 2021 is the Brazilian singer-songwriter Sessa. His music, sung in Portuguese, resembles the sensual lyrics and melodic flourishes of Bossa Nova, in the vein of classic Brazilian artists like Caetano Veloso and Jobim. However, the music gets a deliberate minimalist treatment rarely found in...
Join the collaborative performance of Patricia Kaersenhout & Angel Bat Dawid; sign up now
Le Guess Who? and artist Jeanne van Heeswijk (of project Trainings for the Not-Yet) connected visual artist, activist, and womanist Patricia Kaersenhout with Chicago-based pianist, clarinetist and composer Angel Bat Dawid. Both women tap into the meaning and history of black life and experimental forms of radical self-care through various...
Read: Pan African Music interviews Ethiopian funk legend Ayalew Mesfin
Ethio-groove legend Ayalew Mesfin rebelled vigorously against Ethiopia’s dictatorial oppression of the 70s, which led to several months in jail and a prohibition to play music for 13 years. Last year, his compilation album Hasabe (My Worries) was released after his music had gone unheard for 40 years, and now, we celebrate Mesfin wi...
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley announces new album '11th Street, Sekondi', shares first single 'Black Woman'
Ghanaian saxophonist, singer and guitarist Gyedu-Blay Ambolley returns with a brand new album, entitled '11th Street, Sekondi', and now shares the first single 'Black Woman'. On the album, named after the area of West Ghana where he grew up, Ambolley looks back at the area and musical styles that shaped his life. '11th Street, Sekond...
Listen: pianist Conrad Tao releases new album 'American Rage'
Today, pianist and composer Conrad Tao releases his new album 'American Rage' via Warner Classics. The album features compositions by Frederic Rzewski, Julia Wolfe and Aaron Copland, and explores the roots of rebellion from the 1930s Harlan County labor disputes, through the trauma of 9/11, to the deep divisions of the present day. Conra...
Bremer/McCoy share insight in their songwriting process with 'Utopia' video
Jonathan Bremer and Morten McCoy are two Danish musicians knee-deep in many different endeavours, performing under the name Bremer/McCoy. On October 18, they duo released their new album 'Utopia' via David Byrne's Luaka Bop label. Now, the group release an accompanying video giving insight into their creative processes and their way of ma...
Listen: YĪN YĪN releases new album 'The Rabbit That Hunts Tigers'
Today, Dutch psych/funk group YĪN YĪN release their new album 'The Rabbit That Hunts Tigers' via Les Disques Bongo Joe. With South-East Asian music from the '60s and '70s as their main inspiration, the group brew a strange cocktail made of disco grooves, powerful “thaï beat” tunes and spacious synths. ...
Xylouris White share 'Tree Song' video & new song 'Black Sea' from upcoming album 'The Sisypheans'
Xylouris White is the alliance between Greek singer & lute player George Xylouris and drummer Jim White (Dirty Three). Xylouris White reconciles not only the tandem’s respective roots, but above all, a deep friendship forged in 25 years. Now, the group share 'Tree Song', the first single from their upcoming album...
Inlezen voor LGW19 met de Volkskrant: duik in de online special met o.a. Iris van Herpen, Ustad Saami, Dries Verhoeven en Holly Herndon
Inlezen voor Le Guess Who? 2019 kan nu ook dankzij de Volkskrant: zij bieden je een online special rondom het festival met verdieping bij het bijzondere programma dit jaar, met onder meer aanraders, recensies en interviews met artiesten. In het online dossier van de Volkskrant onder andere: een reportage over haute couture in Parijs...
Lees: The Daily Indie duikt in het universum van Le Guess Who?-curatoren Moon Duo
The Daily Indie sprak uitgebreid met Le Guess Who?-curatoren Ripley Johnson en Sanae Yamada, beter bekend als Moon Duo. The Daily Indie neemt een duik in het leven van het duo, hun muziek en hun curatorschap op het festival. Het duo bracht eind september hun zevende plaat 'Stars Are The Light' uit, geïnspireerd door disco, funk...
Listen: noise dissidents Lightning Bolt release loud, fun and abrasive new album 'Sonic Citadel'
More than two decades after Lightning Bolt's acclaimed self-titled LP, they still know how to pulverize and pummel listeners into submission with their deafening interpretation of noise rock music. Today, the Rhode Islanders release their seventh LP 'Sonic Citadel' via Thrill Jockey. Bassist Brian Gibson and drummer/vocalist Bri...
Listen: The Sweet Release of Death releases new album 'The Blissful Joy Of Living'
Today, Rotterdam's noise pop revisionists The Sweet Release Of Death make their much-anticipated return with third LP 'The Blissful Joy Of Living', out now via Subroutine Records. The album could be considered a playful counter-statement to their own name. Over the span of six songs, it offers an acute glimpse of a band mired in tota...
Watch Ghanaian duo Fokn Bois perform 'Brukutu' from their latest album 'Afrobeats LOL'
FOKN Bois are your quintessential agent provocateurs. Their music speaks truth to power and tackles issues that afflict humanity, including corruption, social inequality, religious exploitation and indiscipline. These are the linchpins of most of their musical or cinematic creations. In February, the Ghanaian duo released thei...
Aldous Harding shares hypnogogic new video for 'Zoo Eyes'
With her latest album 'Designer', Aldous Harding creates a strange, but inviting world where she operates according to her own baffling internal logic. On the album, she renders instrumentation and voice into the most vivid and impressionistic of scenes. Now, Harding shares a new hypnogogic video for new single 'Zoo Eyes'...
Lees: Zware Metalen interviewt Le Guess Who?-curator Kevin Richard Martin (The Bug)
Zware Metalen, het grootste e-zine in het Nederlandse taalgebied voor metalliefhebbers, sprak uitgebreid met Le Guess Who?-curator Kevin Richard Martin, beter bekend als The Bug. Het resultaat is een enerverend gesprek met een specifieke gedachte, aldus Zware Metalen: wat kunnen metalheads leren van Kevin's roekeloze a...
Watch: Efterklang debut new album 'Altid Sammen' live at the iconic Elbphilharmonie concert hall
Recently, Danish pop adventurers Efterklang released their fifth studio album 'Altid Sammen'. The day after the release, they debuted the record live in its entirety at the iconic Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg during this year’s Reeperbahn Festival. The trio was joined on stage by Øyunn on drums,...
Watch: Angel Bat Dawid shares very first video, for 'Impepho'
Spiritual jazz musician Angel Bat Dawid has shared her very first video, for the track 'Impepho'. It is directed by Chicago artist and filmmaker Amir George, and the track is part of her latest album 'The Oracle': a record where the vibrant, spiritual, free-jazz of black life as it stands today is documented. Angels' sound grows at t...
Listen to Girl Band's new album 'The Talkies'
Four years on from their acclaimed debut album 'Holding Hands With Jamie', Girl Band are back with 'The Talkies', out today via Rough Trade. This Irish wrecking crew has become one of the most fearsome live units of the decade thanks to their shredding and propulsive performances. 'The Talkies' is as devastating as it is ja...
Moon Duo release disco & groove-oriented album 'Stars Are The Light'
Today, psych/kraut mystics and Le Guess Who? 2019 curators Moon Duo release their new album 'Stars Are The Light' via Sacred Bones. Taking disco as its groove-oriented departure point, the album shimmers with elements of ’70s funk and ’90s rave. 'Stars Are The Light' is one large hallucinogenic, repetitive trip,...
Watch: Sudan Archives releases 'Confessions' video, from upcoming debut album 'Athena'
Violinist, singer, songwriter and producer Sudan Archives shared the first single from her upcoming debut album, now she follows up with a stunning video for 'Confessions', whose closing section also debuts portions of new song 'Black Vivaldi Sonata'. Both tracks are from her impending debut full length 'Athena', out 1 November via S...
Rotterdam's The Sweet Release of Death shares new single 'Sick Girl'
Rotterdam's beloved The Sweet Release of Death have announced their return with new album 'The Blissful Joy Of Living', out October 10th, via Subroutine Records. The album finds the band reaching for their core instincts, channeling the brimming energy of their live shows. You can now listen to new single 'Sick Girl', which is a...
Listen: Not Waving & Dark Mark album 'Downwelling'
Not Waving & Dark Mark is the blood pact between the ink-black, minimal productions of Alessio Natalizia and the smoke-suffused vocal drawl of alt-rock minstrel Mark Lanegan. Natalizia releases music through the minimal synth/post punk Not Waving moniker and is one half of the Kompakt techno ambient duo Walls whose self-titl...
See Tropical Fuck Storm transformed into a band of apes in new video 'The Happiest Guy Around'
Australia's Tropical Fuck Storm maps their own music from noise-rock and post-punk. This August, the band released their new album 'Braindrops' through Joyful Noise and now they share a new video for album track 'The Happiest Guy Around'. Directed by Glendon and Isabella, who are also known as 'the animators for the stars', we s...
Listen: Efterklang release new album 'Altid Sammen'
'Altid Sammen' is the fifth album from Danish pop adventurers Efterklang, marking their first release in seven years. It's a record full of sonic experimentation, which the trio are known for, and examines the relationships that connect us from nature to death and much more in between. 'Altid Sammen', out now via 4AD, is the t...
Zonal share title track of upcoming album 'Wrecked'
ZONAL has shared the title track to their forthcoming album 'Wrecked', which is out on 25 October via Relapse Records. ZONAL is the collaborative noise, dub and industrial project of Le Guess Who? 2019 curator Kevin Richard Martin (The Bug, King Midas Sound) and Justin Broadrick (Godflesh, JK Flesh). The album contains...
Listen to Kali Malone's minimalist organ drones on new album 'The Sacrificial Code'
Stockholm-based artist and organ tuner Kali Malone builds a truly remarkable synthesis of analog and electronic music, drawing in listeners with discernible warmth and timelessness. This year she debuted on iDEAL Recordings with a new album,'The Sacrificial Code'. The album goes into deeper, darker, and rawer territory with...
LGW19 curator Jenny Hval releases new album 'The Practice Of Love'
Jenny Hval’s output has been consistently evolving throughout the years. In her music, moments of melodic beauty light up like quivering candles within a pitch black solitude of sonic abstraction. Hval's new album, 'The Practice of Love', is no less ambitious and proves a thrilling exploration of Hval’s unique examination of t...
Listen: Efterklang shares new single 'Uden Ansigt'
The musical trademark of Danish trio Efterklang is a tapestry of acoustic and electronic elements. The group will release their new album 'Altid Sammen' on September 20th via 4AD; now, they share the third single from the album, titled 'Uden Ansigt'. 'Altid Sammen's songs are about belief and togetherness,' frontman Casper Clausen s...
Machinedrum & Jimmy Edgar are J-E-T-S; listen to their collaborative album 'Zoospa'
J-E-T-S released an EP in 2012 and another in 2015, each offering a handful of soul-inflected DayGlo house and techno tracks. Now, almost seven years after their inception, they’ve returned with their debut full-length 'Zoospa'. The album not only showcases the playfulness when it comes to incorporating different styles of genres in...
Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca shares video for 'AGGUA' from upcoming album 'YESUN'
The acclaimed Havana-born pianist Roberto Fonseca draws from a wide range of musical traditions and genres, including jazz, elements of classical music and Cuban's rich music traditions. He previously performed in the legendary Buena Vista Social Club and was handpicked by Herbie Hancock himself as his touring mate. Following t...
Girl Band release new track 'Salmon Of Knowledge'
Girl Band will release their sophomore album, 'The Talkies' on 27 September via Rough Trade. The Irish post-punk group already shared 'Shoulderblades' and 'Going Norway' from the record, now they are back with new track 'Salmon Of Knowledge'. The track is named after a creature from Irish mythology, and was once in the running for the tit...
Psych/kraut mystics Moon Duo share new single 'Eternal Shore' from upcoming album 'Stars Are The Light'
Oregon psych/kraut mystics and Le Guess Who? 2019 curators Moon Duo have risen up as one of the most intoxicating live acts of this decade, embracing everything from 80’s disco, occult literature, electronic music and film soundtracks, armed with a mountain of effect pedals, shreds of reverberations, hallucinating gui...
Oiseaux-Tempête share video for new single 'He Is Afraid And So Am I'
Oiseaux-Tempête will release their new album 'From Somewhere Invisible' on 18 October: a collaboration with former Le Guess Who? artists Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem In My Heart, also LGW17 curator) and Jessica Moss (Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band), as well as G.W. Sok (King Champion Sounds, for...
Afrofuturism & ancestral magic: PAPER interviews mystical duo OSHUN
Neo-soul/R&B/rap duo OSHUN channel the beat wizardry of J Dilla, the activism of Fela Kuti and the nonconformity of Sun Ra. With their music, the duo preach spirituality, rebirth, identity, unity and the blessings of Mother Earth with an Afrofuturistic center of gravity. Using digital and acoustic sounds, heavy drums...
Lightning Bolt announce new album 'Sonic Citadel'; listen to new music + watch the LGW video portrait
Rhode Island noise dissidents Lightning Bolt's shows are the stuff of myth and legend. When the group performed at Le Guess Who? in 2015, we spoke with Brian Gibson and Brian Chippendale backstage about distortion and masks, and captured their explosive live performance afterwards. Watch below: Now, the noise rock...
Efterklang shares video for new single 'I dine øjne', from upcoming album 'Altid Sammen'
The musical trademark of the Danish band Efterklang is a tapestry of acoustic and electronic elements. These Danish pop adventurers express boundless enthusiasm with each radical new undertaking. Now, the group have shared the video for their new single 'I dine øjne', featuring the astonishing Helena Christensen, who also worked th...
Sudan Archives announces debut album, shares first single 'Confessions'
Violinist, singer, songwriter and producer Sudan Archives is one of the most exciting and distinctive musicians working today. Her unique songs fold in elements of R&B, violin playing inspired by Northeast African fiddlers, West African rhythms, and experimental electronic music. Following last year's acclaimed 'Sink' EP,...
Watch: Yves Jarvis shares new video for 'Sugar Coated'
Montreal-based musician, producer and composer Yves Jarvis shares his new video for ‘Sugar Coated’, taken from his latest album ‘The Same But By Different Means’. Yves Jarvis is known for his auteur approach to music making; composing, performing, and recording everything on his albums himself, resulting in mu...
Stream: Tropical Fuck Storm release new album 'Braindrops'
Today, Tropical Fuck Storm release their new album 'Braindrops' through Joyful Noise. It is the sophomore full length LP from the Australian band featuring Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin, formerly of The Drones. If you appreciate the combination of chaotic guitars, grooving bass lines and fickle drum patterns, you are in for...
ZONAL release 'System Error' featuring Moor Mother, from upcoming album 'Wrecked'
ZONAL, aka Kevin Martin (The Bug) and Justin Broadrick (Godflesh, JK Flesh) release their first single 'System Error', featuring vocals by Moor Mother. The track is taken from their upcoming debut album 'Wrecked', which will be released on 25 October via Relapse Records. Besides 'System Error' the album contains several collaborations wit...
Listen: Föllakzoid releases new album 'I'
Today, Chilean cosmic group Föllakzoid releases new album 'I'. It is the fourth full-length album by Föllakzoid, described by the band as a multidimensional reconsideration of what the process of songwriting, performance, and creating a work of recorded music can be. To achieve this, the record was constructed ou...
Tropical Fuck Storm shares video for new song 'Who's My Eugene?'
Australia's Tropical Fuck Storm, with former The Drones members Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin, have released a new song and video from their upcoming album 'Braindrops'. 'Who's My Eugene?' is the third single from their new album, to be released 23 August via Joyful Noise/Flightless Records. You can watch a...
Read: The Quietus' introduction to Idris Ackamoor's spiritual jazz
Idris Ackamoor is saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, tap dancer, actor and artistic director of the Pyramids. As part of their 'The Strange World of...' series, The Quietus has published a long read featuring 10 tracks as "points of entry into his formidable body of work." In the article, Ackamoor himself talks about the late...
Video: watch Madlib meet his hero, Ethiopian legend Ayaléw Mesfin
As part of Madlib’s Medicine Show, Noisey recorded a video in which the producer, rapper and DJ - known for his work with Talib Kweli, J Dilla and MF Doom - meets one of his heroes he’s spent his career sampling and sourcing inspiration from: legendary Ethiopian funk artist Ayalew Mesfin. Mesfin’s music rebelled vigorou...
Watch Bbymutha's new video for 'SICK'
As one of the most refreshing role models and MCs to have emerged from the rap game, Tennessee-based MC and rapper Bbymutha debunks a lot of myths surrounding sex, motherhood and identity. Now, Bbymutha has released a dark new video for 'SICK', which was featured on last year's 'The Bastard Tape, Vol. 1'. In the video, she rec...
Listen: Petbrick (Wayne Adams & Iggor Cavelera) share 'Horse' from upcoming album 'I'
Starting out with the intention to "make horrible noise" as their first concept, Petbrick, the duo of Wayne Adams (Big Lad/Death Pedals/Johnny Broke) and Iggor Cavalera (Sepultura/Soulwax/Mixhell) have now arrived at a destination where they combine electronic experimentation, hardcore attitude, dystopian dread and in-the-red de...
Read Bandcamp's feature about Minyo Crusaders' Japanese folk music for the post-modern age
The 10-piece Japanese ensemble Minyo Crusaders breathes new life into traditional Japanese folk songs. The word 'Minyo' refers to these songs, that have mostly disappeared from everyday consciousness in 21st century Japan. On their new album 'Echoes of Japan', they merge the traditional minyo with Latin, African and Caribbean rhythms and...
Read Visible Cloaks' guide to 'serenitatem', their album with Yoshio Ojima and Satsuki Shibano
Portland duo Visible Cloaks recently released 'serenitatem', their collaborative album with Japanese musicians Yoshio Ojima and Satsuki Sibano as part of the long-running FRKWYS series from the New York label RVNG Intl. Originating from the exchange of MIDI-based musical ideas, this is music that blurs concepts be...
Watch: Yves Jarvis shares self-directed video for '360'
With his new album 'The Same But By Different Means', Montreal-based musician, producer, and composer Yves Jarvis is included in the 2019 Polaris Music Prize Long List. Consisting of a collection of suspenseful, gauzy post-R&B vignettes, Yves Jarvis is known for his auteur approach to music making, c...
"Angel Bat Dawid taps into the root of all black music": Chicago Reader discusses spiritual jazz album 'The Oracle'
At the age of 34, Chicago-based Angel Elmore quit her job selling high-end lingerie and pursued her childhood dream to become a musician. Now, as Angel Bat Dawid, she sings, composes, and plays keyboard and clarinet, which led to the release of her spiritual jazz album 'The Oracle' earlier this year. She recorded it over a period of more...
Moon Duo announce new album; share title track 'Stars Are The Light'
Psychedelic/krautrock mystics and LGW19 curators Moon Duo have risen up as one of the most intoxicating live acts of this decade. Now, the group announce their new album 'Stars Are The Light', to be released by Sacred Bones on 27 September and produced by Sonic Boom. The Oregon band’s trademark sound is as much acqu...
Explore Melissa Laveaux's Haitian roots and native folk spirituals in The Guardian interview
The work of Ottawa-born, Paris-based musician and singer Mélissa Laveaux brims with defiance, cheekiness, and pride, combining lost traditions with modern influences like psych rock, calypso, folk pop, and punk. In an interview with The Guardian, Laveaux talks about her third and most recent album 'Radyo Siw&e...
Honoring the life & work of Alice Coltrane with a participatory experience at LGW17
The Sai Anantam Ashram Singers - hailing from the Ashram that Alice Coltrane herself founded in LA - perform Coltrane’s ecstatic music which was recorded in seclusion inside the temple. It is th...
Meet Leonie Bos; this year's Le Guess Who? Illustrator
Besides the artwork and typography done yearly by Loudmouth Utrecht, Le Guess Who? each year invites a different illustrator to design the main festival images, which evolves during multiple line-up a...
Announcing the full line-up for Le Guess Who? 2017
The full line-up for Le Guess Who? is now revealed, with 60 acts completing the program - check out the full line-up here. The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda performed by...
James Holden added as curator + more new additions; day tickets on sale now
Electronic sound explorer James Holden is added as curator for Le Guess Who?, hosting multiple stages on Saturday, 11 November. Performing is Moroccan Gnawa musician Maâlem Houssam Guinia &...
Watch Perfume Genius perform 'Wreath' on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last night, Perfume Genius was a musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live on American television, performing No Shape's 'Wreath'. Two days before, Perfume Genius recorded a session for KCRW, performing a.o....
Le Guess Who? included in Pitchfork Festival Guide
Le Guess Who? 2017 is included in Pitchfork's new Guide to Upcoming Festivals. Their lineup highlights, besides our curators, are Pharoah Sanders, James Holden, Sun Kil Moon,...
"As a witch I believe in the magic that happens on stage": La Bruja de Texcoco interviewed by MusicMap
Octavia Mendoza Anario, aka La Bruja de Texcoco (‘The Witch of Texcoco’), reinvigorates the canon of Mexican folk by deviating from it. La Bruja recalibrated her classical teachings to create an astonishing tapestry of traditional Mexican music, baroque and jazz, playing various string instruments, percussion and harp. L...
"The Master Of The Forty Nine Notes": The Quietus publishes profile on Ustad Saami
Pakistan’s Ustad Saami is the last living khayál master, a precursor of the ancient, Islamic devotional music of qawwali. Even under threat of Islamic fundamentalists, the 75-year old master has spent his life as a dedicated practitioner of a vanishing art--one that has been passed on from generation to generation since the 1...
Gruff Rhys announces new album 'Pang!', shares title track
Welsh artist Gruff Rhys is best known as spearhead of perpetually wry pop oddballs Super Furry Animals, though his side projects and solo records are just as brilliant, both on a sonic and conceptual level. Now, Rhys announces his new solo album 'Pang!', to be released 13 September via Rough Trade and sung entirely in Welsh with a couple...
"Surfbort want to move you": Read Crack Magazine's interview with Brooklyn glam punkers
Brooklyn-based punk band Surfbort's supercharged vintage 80s glam punk sensibility is a potent and passionate vessel for addressing addiction, mental health and sexuality. Now, Crack Magazine publishes an interview with Lead singer Dani Miller, who explains how Surfbort originated, growing up, the release of their debut 'Friendship M...
Listen to Moon Duo's personal playlist for their curation at Le Guess Who? 2019
Le Guess Who? 2019 curators and Oregon psych/kraut mystics Moon Duo have personally put together a playlist for their curation at the festival, with their favorite tracks from each artist they have invited. The music of Moon Duo manifests like a moving painting, punishing and hypnotic at the same time. Recent years have seen t...
Playlist: explore Jenny Hval's curated program for LGW19
Norwegian multidisciplinary artist Jenny Hval is one of the curators for Le Guess Who? 2019. Hval will host her very own program at the upcoming edition of the festival, inviting a.o. Japanese musician and sound artist Haco; Canadian-born, Los Angeles-based ambient artist Sarah Davachi; French sound sculptor Felicia Atkinson; Glasweg...
Listen: Dutch-Croatian artist Eerie Wanda releases third album 'Internal Radio'
Released on September 23 via Joyful Noise, Eerie Wanda's new album 'Internal Radio' invites listeners to explore the mysteries of life, immerse themselves in (un)familiar emotional territories and experience the artist's inner world only to return reborn. Eerie Wanda is the indie pop solo project of Dutch-Croatian singer, songwriter and...
Listen: billy woods shares new album 'Church'
A perennial figure in the New York abstract hip-hop scene, billy woods has been defined by his association with Cannibal Ox's Vordul Mega and as half of both Super Chron Flight Brothers and Armand Hammer - but his solo releases have reshaped the genre just as much. Following the release of 'Aethiopes' earlier this year, billy woods...
Listen: Balochistan's Benju maestro Ustad Noor Bakhsh releases debut solo album ‘Jingul’
Ustad Noor Bakhsh, the Benju maestro from the Makran Coast of Balochistan, has just released his debut solo album 'Jingul'. Named after a bird that often visits Noor’s house and whose songs were the inspiration behind the last song of the release, 'Jingul' leaves listeners with a warm and tender feeling accompanied by hope and happi...
Watch: Rats on Rafts reveal new video for 'Second Born Child'
Rotterdam-based four-piece band Rats on Rafts release a new live track and video from 'Excerpts From Chapter 3 DELUXE'. An absorbing mix between choral elements, goosebump-inducing piano sounds and Rats on Rafts’ unique post-punk and modern lo-fi musical vocabulary, the single entitled ‘Second Born Child’ invites listene...
Watch: LGW22 curator Animal Collective in session for NPR's Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
Baltimore quartet Animal Collective has been reshaping the face of what is easiest to call indie rock since the dawn of the new century. Their return earlier this year with ‘Time Skiffs’, the band’s first album in more than half a decade, marked a true return to form. Recently, the group visited the Massachusetts...
Read: a personal introduction to Czech duo Irena & Vojtěch Havlovi's haunting music, by Pavel Klusák
Ever since they started working together in the mid-eighties, Czech artists Irena & Vojtěch Havlovi have traveled far and wide, crossing continents, cultures and mediums with styles of European classical music ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary. In the process, the duo made fans which include Sufjan Stevens, The National's...
Watch: Pan African Music meets Menzi and Turkana at Le Guess Who? 2021
During Le Guess Who? 2021, our media partner Pan African Music captured video portrait of DJ's Menzi and Turkana. Both artists performed at the Nyege Nyege Tapes present Hakuna Kulala Club Night at the festival. Durban native Menzi has been a steady presence in South African electronic music for a number of years. After producing f...
South African drummer & composer Tumi Mogorosi announces new album 'Group Theory: Black Music'; listen to 'The Fall'
*Update: the full 'Group Theory: Black Music' album is out now: Ever since his debut album 'Project Elo' in 2014, Tumi Mogorosi has built a reputation of being one of the most captivating young creatives in the South African scene, collaborating with Shabaka & the Ancestors along the way. This July, the Johannesburg-bas...
Listen to Belgian musician/composer Slumberland and Tuvan singer Sainkho Namtchylak perform 'Il Widna' at LGW21
Belgian musician, composer, and instrument maker Jochem Baelus aka Slumberland and experimental Tuvan singer Sainkho Namtchylak gave a collaborative performance during Le Guess Who? 2021 at Utrecht’s Jacobikerk. With Slumberland, Belgian musician, composer, and instrument maker Jochem Baelus creates hypnotic krautrock and post punk...
Nia Archives shares new single 'Baianá'
After receiving the NME Award for Best Producer earlier this year, and being featured as "the red-hot jungle producer taking over the UK's dancefloors", prodigious UK raver Nia Archives is back with new single 'Baianá'. Watch the video for 'Baianá' below. The samples the traditional Brazilian choir Barbatuques, Nia Archives...
Watch: Japanese ambient composer & sound designer Hinako Omori releases new video
Earlier this year, Hinako Omori released her new album, 'a journey...'. Now, the Yokohama-born, London-based electronic composer and sound designer releases a live video for 'The Richest Garden in your Memory' from the album. It was filmed at London's Omved Gardens, in collaboration with director Jessie Rodger. The video, as mysterious an...
Liv.e shares new track 'Ghost'
While Dallas-bred Liv.e might take cues from artists as diverse as Erykah Badu, DJ Screw, and Sun Ra, she mainly crafts her own idiosyncratic breed of lo-fi R&B. In the words of NME, she's 'R&B’s new avant-garde star who’s ‘tired of whispering.' That categorization is more true than ever on new track 'Ghost', he...
Listen: Rival Consoles preview upcoming album 'Now Is' with four new tracks
* Update: Rival Consoles' new album 'Now Is' is out now; stream it in full below. Throughout his critically acclaimed fifteen-year career, London-based producer Ryan Lee West aka Rival Consoles has continuously increased his drive to humanize sound. The mesmerizing and emotional sonic explorations that form the four new tracks lead...
Maral, curated by Animal Collective for LGW22, announces new album + shares first track 'Feedback Jam'
*Update: Maral has now released her album 'Ground Groove' in full; listen below: Ground Groove by Maral LA-based, Iranian-American DJ and producer, Maral, announces the release of her upcoming album ‘Ground Groove’ and shares one of the tracks entitled ‘Feedback Jam.’ Featuring captivating electric guitar and bas...
Listen/read: Flamenco innovator Lole Montoya: “I would not be able to sing something I’m not feeling”
Already at an early age, Lole Montoya decided that she wanted to dedicate her life to singing. But not only did she indeed become a singer, she also redefined the flamenco genre by bringing in new influences, genres and poetry. Her skill has been displayed across a long repertoire, which includes her work as part of the renowned duo Lole y Manuel, surely one of the most important musical duos in popular Spanish music.
This year, Lole Montoya gives a rare performance at Le Guess Who? as part of the Hidden Musics program. We asked Marina Herlop, a Barcelona-based musician, singer and sound artist, to give a personal introduction to Lole Montoya’s music, vision and in the end: to her life’s work.
Words & audio by Marina Herlop
Thanks to Natalia Brovedanni
AZEEMA speak to Esraa Warda about decolonising dance and reviving the rebellious roots of Rai
This year, Le Guess Who? has partnered with AZEEMA, a publication that explores women and non-binary folk within West Asia, North Africa and South Asia, diasporas and beyond. Leading up to the festival, Dalia Al-Dujaili talks to North African dancer and educator Esraa Warda. Exploring the artist's talent of decolonizing dance as well as r...
Listen: Dry Cleaning release new single 'Don't Press Me' from upcoming album 'Stumpwork'
*update: the band have now released their new album 'Stumpwork'. Stream below: Just a year after 'New Long Leg', which was filled to the brim with unheard-of snark, courtesy of vocalist Florence Shaw's quick-witted lyrics, London's Dry Cleaning have announced the follow-up to their debut album. 'Stumpwork' is out October 21 via 4AD. T...
Goat announce new album 'Oh Death'; listen to new track 'Under No Nation'
*Update: Goat have now released their new album 'Oh Death'. Stream below: Goat announce the release of their upcoming album ‘Oh Death’ and share one of the tracks entitled ‘Under No Nation.’ A fascinating blend between 70s funk and 80s post-punk, ‘Under No Nation’ transports listeners to a colourful,...
Listen: composer Flore Laurentienne released the second single from his upcoming album 'Volume II'
*Update: Flore Laurentienne has now released his new album 'Volume II' in full. Stream below: A brilliant mix between rich sound, romanticism and sublime experience, Flore Laurentienne's second single 'Voiles' from his new album 'Volume II' takes the listener on a thought-provoking voyage exploring the fascinating relationship between...
Interview: Jasper Willems speaks to Guatemalan composer Mabe Fratti for The Quietus
In an interview for The Quietus, Jasper Willems talks to Guatamala-born experimental cellist and composer Mabe Fratti. Following the release of her third album 'Se Ve Desde Aquí', Fratti opens up about the value of friendship in the creative process, how to get an authentic sound, and how to overcome your own artistic instincts. Re...
Listen: Idris Ackamoor releases avant-garde / Afro-jazz recordings from the 70s
From the archives of Idris Ackamoor comes the first ever vinyl release of Ackamoor's debut avant-garde / Afro-jazz recordings from 1971 with The Collective entitled 'Idrissa's Dream.' Released via Strut Records on double 12" LP and digital formats on November 4th 2022, 'Idrissa's Dream' is exactly what the title implies - dreamy and...
Interview: The Quietus speak to Baltimore quartet Horse Lords
In an interview for The Quietus, Jakub Knera speaks with Baltimore experimental rock quartet Horse Lords. Days before the release of their upcoming album 'Comradely Objects,' Horse Lords open up about their new record, politics and architecture in their music and how the pandemic changed the way they play. Read the full interview here, an...
Amsterdam-based indie rock crusaders Personal Trainer release new song 'Former Puppy'
*Update: Personal Trainer have released their debut album 'Big Love Blanket' in full, listen below: Big Love Blanket by Personal Trainer Just a week before Le Guess Who? 2022, Personal Trainer will release their debut album 'Big Love Blanket'. It's as euphoric, energetic and colorful as the band itself is, and to whet your appetite, the...
Baltimore experimental rock quartet Horse Lords announce new album + share video for 'Mess Mend'
*Update: Horse Lords have released their new album 'Comradely Objects' in full - listen below: Something special happened this year while we were working on this year's program: our guest curators Animal Collective and clipping. both had Baltimore experimental rock quartet Horse Lords on their wishlist to perform at the festival. Needl...
U?: Girls In Synthesis share new single 'Pulling Teeth', embodying their "new mission statement"
(Nederlandse tekst hieronder)Girls In Synthesis is a London-based post-punk and noise rock band that has been releasing records for 4 years and counting. With their DIY mentality they’re not afraid to experiment. You can now listen to their latest single ‘Pulling Teeth’.<a href="https://girlsinsynthesi...
Revealing the full program for freely accessible city festival U?
U? is our new initiative: a new, participative and freely accessible day program created for and with the city of Utrecht. U? presents many cultural activities in different neighborhoods throughout the city of Utrecht and will take place during Le Guess Who’s festival weekend, 11 – 14 November. Now, we reveal the full program...
Watch: Alabaster DePlume - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
Alabaster DePlume gave a special performance on the opening night of Le Guess Who?'s 15th Anniversary Edition, joined on stage by a.o. Jeff Parker (Tortoise) on guitar and Asher Gamedze on drums. Revisit the performance with our concert film, featuring ‘What’s Missing’, ‘Visit Croatia’, ‘Mrs Calamari&rs...
Watch Noori & His Dorpa Band live at LGW22 + read Pan African Music interview
Sudan's Noori & His Dorpa Band performed live at Le Guess Who? 2022, presented in collaboration with Ostinato Records. Below, you can relive the performance with our video of a part of the concert, as well as the audio of the full show, with a spirited introduction by Ostinato's Vik Sohonie before the band came on stage. Additionall...
Listen & relive: Rival Consoles at Le Guess Who? 2022
London-based producer Ryan Lee West, aka Rival Consoles, performed live at Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of the program curated by clipping., following the release of latest album ‘Now Is’. You can now listen to and relive the full performance below. AboutThroughout his critically acclaimed fifteen-year career, Rival Con...
Le Guess Who? presents international residency in Goa, India, as part of hybrid platform COSMOS
Le Guess Who? has always worked with a borderless and boundary-crossing ethos. It led the organization to create COSMOS: a hybrid (both online and offline) platform that promotes international collaboration. Via this platform, organizations and initiatives from around the world give an insight into their local cultural scenes through film...
Listen: Dreamcrusher releases 'Live at Le Guess Who? 2022' for Bandcamp Friday
Dreamcrusher, the project of multidisciplinary artist Luwayne Glass, performed live at Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of the program curated by clipping. You can now listen to his performance below, released via Dreamcrusher for Bandcamp Friday. Live at Le Guess Who? 2022 by DREAMCRUSHER AboutDreamcrusher began on Kansas-born, New Yor...
Listen & relive: The Brother Moves On live at Le Guess Who? 2022
The Brother Moves On, the captivating South-African ensemble famous for masterfully drawing from past, present and future, performed at Le Guess Who? 2022 following the release of '$/He Who Feeds You…Owns You' via Shabaka Hutchings' Native Rebel Recordings. You can now listen to & relive the full performance. AboutTher...
Listen & relive: Sarathy Korwar live at Le Guess Who? 2022
Sarathy Korwar performed live at Le Guess Who? 2022 on the night preceding the release of his new album 'KALAK'. You can now relive the full performance below, which includes tracks from that album, as well as 'Coolie', performed live together with Alabaster dePlume. AboutBorn in the US, Sarathy Korwar grew up in Ahmedabad and Ch...
The Quietus premiere intimate session with OKI captured in Utrecht by Vincent Moon
The Quietus have premiered an intimate session with OKI captured live in Utrecht by Vincent Moon during Le Guess Who? 2022, along with a Q&A with the artist. OKI performs 'Muysoka hanene' and 'Tonkori Monimahpo-Yaykatekar (Medley)' in the garden of Grand Hotel Karel V in Utrecht. Watch the session and read the Q&A here via The Qui...
Listen & relive: The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar live at Le Guess Who? 2022
The Master Musicians of Jajouka, led by Bachir Attar, performed live at the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of the Hidden Musics project following the release of their new album 'Dancing Under The Moon', released earlier in 2022 via Glitterbeat Records. You can listen to and relive the full performance below. About B...
Listen & relive: Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul live at Le Guess Who? 2022
Ghent-based duo Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul performed live at Le Guess Who? 2022 following the release of their acclaimed debut album 'Topical Dancer'. You can listen to & relive their performance with 3 tracks: 'Mantra', 'Ceci n'est pas un cliché', and 'Thank You'. About Cultural appropriation, misogyny, rac...
Listen: Rotterdam four-piece Lewsberg release new cassette 'Sweets'
For their upcoming tour, Rotterdam-based band Lewsberg has put together a unique, extremely limited cassette tape 'Sweets', featuring two new indie pop gems. To accompany the catchy 'Sweets' song, Lewsberg also pieced together a sweet, captivating DIY video that's assured to lift you up. While the track 'The Playground' offers list...
Watch: Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul release new spellbinding video for 'Mantra'
Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul are a Belgium-based duo famous for exploring topics such as cultural appropriation, racism and post-colonialism through their music. They prove themselves to be rare tale-tellers in electronic music, funneling the zeitgeist into playful synth concoctions. Now, the duo release a new kaleido...
Listen: Derya Yıldırım releases compelling new track 'Darıldım Darıldım'
As part of their upcoming EP 'Dost 2' out on November 11, Derya Yıldırım releases new track 'Darıldım Darıldım'. A compelling mix between traditional Anatolian sounds and warm beats, 'Darıldım Darıldım' leaves listeners in a unique state of trance, combined with an irresistible desire to dance the night away. Derya Yıldırım & G...
Watch: Kee Avil releases a new live performance video for 'HHHH'
Kee Avil is the one-woman project of the Canadian artist Vicky Mettler, celebrated for combining guitar, voice, electro acoustics and electronic production in an exciting and idiosyncratic way. Now, the Montreal-based producer and guitarist releases a new live performance video for the track 'HHHH' from of her debut LP 'Crease'. A fasci...
Listen: Muriel Grossmann releases new album 'Universal Code'
At the helm of her acclaimed Quartet, Muriel Grossmann creates beautiful, moving and engaging music that leaves its mark in the hearts and souls of listeners. Now, Muriel Grossmann releases her new album 'Universal Code', an album that successfully extends the spiritual jazz tradition in the 21st century. With Muriel Grossmann singing, R...
Watch the concert film of Mourning [A] BLKstar - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
Mourning [A] BLKstar performed live on the opening night of Le Guess Who?'s 15th Anniversary Edition in 2022. The collective, made up of musicians, writers, and multimedia artists, has a bountiful track record, amassing several releases under its belt since 2015. Their music is for both eulogies and revolutions, as they expand upon contem...
Listen & relive: Asher Gamedze live at Le Guess Who? 2022
Asher Gamedze is a cultural worker based in Cape Town, working mainly as a musician, writer, organizer and an educator. With his band, he performed live during the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2022. You can now listen to three tracks that the group performed live from their 'Dialectic Soul' album (2020): 'Eternality', 'Siyabulela...
Watch: clipping. - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022 concert film
During the 15th Anniversary Edition of Le Guess Who? in 2022, West Coast hip-hop trio clipping. performed live as part of their guest curation at the festival. We're thrilled to now share the concert film of the performance, with clipping. performing tracks from throughout their discography, including fan favorites such as ‘N...
Psych folk collective Maya Ongaku release debut LP 'Approach to Anima'
Hailing from the seaside communities surrounding Enoshima, a small island located 50 km southwest of Tokyo, Maya Ongaku is a collective of local musicians offering a transcending brand of earthy psychedelia. The group have just released their debut LP Approach to Anima via Guruguru Brain, the label founded by members of Kikagaku Moyo, wh...
MIKE shares new single 'Red Jacket 6'
New York City rapper MIKE releases new single ‘Red Jacket 6’, which he produced with DJ Blackpower, Tony Seltzer and RedLee. It is his first material since the release of last year's 'Beware Of The Monkey'. The new single arrives ahead of MIKE’s Young World festival. In July, the freely accessible festival returns t...
Watch Rose City Band perform live at KEXP
‘Porch music’, a term coined by acclaimed guitarist and vocalist Ripley Johnson (Wooden Shjips, Moon Duo), aptly describes his country psychedelic rock project Rose City Band. At first inspired by warmer months, Johnson has now embarked on a forever summer. Their new album, 'Garden Party', is said to be, &ldquo...
Listen: Raja Kirik release 'Phantasmagoria of Jathilan'
Raja Kirik is the Indonesian duo of Yennu Ariendra and J. Mo'ong Santoso Pribadi, two radical artists who draw on Java's rich cultural traditions and its history of struggle against colonial oppression to create music that surprises, challenges and educates in equal measure. Now, the group shares their new release: The Phantasmagor...
Watch: Dry Cleaning - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
London's Dry Cleaning performed live at Le Guess Who? 2022 following the release of their sophomore album, the John Parish-produced Stumpwork. You can now relive the performance with our concert film below. It features the Stumpwork-tracks No Decent Shoes For Rain, Don’t Press Me, Conservative Hell and Driver’s Story as well a...
Listen: Raja Kirik release 'Phantasmagoria of Jathilan'
Raja Kirik is the Indonesian duo of Yennu Ariendra and J. Mo'ong Santoso Pribadi, two radical artists who draw on Java's rich cultural traditions and its history of struggle against colonial oppression to create music that surprises, challenges and educates in equal measure. Now, the group shares their new release: The Phantasmagor...
Deena Abdelwahed announces new album 'Jbal Rrsas'
Deena Abdelwahed draws as much from clubbing as she does from the avant-garde scene. Since the release of her debut LP Khonnar, the DJ and producer has been showered with praise for the fine-drawn ways in which her work paints the diversity of Arabic music.
On 8 September, Abdelwahed will release her new album Jbal Rrsas, which she will present at Le Guess Who? 2023. It was produced as part of Consortium Commissions, an initiative set up to showcase emerging artists from the Arab world, run by Brussels-based NGO Mophradat.
None of the album's tracks will be released ahead of release due to a desire to present the record as one whole project. The album was mastered by Heba Kadry, who also curated her performance for Le Guess Who? 2023.
Listen to Sudan Archives' debut album 'Athena'
Today, violinist and vocalist Sudan Archives (Brittney Parks) releases her debut album 'Athena' via Stones Throw. The album is filled with deeply textured tracks that feel contemporary, groovy and powerful at the same time. Parks started to play violin at a young age, which she learned by playing in her local church choir...
Listen to Deena Abdelwahed’s new album ‘Jbal Rrsas’
Today, renowned Tunisian DJ and producer Deena Abdelwahed has unveiled her highly anticipated sophomore album, Jbal Rrsas, now available through InFiné Music. For this album, Abdelwahed has enlisted the help of producer and instrumentalist Khalil Hentati (aka Khalil Epi), composer and musicologist Khyam Allami and master...
Plague Organ - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
A nice surprise came our way recently. The sound engineer at De Helling during Le Guess Who? 2021 was able to capture the intense performance of Dutch outfit Plague Organ. Or at least, almost the entire performance: apparently the engineer was so overwhelmed upon the start of the show that he was about half a minute late with starting the...
Luaka Bop releases reissue of Pharoah Sanders' 1977 album 'Pharoah'
Released with Pharoah Sanders’ blessing, Luaka Bop now presents the definitive, remastered version of Pharoah, the trailblazing saxophonist’s seminal record from 1977. Misunderstood upon its release, the album has long been a holy grail and has been bootlegged for years. Featuring two previously unreleased live performances...
The Homesick unveils self-titled album
The Homesick, originating from the quaint Dutch town of Dokkum, is boldly entering their "weirdopop" era with their new self-titled album, released almost a decade after their first EP Television.Departing from their guitar-driven roots, the trio, comprising of Elias Elgersma, Jaap van der Velde, and Erik Woudwijk has been recognized...
Watch/Listen: French indie-pop band Keep Dancing Inc performs live at 3voor12 Radio
French indie-pop band Keep Dancing Inc debuts on Dutch Radio with a live-session at 3voor12 Radio.
EIGEN RISICO shares new single 'en mil piezas me partí'
Eigen Risico is the project from the multidisciplinary artist Héctor Garcia Martin also known as Hache. Initially formed as a collective where live art performance and music melted into an intense live show, Héctor now decided to go solo. He now shares his new single en mil piezas me partí. How to rebuild yourself af...
Listen/read: Pakistani qawwali singer Faiz Ali Faiz, by Arooj Aftab
This November, Le Guess Who? will feature a special performance by Pakistani qawwali singer Faiz Ali Faiz. Having been born to seven consecutive generations of qawwals (those who perform the ancient form of religious Sufi music from Pakistan and Northern India - Punjab - known as qawwali), Faiz Ali Faiz was raised on the practice.
After having performed at Le Guess Who? in 2021, we asked Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab, whose work is inspired by Sufi poets and musicians that came before her, to interview Faiz Ali Faiz. They talked about his background story, what music means to him, and about pushing the boundaries of what qawwali can be.
Words & audio by Arooj Aftab
Photography by Lucien Lung & Habib Hmima
Presenting the Film & Discourse Program for Le Guess Who? 2023
After last year's success of full rooms, beautiful films and interesting conversations, we are bringing the Film & Discourse Program back to Le Guess Who?. We are excited to present our full program and the partners we created it with. Film Program This year, Le Guess Who? once again collaborates with IDFA (International Documentary...
BITOI release debut EP
Following rave reviews of their debut performance at Intonal Festival, BITOI (Bass Is The Original Instrument) is steadily capturing the curiosity of audiences across the globe. Helmed by Cassius Lambert, BITOI have now unveiled their debut EP -O-. Joining Lambert is a choir composed of Alexandra Shabo, Anja Tietze Lahrmann, and Lise Kro...
Voice Actor release new album ‘Fake Sleep’
In October last year, the duo of Noa Kurzweil (Supertalented) and Levi Lanser (Ludittes) released their genre-defying three-and-a-half hour debut, Sent from my Telephone, under the moniker of Voice Actor. Now, the experimental pop duo shares what can be considered a condensed version of their debut. Consisting of 13 tracks chosen from th...
Watch: The Bug feat. Dis Fig, Flowdan & Logan - Live at Le Guess Who?
The Bug performed live as one of the closing acts of Le Guess Who? 2022, accompanied on stage by MC's Dis Fig, Flowdan and Logan to bring the buzzing energy found on The Bug's record to life. Relive part of the performance with our concert film below, featuring Fat Mac and Dirty/I Luv You (Freestyle) feat. Flowdan, Take feat. Dis Fig and...
U? presents first Utrecht residency with 45ACIDBABIES
(scroll naar beneden voor de Nederlandse tekst) U?, the freely accessible city program of Le Guess Who?, returns in 2023 for its third edition. The program of U? is created for, but especially with the city of Utrecht, to celebrate the city’s creativity in all its diversity. With U? we aim to let Utrecht residents come in contact...
Baby’s Berserk unveils self-titled debut album
(scroll naar beneden voor de Nederlandse tekst) Amsterdam dance-punk quartet Baby’s Berserk releases their self-titled debut album via Berlin’s Toy Tonics label. Drawing inspiration from the eighties' new wave and indie dance music, the album, composed by Mano Hollestelle, boasts highly associative lyrics from Puggy Beales a...
Le Guess Who? & U? present Khorshid Dadbeh
Khorshid Dadbeh is an Iranian instrumentalist, improviser and composer based in Rotterdam. She presents her music by performing Tanbour, Tar, and Setar. Tanbour music belongs to the category of mystic and Sufi music that has more than five thousand years of history behind it. She learned this music from the masters who formed a bridge between the tradition and new generations.
Photography by Juri Hiensch
Photo series: Naomi Velissariou by Rogier Boogaard
Naomi Velissariou is a Greek-Belgian stage director, writer, actor and performance artist. She is highly fascinated by the fluidity of identity and the way this is used in contemporary visual culture. Naomi will perform twice during U? 2023; on Saturday, 11 November, she will be a guest at Milan van Keulen's Luisterbar. In this 'bar',...
Pedro Ricardo releases new EP 'Dança de Rua'
For every record he spins, Pedro Ricardo takes on new challenges. The artist, who will be doing a DJ set at Le Guess Who?, relies on the strength of the grooves he plays, bringing forth a feeling of intense freedom to the dance floor through a selection of warm, inviting rhythms. Jazz-fusion, disco, and funk are to be expected, but house...
Read: Antipop Consortium are hip-hop's most notorious futurists
Coming up at the turn of the century, when underground rap was all about dusty loops and intricate battle rhymes, Antipop Consortium mixed an experimental, electronically charged sound palette with lyricism sharpened on the NY poetry scene. While they quickly summoned a cult following stateside, Europe’s alternative music circuit took note as well, leading them to releasing albums on London’s leftfield institutions Warp Records and Big Dada.
After a tumultuous career – including break ups and make ups, free jazz collabos, touring with Radiohead, and celebrated solo endeavors – the four members Beans, High Priest AKA HPrizm, M. Sayyid, and producer Earl Blaze finally regroup. At Le Guess Who? 2023, APC will perform their long-awaited comeback show – their first European gig since 2009. To learn more about what to expect from these hip-hop iconoclasts, we spoke with the group’s founding members Beans and High Priest.
Words by Julian Brimmers
Le Guess Who? & U? present Phantom Wizard
Phantom Wizard is an artist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist of Surinamese descent who is born and raised in the Dutch capital. He embarks on a deeply personal yet profoundly universal journey, punctuated by experimentation and improvisation. Nature, afrofuturism, jazz, and hip-hop have come together to form his ethereal work. He use...
Listen to African Head Charge live at Le Guess Who? 2023
African Head Charge performed live on the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2023 following the release of their new album 'A Trip To Bolgatanga'. You can now relive the performance with the full audio of the show, which is assured to put a smile on anyone's face. About'A bad attitude is like a flat tire - you can't go anywhere until...
Listen to Moin live at Le Guess Who? 2023, curated by Stereolab
London trio Moin, comprised of Raime’s Joe Andrews and Tom Halstead together with percussionist visionary Valentina Magaletti, performed live at Le Guess Who? 2023 as part of the program curated by Stereolab. You can now listen to and relive the full performance, featuring a previously unreleased track: "'Moin are subtly but br...
Watch: Tom Skinner pays homage to Abdul Wadud at Le Guess Who? 2023
Tom Skinner performed live at Le Guess Who? 2023 as part of the program curated by Stereolab, following the release of ‘Voices of Bishara’. Relive the magnificent show with our concert film, and listen to the full audio of performance, in which the group also pays homage to American cellist Abdul Wadud with interpretations o...
Photo series: Backxwash at LGW23 by Melanie Marsman
Rapper and producer Ashanti Mutinta, aka Backxwash gave a life-affirming performance at TivoliVredenburg's Ronda during Le Guess Who? 2023. Our residential photographer Melanie Marsman was present to capture some of the special moments, on stage as well as backstage. View the full photo series "Stark warnings of viewer discretion mark...
Listen: Pankisi Ensemble live at Le Guess Who? 2023
Georgia's Pankisi Ensemble performed live at Le Guess Who? 2023 as part of the Hidden Musics program. Now, you can relive this touching performance with the full audio of the show, recorded at Utrecht's Jacobikerk during the festival. AboutThe Pankisi Ensemble goes against the typical 'ethno-fusion' grain in two ways. First, by not res...
Listen to Le Cri du Caire's mesmerizing performance at Le Guess Who? 2023
One year ago, Le Cri du Caire released their hauntingly beautiful, self-tilted debut album. We are now thrilled to share the recording of their mesmerizing performance at Utrecht's Jacobikerk during Le Guess Who? 2023, where the group performed the majority of the album, as well as new material. AboutSinger, writer, poet, and expressio...
Photo series: The Harvest Time Project at LGW23 by Juri Hiensch
As one of the special projects of Le Guess Who? 2023, the festival celebrated the legacy of spiritual jazz icon Pharoah Sanders and his seminal composition, Harvest Time (1977). During the closing day of the festival, The Harvest Time Project: A Tribute to Pharoah Sanders brought together Irreversible Entanglements, Domenico Lancellotti,...
Watch: Stereolab live at Le Guess Who? 2023 concert film
Recently, we celebrated the 100th festival recording being included in our online recordings archive. Now, we are elated to share the concert film of Anglo-French avant-pop group and festival curators Stereolab live at Le Guess Who? 2023. Hailed as one of the most influential and fiercely independent groups of the 90s, Stereolab's influe...
Photo series: W.I.T.C.H. at LGW23 by Juri Hiensch
Once upon a time, W.I.T.C.H. ruled Zambia. In the seventies, they were the driving force behind the decade's 'zamrock' movement, blending traditional African rhythms with garage rock. In 2023, W.I.T.C.H. performed at Le Guess Who? following the release of their new album Zango, their first in nearly four decades. Our residential photogra...
Watch: Niño de Elche live at Le Guess Who? 2023
"This is flamenco punk", said Niño de Elche towards the end of his performance at Le Guess Who?. It's a fitting statement: the Spanish musician, who is also called a 'singer, poet and omnipresent master of ensorcelling souls' has been challenging conservative and picturesque perceptions of flamenco for over two decades. You can re...
Revealing the full program for U? 2023
(scroll naar beneden voor de Nederlandse tekst) U?, the freely accessible city program of Le Guess Who?, returns to Utrecht on 11 and 12 November 2023 for its third edition. This program is created for, but especially with Utrecht, to celebrate the city's creativity in all its diversity. Utrecht has an enormous variety of community cent...
Watch/listen: SANAM - Live at Le Guess Who? 2023
Lebanese free-rock, post-folk sextet SANAM performed live on the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2023, following the release of their debut album 'Aykathani Malakon'. Relive the performance with our concert film, and the audio recording of the show below: About SANAM's music is akin to a ritual, somewhere between a marriage and an exorc...
Watch Alan Sparhawk debut new songs at Le Guess Who? 2023
Last November, Alan Sparhawk returned to Europe to play some select solo shows, the first being a performance at Le Guess Who?. Three decades ago, Sparhawk co-founded the band Low alongside vocalist and drummer Mimi Parker, who sadly passed away in late 2022. Their music derived elemental power from its fearless exploration of quiet, ge...
Listen: MIKE live at Le Guess Who? 2023, curated by Slauson Malone 1
As part of Slauson Malone 1's curation at Le Guess Who?, New York City rapper MIKE performed live at the festival with tracks from all across his discography and an emphasis on material from his 2022 album Beware of the Monkey and its follow-up, Burning Desire. Tune in below. "A magnetic stage presence fused with one of the most...
Listen: Shabazz Palaces remix Gonjasufi for new album 'Mandela Effect'
Gonjasufi has just released his new remix album 'Mandela Effect', and gathers an impressive list of collaborators for the album. The album was released on Warp and features a.o. Le Guess Who? artists...
Listen: Juana Molina performs live in the KCRW studios
Argentine singer, songwriter and actress Juana Molina released her beautiful album 'Halo' earlier this year. During her current tour, she performed some songs from the album live in the KCRW stud...
12-Hour Drone in former factory Pastoefabriek: from sitar and cello bass drones to shamanic noise
An immersive event and all-encompassing experience, 24-Hour Drone is a roving, international series presented by Basilica Hudson and Le Guess Who?, featuring musicians and sound artists...
Listen to Kelly Lee Owens' cover of Aaliyah's 'More Than A Woman'
Having performed the song live for some time, Kelly Lee Owens now shares the full studio version of her cover of Aaliyah's 'More Than A Woman'. The single also features her own remix of the...
Revealing new projects & program additions for Le Guess Who? 2018
In addition to the previously announced initial line-up and curators, we now reveals a range of special projects and performers for the festival: Future Feminism; 15 years of RVNG Intl.; ONCEIM; and t...
Revealing the full line-up for Le Guess Who? 2018 + day tickets on sale now
We're proud to reveal the full line-up for Le Guess Who? 2018 with 47 new additions to the program. Starting today, day tickets for the festival are also on sale. The final additions to the Le...
Revealing the full time schedules for LGW18 + new acts added to the line-up
We've published the full time schedules for Le Guess Who? 2018. Dig in and find out who's playing when & where here. We’ve also added some new acts to the program: The Bug vs Miss Red,...
The Bug's Kevin Martin announces solo album 'Sirens'
The Bug's Kevin Martin has announced his new solo album 'Sirens', to be released via Room40 on May 31st. It is the first time the electronic producer and composer releases a record under his real name. 'Sirens' is about the emotional rollercoaster that Martin experienced becoming a parent, heightened through the complex circumstances...
Stream DJINN's self-titled debut album
Newcomers DJINN are an alliance formed by musicians in Swedish outfits Hills and GOAT. The group creates a hypnotic brew of free-jazz, psychedelic music, and harmonious folk, with their name being derived from the Arab folkloristic creature of djinn, a supernatural and invisible force by the band interpreted as meaning "a being that...
Cate le Bon releases new album 'Reward'
Today, Cate le Bon releases her fifth solo album 'Reward'. It was written in the county of Cumbria in North West England and it is Le Bon's most personal record to date, described as intensely introspective and profound. The record clings to the value of meaning and is a warning against lazy comparisons and face values. Stream...
Listen to Earth's new album 'Full Upon Her Burning Lips'
With their new album ‘Full Upon Her Burning Lips’, Earth's core duo of Dylan Carlson and Adrienne Davies tap into the Platonic ideal of Earth— an elemental band, where every guitar note and every strike on the drum kit carries the weight of the world. Carlson describes the album saying: "I wanted this to be a &lsqu...
Kali Malone - Live at Le Guess Who? 2019
US-born, Stockholm-based minimalist artist and apprenticing organ tuner Kali Malone gave a special organ performance in TivoliVredenburg's Grote Zaal as opening performance of Le Guess Who? 2019. The performance was part of The Bug's curated program for the festival. We can now share two exceptionally beautiful pieces from the perf...
Prana Crafter announces new split-LP 'Symbiose'; stream 'Jagged Mountain Melts at Dawn (part I)'
From eerie detuned piano atmospherics to smouldering avant-blues licks, Prana Crafter’s sonic spells are enveloped by a dense and rugged charm. Following the release of 2018's 'Bodhi Cheetah’s Choice', hailed by Aquarium Drunkard as "an alchemist of dark voodoo boogie that is entrancing and hypnotic", Prana Crafter now an...
Listen: The Bug and Burial release new EP 'Dive/Rain'
The Bug (Kevin Martin) and Burial (William Bevan) have once again teamed up. Their new two-track EP 'Dive/ Rain' was released under the moniker Flame 2. 'Dive/Rain' is The Bug and Burial's second joint release, following last year's 'Fog/Shrine' (Flame 1). You can listen to 'Dive/ Rain' below. Dive / Rain by Flame 2 "Flame 2 sees the ve...
Listen: Prana Crafter releases new split-LP 'Symbiose'
Prana Crafter summons cobwebbed guitar meditations, kosmische drones, and mystic acid folk mantras. In their 2018 Best Albums-list, Aquarium Drunkard described William Sol’s project as “an alchemist of dark voodoo boogie that is entrancing and hypnotic.” In collaboration with Tarotplane, Prana Crafter has now relea...
Revealing the full line-up for Le Guess Who? 2019
Following the announcements of the curated programs by Fatoumata Diawara, Iris van Herpen & Salvador Breed, Jenny Hval, Moon Duo, Patrick Higgins, and The Bug, we are now proud to reveal the full program for Le Guess Who? 2019. New additions include the premiere of AEAEA (Patrick Higgins & Nicolas Jaar), Aldous Harding, Deerh...
Arooj Aftab - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Earlier this week, Brooklyn-based, Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab won the GRAMMY Award for Best Global Music Performance for her song ‘Mohabbat’. She performed live at Le Guess Who? 2021, the international festival for boundary-crossing music & culture, as part of her first ever European tour. Arooj Aftab is the first Pakis...
Siti Muharam - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Zanzibar singer Siti Muharam performed live at Le Guess Who? 2021, marking her European live debut. In 2020, she received the prestigious Songlines Awards for African Artist of the Year following the release of her album 'Siti of Unguja'. Now, Songlines premieres the concert film of Siti Muharam's performance at Le Guess Who?, featur...
The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
The Master Musicians of Jajouka, led by Bachir Attar, performed live at the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of the Hidden Musics project following the release of their new album 'Dancing Under The Moon', released earlier in 2022 via Glitterbeat Records. You can listen to and relive the full performance below. About B...
Watch: Girl Band perform Shoulderblades, Going Norway and Paul at Le Guess Who? 2019
Irish wrecking crew Girl Band has become one of the most fearsome live units of the decade thanks to their intense and propulsive performances. And somewhere down the dark corridors, you can hear the demented straitjacket howls of frontman Dara Kiely, an unrelenting fury waiting to detonate at the slightest prick. The group perform...
The Brother Moves On - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
The Brother Moves On, the captivating South-African ensemble famous for masterfully drawing from past, present and future, performed at Le Guess Who? 2022 following the release of '$/He Who Feeds You…Owns You' via Shabaka Hutchings' Native Rebel Recordings. You can now listen to & relive the full performance. AboutTher...
Dreamcrusher - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
Dreamcrusher, the project of multidisciplinary artist Luwayne Glass, performed live at Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of the program curated by clipping. You can now listen to his performance below, released via Dreamcrusher for Bandcamp Friday. Live at Le Guess Who? 2022 by DREAMCRUSHER AboutDreamcrusher began on Kansas-born, New Yor...
clipping. - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
During the 15th Anniversary Edition of Le Guess Who? in 2022, West Coast hip-hop trio clipping. performed live as part of their guest curation at the festival. We're thrilled to now share the concert film of the performance, with clipping. performing tracks from throughout their discography, including fan favorites such as ‘N...
Listen to South African collective SPAZA's soundtrack album 'UPRIZE!'
South African collective SPAZA released their new album ‘Uprize!’ last month. It was recorded in 2016 as the soundtrack for Sifiso Khanyile's 2017 documentary of the same name, which tells the history of the 1976 uprisings in Soweto against the racist apartheid government. On the album, the SPAZA ensemble displays a mixture o...
Listen or read: a personal introduction to Egypt’s Mazaher, bearers of the Zar tradition, by Nadah El Shazly
This November, Le Guess Who? will feature a rare performance (their first European show in over 15 years) of Egypt’s Mazaher: a small group of mostly women musicians and singers who play Zar music: chanting songs and playing hypnotic polyrhythms used in a ceremonial event to cleanse the spirits and to clear away illness and discomfo...
Pink Siifu releases video for 'lng hair dnt care' from upcoming album 'GUMBO’!'
Rapper and producer Pink Siifu has a mercurial talent for intersecting styles and culture. Following the release of 2020's 'NEGRO' (which got expanded to 'NEGRO DELUXE' earlier this year), Pink Siifu is now already preparing his follow-up, entitled 'GUMBO’!', out August 3. The album will feature contributions by Nic...
Video portrait: Gebroeders Dieleman van Eeckhout discuss faith, grief, and musical playgrounds during recordings
Gebroeders Dieleman van Eeckhout is the new collaborative project of Colin H. van Eeckhout (Amenra) and broeder Dieleman. The former is captain of one of metal's most innovative live acts, whereas the latter writes idiosyncratic Zealandic folk songs, intersecting pop and experimental idioms. Both have at least one thing in common; they ar...
Timetable & last program additions for LGW21 revealed + limited Saturday Tickets to go on sale
With just one week until the 14th edition of Le Guess Who?, the organization shares the timetable and last program additions for this year’s festival. Aside from some cancellations, the Utrecht festival for boundary-crossing music and culture now announces 41 final program additions, featuring live music performances, film screening...
Interview: Pink Oculus presents Before Wisdom through collaborative show where art, scenography and music become one
“Performing is a part of my identity”, says the Dutch Surinamese vocalist and producer Pink Oculus. Two years of not being able to do what she loves the most led to a brand new sound, and new music too: her forthcoming album, ‘Before Wisdom’, is expected in 2022. At Le Guess Who?, she will premiere these songs thro...
This Wednesday at Louis Hartlooper Complex: watch the premiere of SPAZA – Road to Johannesburg
This week, you can start your Le Guess Who? 2021 experience already on Wednesday. That night, at 8PM, Louis Hartlooper Complex will screen the premiere of 'SPAZA – Road to Johannesburg'. Free entrance upon showing your LGW21 festival ticket at the door. This film is a new LGW production, made after the South African collective SPAZ...
Watch: GRAMMY Award winner Arooj Aftab live at Le Guess Who? 2021 concert film
Earlier this week, Brooklyn-based, Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab won the GRAMMY Award for Best Global Music Performance for her song ‘Mohabbat’. She performed live at Le Guess Who? 2021, the international festival for boundary-crossing music & culture, as part of her first ever European tour. Arooj Aftab is the first Pakis...
Watch Damon Locks' Black Monument Ensemble perform 'The Body Is Electric' live at LGW21
Damon Locks' Black Monument Ensemble performed live at Le Guess Who? 2021. Curated by Matana Roberts for the festival, it marked the group's European live premiere. Now can now relive the performance with this video of the ensemble performing 'The Body Is Electric' from their latest & acclaimed album 'NOW'. AboutThe past and...
Watch: Eddie Chacon live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Eddie Chacon performed live at Le Guess Who? 2021 following the release of his latest album ‘Pleasure, Joy and Happiness’, made in collaboration with producer John Carroll Kirby. You can now watch & listen to four tracks from the performance below. AboutAs part of the soul duo Charles & Eddie, Eddie Chacon exper...
Listen & relive: Galya Bisengalieva live at LGW21, presented by Uncloud
Kazakh-British composer and violinist Galya Bisengalieva performed her latest album 'Aralkum' in full live at Le Guess Who? 2021, as part of the program presented by Uncloud. You can now listen & relive the entire performance. "It has been speculated how the current environmental crisis we face will inspire musicians, the sam...
Listen & relive: Alabaster dePlume's full performance at Le Guess Who? 2021
Musician and poet Alabaster dePlume was Le Guess Who? 2021’s Artist in Residence and can be described as many things: a cleric of the written word, a maverick of sound, a conductor of communion. He garnered a substantial breakthrough in 2020 with his gorgeous compilation album ‘To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1’, a c...
Watch + listen: Suuns live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Avant-rock group Suuns have always surprised us with their releases and their newest, ‘The Witness’, on Joyful Noise, is yet another impressive step of their sonic universe. Following the release of the album, Suuns performed at Le Guess Who? 2021, and we're happy to now share the concert film of this performance as well as th...
Listen to Zwangere Guy perform 'Beter Leven', 'Wie is Guy?', and 'RAF (Rien à Foutre)' at LGW21
With his unshakeable conviction, found all over his rhymes and delivery, Zwangere Guy quickly became considered ‘the boss of Brussels rap’. In his live shows, his boastful, insolent and exciting personality always shines bright. Zwangere Guy performed live at TivoliVredenburg's Ronda during Le Guess Who? 2021 on the nig...
Relive FLOHIO live at Le Guess Who? 2021; listen to the full performance
Following the release of her debut ‘No Panic No Pain’, south London rapper FLOHIO performed at TivoliVredenburg’s Ronda during Le Guess Who? 2021. You can now relive the performance; listen to the full show below: "Lagos born, South London based MC, Flohio is ready to rage her way to the top of rap, passing by grime,...
Listen: LGW21 curator John Dwyer talks to Brigid Dawson about songwriting, memories of touring, classical music, and birthday presents
John Dwyer (OSEES, Bent Arcana) is one of the guest curators for Le Guess Who? 2021. His stirring program includes Brigid Dawson, whom he played with for years. Dawson released the debut record of her The Mother’s Network project last year via Castleface Records and will be taking the festival stage with Sunwatchers. Ahead of...
LGW x SPEAK present: Catalan vocal duo Tarta Relena introduced by Román Sánchez & Ayla Losada
Le Guess Who? is proud to welcome both artists and visitors of many different nationalities to Utrecht each year. In collaboration with SPEAK, we started a new video series in which Utrechters with foreign roots introduce an artist on the Le Guess Who? 2021 line-up from their country. SPEAK connects locals, newcomers and migra...
'Pleasure, Joy and Happiness': listen to and learn about the return of soul singer Eddie Chacon
As part of the soul duo Charles & Eddie, Eddie Chacon experienced proper fame in the nineties. After two decades of silence, he returned to the spotlight in 2020, releasing ‘Pleasure, Joy and Happiness’, the collaborative album he recorded with Solange and Frank Ocean collaborator John Carroll Kirby. In November, they...
LGW x SPEAK present: Lisbon's DJ Lycox introduced by Ana Góis & José Teixeira
Le Guess Who? is proud to welcome both artists and visitors of many different nationalities to Utrecht each year. In collaboration with SPEAK, we started a new video series in which Utrechters with foreign roots introduce an artist on the Le Guess Who? 2021 line-up from their country. SPEAK connects locals, newcomers and migra...
Radio Philharmonic Orchestra perform Alexander Scriabin's ghostly 'Le Poème du Feu' with light organ at LGW21
Le Guess Who? 2021 will see the festival joining forces with the esteemed Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1945. It's not the first time we're collaborating though: in 2017, the orchestra performed Lili Boulanger's towering 'Du Fond De L'Abîme' at our festival. This year, the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra will honor...
Read via The Quietus: which records would Lucrecia Dalt seek out at the Mega Record & CD Fair?
We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...
Read via The Quietus: which records would Felix Kubin seek out at the Mega Record & CD Fair?
We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...
Letters from musicians: Bant Mag. talk to Midori Takada
Japanese minimalist composer and percussionist Midori Takada participates in Bant Mag.'s "Letters from musicians" series ahead of her performance and curation at Le Guess Who? 2021. As it’s been a whole year under the pandemic conditions, Bant reached out to a number of musicians to hear about their varying feelings, reali...
Roadburn & LGW present: Plague Organ performing Orphan as part of Roadburn Redux
The music of deranged Dutch duo Plague Organ inspires superlatives of a particularly brutal nature. Often-times, the group surpasses the threshold of sheer heaviness to sound completely hypnotic, assimilating the qualities of metal, noise, free-jazz, and experimental rock. Last November, LGW OFF should have mark...
Revealing the curators and initial program for Le Guess Who? 2021
Inviting guest curators to build their own programs has become a hallmark of Le Guess Who? over the years. Featuring both their inspirations and fellow like-minded artists, this allows upcoming acts to perform alongside established artists. We are genuinely excited to now reveal the curators for Le Guess Who? 2021, as well as the first pe...
Goat - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
Swedish psych outfit Goat performed live at Le Guess Who?'s 15th Anniversary Edition in 2022, following the release of their latest album 'Oh Death' via Rocket Recordings. You can now relive part of the performance via our concert film below, which features the tracks 'Under No Nation', 'Gathering of Ancient Tribes', 'Do The Dance', 'Disc...
Rival Consoles - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
London-based producer Ryan Lee West, aka Rival Consoles, performed live at Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of the program curated by clipping., following the release of latest album ‘Now Is’. You can now listen to and relive the full performance below. AboutThroughout his critically acclaimed fifteen-year career, Rival Con...
Damon Locks' Black Monument Ensemble - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Damon Locks' Black Monument Ensemble performed live at Le Guess Who? 2021. Curated by Matana Roberts for the festival, it marked the group's European live premiere. Now can now relive the performance with this video of the ensemble performing 'The Body Is Electric' from their latest & acclaimed album 'NOW'. AboutThe past and...
OSEES - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, visual artist and record label owner John Dwyer was one of the curators for Le Guess Who? 2021, presenting his personal program with inspirations and fellow like-minded artists. As part of the curation, Dwyer also performed twice himself on the final day of the festival: first with jam-loving c...
Ice Balloons - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Brooklyn-based noise/rock band Ice Balloons features Sean Kennerly (Samiam) on bass and vocals, Kyp Malone (TV on the Radio) on synthesizers and modules, and Lyla Vander (Habibi) on drums and vocals. According to the band itself, it was a ‘common misinterpretation of psychosis’ that led Ice Balloons to start making music. The...
Galya Bisengalieva - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Kazakh-British composer and violinist Galya Bisengalieva performed her latest album 'Aralkum' in full live at Le Guess Who? 2021, as part of the program presented by Uncloud. You can now listen & relive the entire performance. "It has been speculated how the current environmental crisis we face will inspire musicians, the sam...
Vicky Chow gives special performance at Domplein during Keys of Light this Thursday
Before Vicky Chow's performance in TivoliVredenburg's Hertz this Thursday (curated by Patrick Higgins), the Canadian piano virtuoso will perform at Domplein as part of the Keys of Light project, an interactive piano installation designed by Mr. Beam. Mr. Beam is a multimedia design studio based in Utrecht, and their work br...
LGW19 program update: Stella Chiweshe to replace Love Supreme
Unfortunately Love Supreme had to cancel their performance at Le Guess Who? on Friday 8 November. The good news is: Zimbabwe's prolific performer Stella Chiweshe, The Queen of Mbira, will take their slot at the Jacobikerk. Chiweshe broke new ground by becoming the first artist to successfully combine the mbira with the marimba. In Se...
Get in the mood for LGW19 with our Radio Show, hosted by LGW programmers Bob van Heur & Jacob Hagelaars
Can't wait for Le Guess Who? to take off next week? We know how you feel. So, to fill in the hours that still await us (or at least, two of those hours), we now present you our first Le Guess Who? Radio Show. Hosted by Le Guess Who? programmers Bob van Heur and Jacob Hagelaars, they guide you through the extensive 2019 program and p...
Le Guess Who? expands Untitled program with film festival, live interviews, Angel Bat Dawid's sonic healing session, more
Along with exploring the festival program, visitors of Le Guess Who? 2019 can also immerse themselves in various activities during the day throughout the city of Utrecht, including the ‘Untitled’ program. Untitled made its debut as part of Le Guess Who? 2018. We're eager to expand the programming to include more daytime...
Revealing the time schedules + final program additions for Le Guess Who? 2019
The wait is over: the full time schedules for Le Guess Who? 2019 are here. Dig in and find out who's playing when & where. Update: the PDF version of our time schedules is available to download now as well. We've also added the very last performances to our program, including stubbornly adventurous and tirelessly independent Dutch o...
DJ Firmeza drops new EP 'Ardeu'
Following his 2015 debut 12” and numerous international forays, DJ Firmeza’s new EP ‘Ardeu’ sees the free-spirited Portuguese artist inject devilish detail into his productions at no expense to his signature. All four cuts are intensely rhythmelodic and include two highlights revolving Firmeza&r...
Le Guess Who? onthult compleet festivalprogramma tijdens line-up party in EKKO
Op donderdag 19 september onthult Le Guess Who? de volledige line-up voor de komende festivaleditie in EKKO, met optredens van Ben Shemie (SUUNS), Conjunto Papa Upa, Lechuga Zafiro en een speciale editie van Stranded FM x The Current. Entree is gratis. Deze line-up aankondiging wordt gevierd met optredens van Ben Shemie, frontman v...
Ayalew Mesfin & Debo Band - Live at Le Guess Who? 2019
After his music has gone unheard for 40 years, either on stage or on record, quintessential Ethio-groove performer Ayalew Mesfin gave his first ever European performance at Le Guess Who? 2019: a show that featured the Debo Band, who formed in 2006 to keep the spirit and craft of Ethiopia’s golden age of pop alive. A...
Gilla Band - Live at Le Guess Who? 2019
Irish wrecking crew Gilla Band has become one of the most fearsome live units of the decade thanks to their intense and propulsive performances. And somewhere down the dark corridors, you can hear the demented straitjacket howls of frontman Dara Kiely, an unrelenting fury waiting to detonate at the slightest prick. The group perfor...
Makaya McCraven - Live at Le Guess Who? 2019
Makaya McCraven is one of Chicago’s most versatile and in-demand drummers. At Le Guess Who? 2019, McCraven, together with his stellar live band, gave a wonderfully free-spirited performance. As debut of the show, the group played the brand new song 'In These Times', which you can view below, as well as listen to the entire perf...
Listen: Patrick Higgins' album 'Dossier', released through Nicolas Jaar's Other People
New York-based composer and guitarist Patrick Higgins has been exploring the possibilities and limits of music throughout his career. His latest album 'Dossier', which was released last year through Nicolas Jaar's label Other People, was recorded live without overdubs or edits. 'Dossier' deals with themes of alienation and individua...
Read: excerpt from Jenny Hval's latest novel 'Paradise Rot' + interview with Huck Magazine
Jenny Hval’s first novel 'Paradise Rot', which was released in Norway in 2009, has recently been translated into English by publishing company Verso Books. In an interview with Huck Magazine, she explains that the book is "an opportunity to understand my lyrics in a different way, and my music in a context where words have a higher...
Read: Fatoumata Diawara talks the future of Africa in OkayAfrica interview
Fatoumata Diawara’s take on Pan-African folk is simply unmistakable: graceful, enchanting and effortlessly vibrant. Meanwhile, her Wassoulou roots continue to snake off into the vast realms of Afropop, jazz, R&B, and blues. In an interview with OkayAfrica, the Malian Grammy-nominated musician and actress talks about her la...
Revealing our new satellite event: 'Untitled', featuring exhibitions, film screenings, talks & more
We are excited to present you a new satellite event during Le Guess Who? 2018: ‘Untitled’. The program focuses on all disciplines other than music and is an exploration of other artistic e...
Watch: King Champion Sounds release new video 'Memory Is Imagined'
Leading up to their forthcoming album 'For A Lark', set to be released on the exact same day as their performance at Le Guess Who?, King Champion Sounds has shared a new video for 'Memory Is Imagined'. Premiered via Louder Than War, this track is a deeply psychedelic and transformative song featuring heavy guitar action courtesy...
Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe's show is rescheduled; Colin Benders & Maarten Vos perform tonight
Unfortunately, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe can't perform today due to a cancelled flight. Colin Benders & Maarten Vos will play instead at Hertz, 21:15-22:15. Rob Lowe's show is rescheduled to tomorr...
Interview: Kane Strang go crate-digging at the World's Largest Record Fair during LGW17
The Line Of Best Fit interview Kane Strang, on 3 albums he would be crate-digging for at the World's Biggest Record Fair, happening in Utrecht during Le Guess Who? 2017. Read in fu...
Read: The Quietus guides you through the music of Linda Sharrock
"Abstracting gospel, folk and blues roots, Sharrock did with the voice what John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, and Pharoah Sanders did with the saxophone: pushing beyond their natural range to find ecstatic...
LGW & de Volkskrant meet up with Sudan Archives: watch our video portrait
Le Guess Who? & de Volkskrant bring you video portraits of artists performing at Le Guess Who? 2017. We meet Sudan Archives in Los Angeles just before she leaves for her first ever European tour....
Interview: Jesca Hoop goes crate-digging at the World's Largest Record Fair during LGW17
The Line Of Best Fit interview Jesca Hoop, on 3 albums she would be crate-digging for at the World's Biggest Record Fair, happening in Utrecht during Le Guess Who? 2017. Read in fu...
Listen to Gonzo (circus)' mixtape for LGW17
Gonzo (circus), one of the best in-depth music/culture magazines in The Netherlands & Belgium, has compiled a mixtape for Le Guess Who? 2017, featuring Ben Frost, OCnotes, Surajit D...
Why you should experience Pharoah Sanders live at LGW17, according to Greg Fox
Greg Fox: "I got to know Pharoah Sanders music at first mostly from listening to John and Alice Coltrane recordings. his playing on 'Journey in Sitchananda' is especially influential for me, the way...
Listen: Orphax shares new album 'Somniatores'
Moving Furniture-founder Sietse van Erve aka Orphax is performing as part of our 12-Hour Drone during Le Guess Who? 2017 on Sunday, 12 November. Now, he shares his new album 'Somniātōrēs', the follow-...
Liars share exclusive new track 'Fountain and Repeat'
Liars' Angus Andrew has shared an exclusive track that was made available for Thirty Days of Yes, appearing on a subscription mixtape that will release a song a day over 30 days. Listen to&n...
Stream Nadah El Shazly's debut album 'Ahwar' in full
Nadah El Shazly is one of the most versatile and progressive Egyptian musicians. The Cairo-based artist garnered that status by immersing herself in many different stylistics, including jazz, classica...
Read: the official Le Guess Who? 2017 program guide is here
The official Le Guess Who? 2017 program guide is here. Read & dive in to prepare for next week: all artist biographies in one neat place, as well as more info on wristband pick-up and our fringe e...
Listen: Lost Horizons release debut album 'Ojalá'
The two very gifted musicians Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins) and Richie Thomas (Dif Juz) found each other in a stunning new project named Lost Horizons. Their debut is out now, and features an impress...
Listen: James Holden's brand new album 'The Animal Spirits' is out now
Today, James Holden & The Animal Spirits release their brand new album. Built around Holden's modulair synths, it is inspired by spiritual jazz and Moroccan Gnawa: "Legendary jazz band leaders&nbs...
Rabit's new album 'Les Fleurs Du Mal' is out today
Rabit just finished his work for Björk's new album, but is now also releasing his own. 'Les Fleurs Du Mal' is out now: a record that features collaborations with Chino Amobi and Elysia Crampton....
Listen: Liars live in session at BBC Radio 6 Music, performing songs from 'TFCF'
Liars seem to have found secret wormholes to travel between genres like corrosive noise, freewheeling art-rock and seedy electronics, coming up with unique blends of it with every new album. Earlier...
Watch: LGW in cooperation with graphic school X11: students experience the music of LGW17
Le Guess Who? is cooperating with local graphic school X11 this year. We introduced our festival to the students, and also introduced some of our artists to them. For some of them, it was th...
Listen: Full Moon Magazine share preview-playlist for Le Guess Who? 2017
Czech's Full Moon Magazine, one of our long-time mediapartners, have put together a playlist previewing Le Guess Who? 2017 with some of their favorite selections. It includes key tracks from Grouper,...
Bekijk The Daily Indie's talkshow met Ancienne Belgique, Welcome To The Village en LGW
The Daily Indie, een van de mediapartners van Le Guess Who? dit jaar, deelt hun allereerste talkshow: een gesprek met Kurt Overbergh, artistiek directeur van AB Brussel; Peter Reen, programm...
Interview: Dälek go crate-digging at the World's Largest Record Fair during LGW17
The Line Of Best Fit interview Dälek's Will Brooks, on 3 albums he'd be crate-digging for at the World's Biggest Record Fair, happening in Utrecht during Le Guess Who? 2017. R...
Exclusive: listen to Fhloston Paradigm's unreleased track '...THE MOON', feat. Heru Shabaka-Ra
Following this year's highly acclaimed and healing album AFTER..., Fhloston Paradigm aka King Britt gave us this unreleased track before his live solo set at Le Guess Who? 2017. '...THE MOON' feature...
Lost Horizons' share video for 'Score The Sky' + new song 'I Saw The Days Go By'
Lost Horizons, the collaborative project formed by Simon Raymonde of Cocteau Twins and Richard Thomas of instrumental quartet Dif Juz, will release their new album 'Ojalá' this Friday via Bella...
'7: Triple Moon': an ode to female power in choreography, a 3-D art installation, and magical ritual
This year's Le Guess Who? features a project which is like nothing we ever brought to you before. Choreographer Nicole Beutler directed '7: Triple Moon': an interdisciplinary project with a combinatio...
Re-watch Farida Mohammed Ali perform on Vrije Geluiden TV
Last weekend, Farida Mohammed Ali performed on Dutch national television during Vrije Geluiden. The Iraqi singer is dubbed 'The Mother of All Maqam', as she's a master in 'Maqam al Iraqi': a...
Listen: K Á R Y Y N shares new release 'QUANTA 1:11'
K Á R Y Y N is a producer, composer and vocalist who makes textured and emotional music, counting Björk among her admirers. Now, she shares the third installment of her 'QUANA'-series: a t...
Read: "Spirits Rejoice: James Holden reflects on a career spent escaping dance convention"
Leading up to his performance & curation at Le Guess Who? 2017, FACT publishes a career-spanning conversation with electronic explorer James Holden, highlighting several of his key tracks & th...
Listen to Tom Rogerson's new song 'Idea of Order at Kyson Point', a collaboration with Brian Eno
Tom Rogerson's piano skills are once again on full display in new song 'Idea of Order at Kyson Point'; a collaboration with Brian Eno. The dreamy track will be available on Rogerson's upcoming al...
Stream Jane Weaver's new EP 'The Architect'
Earlier this year, Manchester figurehead Jane Weaver released 'Modern Kosmology': a thrilling mix of dream pop, avant-folk and psychedelic music. Now, just six month later, she shares her new EP 'The...
John Maus' new album 'Screen Memories' is out now
It has been six years since John Maus' last record 'We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves'. In between, he graduated in Philosophy, but now he's back and you can listen to his brand new alb...
Listen to Den Sorte Skole's Mixtape for Le Guess Who? 2017
Denmark's Den Sorte Skole create magical, musical storytelling across time and space. For Le Guess Who? 2017, the duo have put together a special mixtape with artists performing at the festival. Liste...
METZ share new video for 'Drained Lake' from their latest album
Last month, METZ brought out their third record 'Strange Peace'. Now, just before their tour kicks off, the band share a new video for 'Drained Lake'. Frontman Alex Edkins explains the song as "t...
Watch: a portrait of Alanis Obomsawin by Charles-André Coderre (Jerusalem In My Heart)
Alanis Obomsawin received worldwide acclaim as a filmmaker and visual artist. Her work is binded by crusading for the rights and well being of indigenous populations while simultaneously celebrating t...
Watch: Black Lips perform live for The Pyles Sessions
When performing in San Diego last June, Black Lips also visited Signature Sound to perform some tracks from their latest album 'Satan's Graffiti or God's Art?' in session for FTW New Music....
Listen to two versions of Kevin Morby's new song 'Baltimore'
Kevin Morby's latest albums 'Singing Saw' and 'City Music' were two companion pieces. Now, the songwriter releases two versions of his new song 'Baltimore'. 'Baltimore (Sky At Night)' was written...
Interview: Tune-Yards go crate-digging at the World's Largest Record Fair during LGW17
The Line Of Best Fit interview Tune-Yards' Merrill Garbus, on 3 albums she would be crate-digging for at the World's Biggest Record Fair, happening in Utrecht during Le Guess Who? 2017....
Watch: Ex-Easter Island Head shares new video for 'Sixteen Snares'
UK-based musical collective Ex-Easter Island Head utilize horizontally-laid electric guitars and bass, developing their own distinctive musical language, eschewing digital processing and effects for a...
Tune-Yards announce new album; share first single 'Look at Your Hands'
Tune-Yards' follow up to 2014's Nikki Nack will be released early 2018 via 4AD, entitled 'I can feel you creep into my private life'. Now, the band share the first single from the album, 'Look at...
Listen to Ben Frost's 'Selections' playlist for Crack Magazine
As a preview for his performance at Le Guess Who? 2017, Ben Frost has put together a 'Selections' playlist for Crack Magazine. As we wrote in his festival biography: "Ben Frost’s interests are a...
Beatmaker, DJ & 'king amongst cratediggers' Kutmah added to Le Guess Who? program
We couldn’t resist: we’ve added beatmaker, DJ & 'king amongst cratediggers' Kutmah to the line-up for Le Guess Who? 2017. This will be a DJ set on Friday, 10 November in TivoliVredenbu...
Bent Arcana - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, visual artist and record label owner John Dwyer was one of the curators for Le Guess Who? 2021, presenting his personal program with inspirations and fellow like-minded artists. As part of the curation, Dwyer also performed twice himself on the final day of the festival: first with jam-loving c...
Sarathy Korwar - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
Sarathy Korwar performed live at Le Guess Who? 2022 on the night preceding the release of his new album 'KALAK'. You can now relive the full performance below, which includes tracks from that album, as well as 'Coolie', performed live together with Alabaster dePlume. AboutBorn in the US, Sarathy Korwar grew up in Ahmedabad and Ch...
Alabaster DePlume - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
Alabaster DePlume gave a special performance on the opening night of Le Guess Who?'s 15th Anniversary Edition, joined on stage by a.o. Jeff Parker (Tortoise) on guitar and Asher Gamedze on drums. Revisit the performance with our concert film, featuring ‘What’s Missing’, ‘Visit Croatia’, ‘Mrs Calamari&rs...
Mourning [A] BLKstar - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
Mourning [A] BLKstar performed live on the opening night of Le Guess Who?'s 15th Anniversary Edition in 2022. The collective, made up of musicians, writers, and multimedia artists, has a bountiful track record, amassing several releases under its belt since 2015. Their music is for both eulogies and revolutions, as they expand upon contem...
Dry Cleaning - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
London's Dry Cleaning performed live at Le Guess Who? 2022 following the release of their sophomore album, the John Parish-produced Stumpwork. You can now relive the performance with our concert film below. It features the Stumpwork-tracks No Decent Shoes For Rain, Don’t Press Me, Conservative Hell and Driver’s Story as well a...
African Head Charge - Live at Le Guess Who? 2023
African Head Charge performed live on the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2023 following the release of their new album 'A Trip To Bolgatanga'. You can now relive the performance with the full audio of the show, which is assured to put a smile on anyone's face. About'A bad attitude is like a flat tire - you can't go anywhere until...
Moin - Live at Le Guess Who? 2023
London trio Moin, comprised of Raime’s Joe Andrews and Tom Halstead together with percussionist visionary Valentina Magaletti, performed live at Le Guess Who? 2023 as part of the program curated by Stereolab. You can now listen to and relive the full performance, featuring a previously unreleased track: "'Moin are subtly but br...
Pankisi Ensemble - Live at Le Guess Who? 2023
Georgia's Pankisi Ensemble performed live at Le Guess Who? 2023 as part of the Hidden Musics program. Now, you can relive this touching performance with the full audio of the show, recorded at Utrecht's Jacobikerk during the festival. AboutThe Pankisi Ensemble goes against the typical 'ethno-fusion' grain in two ways. First, by not res...
Le Cri du Caire - Live at Le Guess Who? 2023
One year ago, Le Cri du Caire released their hauntingly beautiful, self-tilted debut album. We are now thrilled to share the recording of their mesmerizing performance at Utrecht's Jacobikerk during Le Guess Who? 2023, where the group performed the majority of the album, as well as new material. AboutSinger, writer, poet, and expressio...
Stereolab - Live at Le Guess Who? 2023
Recently, we celebrated the 100th festival recording being included in our online recordings archive. Now, we are elated to share the concert film of Anglo-French avant-pop group and festival curators Stereolab live at Le Guess Who? 2023. Hailed as one of the most influential and fiercely independent groups of the 90s, Stereolab's influe...
Niño de Elche - Live at Le Guess Who? 2023
"This is flamenco punk", said Niño de Elche towards the end of his performance at Le Guess Who?. It's a fitting statement: the Spanish musician, who is also called a 'singer, poet and omnipresent master of ensorcelling souls' has been challenging conservative and picturesque perceptions of flamenco for over two decades. You can re...
SANAM - Live at Le Guess Who? 2023
Lebanese free-rock, post-folk sextet SANAM performed live on the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2023, following the release of their debut album 'Aykathani Malakon'. Relive the performance with our concert film, and the audio recording of the show below: About SANAM's music is akin to a ritual, somewhere between a marriage and an exorc...
Alan Sparhawk - Live at Le Guess Who? 2023
Last November, Alan Sparhawk returned to Europe to play some select solo shows, the first being a performance at Le Guess Who?. Three decades ago, Sparhawk co-founded the band Low alongside vocalist and drummer Mimi Parker, who sadly passed away in late 2022. Their music derived elemental power from its fearless exploration of quiet, ge...
MIKE - Live at Le Guess Who? 2023
As part of Slauson Malone 1's curation at Le Guess Who?, New York City rapper MIKE performed live at the festival with tracks from all across his discography and an emphasis on material from his 2022 album Beware of the Monkey and its follow-up, Burning Desire. Tune in below. "A magnetic stage presence fused with one of the most...
Mazaher - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Chanting songs and playing hypnotic polyrhythms, Egyptian ensemble Mazaher gave a rare performance at Le Guess Who? 2021. It was their first European show in over 15 years. Mazaher is an Egyptian ensemble, a small group of mostly women musicians and singers who play Zãr music: a combination of chanted songs and hypnotic polyrhythm...
Alabaster dePlume - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Musician and poet Alabaster dePlume was Le Guess Who? 2021’s Artist in Residence and can be described as many things: a cleric of the written word, a maverick of sound, a conductor of communion. He garnered a substantial breakthrough in 2020 with his gorgeous compilation album ‘To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1’, a c...
Eddie Chacon - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Eddie Chacon performed live at Le Guess Who? 2021 following the release of his latest album ‘Pleasure, Joy and Happiness’, made in collaboration with producer John Carroll Kirby. You can now watch & listen to four tracks from the performance below. AboutAs part of the soul duo Charles & Eddie, Eddie Chacon exper...
FLOHIO - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Following the release of her debut ‘No Panic No Pain’, south London rapper FLOHIO performed at TivoliVredenburg’s Ronda during Le Guess Who? 2021. You can now relive the performance; listen to the full show below: "Lagos born, South London based MC, Flohio is ready to rage her way to the top of rap, passing by grime,...
Duma - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Kenya's Duma, figureheads of the flourishing Nairobi underground metal scene, performed live at Le Guess Who? 2021 as part of the program curated by Phil Elverum (The Microphones/Mount Eerie). Martin "Lord Spike Heart" Khanja and Sam Karugo released their self-titled album in 2020 through Uganda’s Nyege Nyege Tapes and were i...
Deerhunter - Live at Le Guess Who? 2019
Following the release of their latest album 'Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?', Atlanta art-punkers Deerhunter performed live at Le Guess Who? 2019. We're very pleased to now share a video of the band performing 3 songs live at the festival: 'Sailing' (from their 2010 album 'Halcyon Digest'), 'Take Care' (from 2015's...
Pink Oculus - Live at Le Guess Who? 2021
Dutch-Surinamese artist Pink Oculus premiered her new project 'Before Wisdom' live at TivoliVredenburg during Le Guess Who? 2021. 'Before Wisdom' is a special collaboration with audiovisual artist Boris Acket, spatial designer and scenographer Dennis Vanderbroeck, and writer Vincent van Velsen. The newest video to appear online now...
Estrella Morente & Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
During Le Guess Who? 2022, flamenco icon Estrella Morente and Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra came together for a magic showcase of warmth and joy. You can now watch the full concert film of the stunning performance at Utrecht's Jacobikerk, presented in collaboration with Ud Festival. The daughter of world-famous Enrique Morente,...
Marina Herlop - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
Catalan artist Marina Herlop performed live at Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of the program curated by Animal Collective, following the release of her latest album 'Pripyat'. Relive the mesmerizing performance with our concert film below, featuring the songs miu, doiloi, abans abans and shaolin mantis. AboutOn ‘miu’, a s...
Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
Panda Bear & Sonic Boom performed at Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of Animal Collective's curation, following the release of their latest album 'Reset'. Relive the performance below with our concert film, which features the songs Everyday, Edge of the Edge, Danger, and Livin’ in the After. AboutSix years ago, Peter Kember,...
They Hate Change - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
Tampa rap duo They Hate Change performed at Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of the program curated by clipping., following the release of Finally, New; their debut album for Jagjaguwar. Relive the ecstatic performance below with our concert film, featuring two unreleased tracks produced by John Carroll Kirby and Zach Witness: AboutTampa&rsq...
Lewsberg - Live at Le Guess Who? 2022
Lewsberg, hailed as "Rotterdam’s answer to The Velvet Underground" by NME, performed live on the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2022. We now share the track 'The Corner' from that performance (taken from their 2021 album 'In Your Hands') just as the band are about to go on an international tour which will bring them to Germany, USA,...
Le Guess Who? 2018 Press Archive
The Netherlands 3FM: Eva Koreman nieuwe presentator 3voor12 radio 3FM: Le Guess Who? 2018: Ralph-Herman snapt niet wat Colin Stetson doet3FM: Timo op Le Guess Who: van gevoelige liedjes in een kerk tot stoned rappers3voor12: Kijk terug: James Holden & The Animal Spirits op Le Guess Who? 3voor12: Festivals willen dat je een kaart...
Le Guess Who? 2019 Press Archive
“With the able steer of festival curators Jenny Hval, Moon Duo, Fatoumata Diawara, and Iris Van Herpen, this year’s boundary-crossing festival Le Guess Who?? welcomed visitors from over 60 countries and proved that even in times of political divide, music and art can bring us together into a more hopeful future.” - The...
Le Guess Who? 2021 Press archive
"Overcoming lockdown obstacles, Le Guess Who? united a global cast of adventurous artists." - Crack Magazine The Netherlands 3voor12: Le Guess Who? strooit alvast met eerste namen en curatoren voor festivaleditie 20213voor12: Dit zijn onze 14 tips voor Le Guess Who? 20213voor12: Playlist Le Guess Who? 20213voor12: LGW21: De gestolde j...
Le Guess Who? 2017 Press Archive
The Netherlands 3FM: "3voor12 is op Le Guess Who?, waar basketballen tegen aan het plafond geschroefde gitaren worden gegooid"3voor12: "Eerste 67 namen voor Le Guess Who? 2017" 3voor12: "Kelly Lee Owens, dagdromer met kennishonger" 3voor12: "Le Guess Who? str...
"These artists have their own voice - a real one": COSMOS goes Behind the Scenes in Cairo, Egypt
COSMOS: Behind the Scenes in Cairo, Egypt We speak to former LGW artist Yunis and B-62's Khaled Bargona about their highly creative film produced for the latest COSMOS edition. Here, we learn more about Cairo’s post-revolution music scene; how the artists that are featured in the film are creating a space for themselves in Cairo&rs...
Freely Accessible U? Programme Highlights
U? is Le Guess Who’s participatory and freely accessible day program, made for–and with–the city of Utrecht. With U?, Le Guess Who? extends its mission to enrich people through music and culture even further to the city.
From 10 to 13 November 2022, U? returns for its second edition. The program is made with, or even entirely by, Utrecht residents, local initiatives, entrepreneurs, social institutions and neighborhood centers. Residents and local initiatives were invited to participate by means of an open call, which resulted in a large amount of diverse and exciting submissions.