Guest curators & initial line-up announced for Le Guess Who? 2025

Guest Curators

Amirtha Kidambi – musician, activist, improviser and community organizer – invites us into her vision of ‘Outernationalism’, a concept introduced by the late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto to describe his belief in a world without borders or national identities. At Le Guess Who?, Kidambi presents her own interpretation, Outernational, which focuses on the belief that music can play a central role in building global cultural solidarity and community.

South African drummer and percussionist Asher Gamedze, who is also a cultural worker in the fields of music, education and history, is a leading figure in Cape Town’s progressive music scene. His work blends free improvisation and jazz with radical social and political thought. Gamedze curates a program that celebrates the richness of this musical community.

Valentina Magaletti

Berlin-based Colombian DJ, producer and curator Edna Martinez offers a sonic journey into the electrifying world of PICÓ – the sound system culture of Colombia’s Caribbean coast, born from 1950s street parties. More than just a musical style, Picó is an art form, and a vital expression of identity, resistance, and community that revives and sustains Colombian, Caribbean and African musical traditions.

Hong Kong producer gyrofield is a rising star, whose influences span drum & bass, ambient, techno, hyperpop, grime and dubstep. After a period in Bristol, they have recently moved to Utrecht, and their curation features musical heroes and like-minded artists.

Musician and visual artist Lonnie Holley has devoted his life to improvisational creativity across many mediums, including drawing, painting, sculpture, photography and performance. His curation is an act of remembrance, paying tribute to the many collaborators and kindred spirits who have shaped his artistic and musical paths.

Moyang 先祖 & Seaman 漁師

Visionary contemporary artist Tianzhuo Chen is known for his eclectic and multidisciplinary works of performance arts, films, and installations. Chen brings an immersive narrative to the festival, where ancient traditions confront the realities of colonialism, intertwining music, performance art, choreography and audiovisual installations.

Drummer-composer and multi-instrumentalist Valentina Magaletti curates a sonic landscape grounded in collaboration and experimentation, providing space for female and queer communities to thrive and resonate.

Known for their relentless appetite for boundless experimentation, producer and musician Ziúr crafts a night charged with intensity and raw emotion. Their program features primarily trans artists from the electronic music scene - artists who push boundaries, challenge norms, and create new worlds in sound.

La Saramuya Soundsystem 

Performance highlights

Among  the extensive list of special performances at Le Guess Who? 2025 are Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali, nephews of qawwali master Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who will present a series of unique shows during a three-day residency; curator Tianzhuo Chen and dancer and choreographer Siko Setyanto present the multidisciplinary performance Moyang 先祖 & Seaman 漁師, inspired by Japanese Noh, the oldest theatre art still performed today; Nicolás Jaar returns to the festival, this time with Pakistani-American artist Ali Sethi, pairing songs rooted in classic Sufi poetry with electronic abstraction; born on the traditional lands of the Gooniyandi and Walmatjarri peoples of north-western Australia, Kankawa Nagarra–musician, teacher, human rights advocate, and environmental activist–will make her European debut; Jad Atoui, Anthony Sahyoun and Sandy Chamoun, key figures of Lebanon’s resilient music scene, present Ghadr غدر, a project that fuses electronics and distortion with vocals rooted in classical Arabic singing; Iggor Cavalera, co-founder of the legendary Sepultura, will perform together with Attila Csihar (Void ov Voices) for the very first time; and on the festival’s opening night, Colombian artist Lido Pimienta presents her new album, inspired by European classical music and Gregorian chant.

Check out the initial line-up via https://leguesswho.com/lineup. 

Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali

COSMOS

COSMOS is Le Guess Who?’s hybrid platform that highlights independent music scenes from around the world. Here we invite vibrant music communities from every corner of the map to become COSMOS Embassies, and to share their stories–both online and offline–through mixtapes, film, live radio, conversations and performances. In 2025, COSMOS collaborates with IDGK (Istanbul, Turkey), Seyðisfjörður Community Radio (Seyðisfjörður, Iceland), Align.Online (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) and River Down Records (Panama City, Panama).

This year, COSMOS continues its partnership with Berlin-based community radio Refuge Worldwide. Together, we will once again present sounds and stories from around the globe, hand-picked by local artists.

Lido Pimienta

Remaining 4-Day Festival Passes and Day Passes on sale Tuesday 27 May

A very limited amount of 4-Day Festival Passes as well as individual Day Passes, CJP & U-pas Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, 27 May, at 11AM CEST via www.leguesswho.com/tickets.