COSMOS is Le Guess Who?’s hybrid platform that highlights independent music scenes from around the world. Vibrant music communities from every corner of the map become COSMOS Embassies and share their stories—both online and offline—through mixtapes, films, live radio, conversations and performances.
Each year, the embassies present commissioned short documentaries about their local scenes. These films are screened at the festival and can also be viewed for free online at leguesswho.com/cosmos. In addition, embassy representatives contribute to Le Guess Who?—they will perform, host screenings, and appear on panels. Together, they will activate the COSMOS Foyer at TivoliVredenburg with DJ sets, live performances, talks, and radio broadcasts.
Following the announcement of the guest curators & initial line-up for the 20th edition of Le Guess Who?, we’re proud to now share the COSMOS Embassies for 2026.
In 2026, COSMOS will immerse into Amsterdam's DIY hearth, Osaka's experimental scene and the world of the Cabo Verdean label driven by a free, danceable, and inclusive spirit.
NAKID (Osaka, JP)
NAKID is a record label founded by Koshiro Hino in Osaka City, with its headquarter located inside the OTO Building. OTO also houses many other creative studios and ateliers, as well as one of Japan’s leading underground clubs, Daphnia. Just across the street from the building is Creative Center Osaka, a former shipyard turned into a multi-functional art and event space. In such a unique environment, inspired by the industrial heritage and creative energy, NAKID was launched in 2020. It operates at the intersection of internationally active innovators of contemporary electronic music and the local scene deeply rooted in the rich history of avant-garde arts. Hino, an artist and composer also known as YPY, is the leader of bands such as goat (JP) and Bonanzas, one half of the duo KAKUHAN, and has been involved in many other projects, all while running the cassette tape label birdfriend.
OCCII (Amsterdam, NL)
The iconic independent venue OCCII is the eccentric-looking wooden building facing the southern entrance of Vondelpark in Amsterdam. Since 1984—when it was squatted, then legalized in 1992—it has been a venue for subversive sounds, underground music, film screenings and workshops, all rooted in DIY ethics. A home to all kinds of subcultures and DIY collectives, OCCII provides a cultural program that is hand-picked for those drawn to a wonderful and wide range of subversive sounds and music genres: global beats, noise, punk, folk, improv, rave, avant-garde and electronix.
Tabanka Records (Cabo Verde, CV)
Tabanka Records is a project founded in Amadora, Portugal, in mid-2019 by Mama Demba (River Ramos) and Henrique Silva. Originally conceived as a vinyl record shop, it quickly evolved into a platform for music production, creation and artist promotion, acting as a bridge between the past and present of African music, with a strong focus on Lusophone cultures—the communities connected by the Portuguese language and shared historical ties—particularly the Cabo Verdean one. Its portfolio includes projects such as Acácia Maior, Mama Demba, Landa, Rally Fantasia, and ArapucaGongon, alongside an extensive collection of records from the 1970s to the 1990s, which serve as constant sources of inspiration for new creations and collaborations. Tabanka Records’ parties are known for blending vinyl and digital, the old and the new, electronic and organic sounds—always driven by a free, danceable, and inclusive spirit.
Refuge Worldwide
This year, COSMOS continues its partnership with Berlin-based community radio Refuge Worldwide. Together, we present sounds and stories from around the globe, hand-picked by local artists. Listen here.
