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Project ITC is a long-term artistic initiative that explores practicality, human relations, and community-building. They are a duo project initiated by Rizq(i)-(ta) Naherta, and in collaboration with...

The tour if full. You can sign up for the waiting list via this form.Le Guess Who? and Triomf invited nine artists to present their work in the public space of Utrecht during Le Guess Who? 2021....

What sensitivities do we need to keep in mind when organising in diasporic contexts? Community organiser, designer, DJ and co-founder of Nusaqueer Diaspora, Insan Larasati, shares their experience wit...

Join Dirar Kalash at At The Sonic Front: this double program focuses on the relationships between sound, silence, time, space, and their positions and configurations within multiple layers of everyday...

This workshop starts with a lecture which is necessary to attend for participation. Join Dirar Kalash at At The Sonic Front: this double program focuses on the relationships between sound, silence, t...

De Dansers & U is an immersive dance concert for everybody, guided by choreographer Josephine van Rheenen of Utrecht-based dance company De Dansers and accompanied live by musicians from performan...

This Leo Sunrise is an alt-folk-indie rock band from Utrecht. Honest songs are mixed with cinematic, repetitive drones, creating a broad sound spectrum. The songs, atmosphere, production and lyrics &n...

De Voorkamer is a meeting space for newcomers and the local community. A platform that uses the different personalities and talents of newcomers as a tool for communicating with the local community. D...

At times fragile, at others outrageously explosive, Delwood takes listeners on a cinematic voyage where organic and electronic components merge. Undoubtedly, their music will remind you of Tortoise, D...

Artists community NoEsUnaGaleria NL is organising a program with live painting sessions and performance art by artists Ricardo Saga and Mario Gildardo from Mexico and Harmke Datema-Chang and Laur...

What are the invisible rules of the music stage and how do we break them? How do we narrate ourselves and our sonic worlds through performance? These are the questions that brought the musicians Winni...

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...

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...

The sun always shines with Salsa de Hoy. The uplifting salsa music played by this 11-piece band is like a little electric fire. Feel free to dance, but don’t feel obliged to do anything. Just br...

During the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2024, Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra & multidisciplinary artist Arion de Munck (Ombak-Lab) present Hadra Immersive, an experience in which Water, Harmony and Light play a central role. The climax of Hadra is not just a musical peak; it is a moment of collective transcendence, in which those pr...

(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...

Come and see artworks made by Utrecht-based artists from the Kunstuitleen Utrecht collection and listen to the music Honingbeer made inspired by these works. What happens when you look at art while li...

In 2024, Le Guess Who? starts a pilot with Low Income Day Tickets, specifically for those who otherwise would not be able to attend the festival. This initiative arises from the fact that we hear that the ticket price is one of the biggest barriers for people to visit the festival. We want to give people - who would like to visit the fes...

With their cosmic jazz celebration, Sun Ra Arkestra was one of the closing acts of Le Guess Who? 2017. We're pleased to now bring you the full recording of this show, spanning decades of the Sun Ra le...

Mees de Rozario presents his Rave Organs: fusions between street organs and sound systems. Built to bring people together to party and shake up the smooth, efficiency-oriented, anonymous street. Power...

Location: Korte Minrebroederstraat AKMAR is a multidisciplinary artist working with a range of disciplines, from video and computer generated work to physical sculptures. Vanitas is about digital tra...

Would you like to dance? These four master drummers from Nigeria make sure you do! Enjoy the beautiful music and cultural tradition of the Yoruba people from Nigera, performed by the Ìsò...

Right next to the chaos of Utrecht Central station is Perron West, an old train car revamped to serve as a get-together. Party by day in the Stiltecoupé; a channel serving silent disco by local...

Often, we will listen without actually hearing. We think we know what something sounds like, and lose interest. But if we listen intently, there’s often more there than we initially expected. In...

At the age of 27, Anderson do Paraíso - or ‘queridão’, meaning ‘the dearest’ - has made himself a legend in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The seminal artist is known fo...

Right nextdoor to the chaos of Utrecht Central station is Perron West, an old train car revamped to serve as a get-together. Party by day in the Stiltecoupé; a channel serving silent disco by l...

Supervisory Board Hans van Soelen – chairman (end second term March 2030)Jorien Waanders – audit committee (end second term June 2030)Mark Laagewaard – audit committee  (end first term January 2027)Nancy Poleon – member (end first term January 2027)Ilayda Hagens – member (end first term January 2027)Sem...

“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...

During Le Guess Who? 2024, we witnessed the magic of legendary Cumbia and Gaita ensemble Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, thanks to festival curator Mabe Fratti who invited them to Utrecht. You can now relive the performance with our concert film below.  Dubbed "the authentic masters of traditional Colombian Music" by the New Yorker,...

Unfortunately, it is currently no longer possible to register as a volunteer for Le Guess Who? 2022. Keep an eye on our website for more information about the participation possibilities next year.***We are beyond excited to let you know that Le Guess Who? 2022 is upon us and will once again fill the streets, venues, churches and hidden c...

Not all adolescents find the support they need within the youth care. For those who don’t, IJzersterk has developed ‘Empowerment’. Professionals and hands-on experts support young pe...

Please note: this conversation will be in Dutch.Marischka Verbeek, owner of Utrecht’s renowned bookstore Savannah Bay, will enter into a conversation with a selection of Utrecht based creat...

Don’t think about the elephant. Don’t think at all.We can only be in this moment. Not thinking.How do we not-do?We do other. Let’s get ourselves to do.The elephant in the room is our...

On ‘when the poems do what they do’, aja monet’s 2023 breakout album, the surrealist blues poet, like all the best of them, is unblinkingly honest, vulnerable, and open, but at the s...

After attending a workshop in deejaying and music producing by East African platform Femme Electronic, model Anita Kevin decided to try it herself. Watching her do her thing as DJ Turkana, we would be...

Inkhorn Controversy is a band from Utrecht that plays both Dutch and English alternative pop rock. Their sound is Britpop/Postpunk-like with some Progrock influences. With theiridiosyncratic texts the...

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...

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...

Presented by Le Guess Who? & BAK - basis voor actuele kunst Le Guess Who? and Jeanne van Heeswijk connected the Chicago-based pianist, clarinetist and composer Angel Bat Dawid with visual artist,...

In this talk, artist Mihir Raina (Lacuna) shares his practice of working with sound archives, from large institutional holdings to intimate personal collections. His research asks how these fragile an...

Femme+ connection in pressured times In a noisy and pressured world, we come together through music, care and connection: We Survive in Sync is a femme+ gathering hosted by The FemDem, a collective o...

Le Feast invites you to enjoy a feast together with people you don't know (yet). Whether you’re sharing festival tips, memories or recipes, or simply enjoying the moment, Le Feast invites y...

Le Feast invites you to enjoy a feast together with people you don't know (yet). Whether you’re sharing festival tips, memories or recipes, or simply enjoying the moment, Le Feast invites y...

Every month, U? hosts a reading group: a shared space to gather, reflect and think alongside one another. This special edition happening at the festival, is hosted by writer & activist Saina Salar...

DJ Haram x CAMP: "Anti-Format, Beside Myself & Finding your Sound"Nestled in a picturesque village in the French Pyrenees, CAMP organises onsite and online workshops and residencies with arti...

Community is a paradox—both a contemplative sanctuary and a battlefield, a place where we find ourselves and can lose ourselves all at once. But what does it mean to collectively inhabit? What h...

Brooklyn born and bred experimentalist L’Rain’s music can’t be put on just as background noise; it urges the most attention. This is because this ambitious multi-instrumentalist is l...

This talk is curated by AZEEMA, an independent fashion and culture magazine/creative agency celebrating women and non-binary folk of the diasporas. This conversation questions the importance of archiv...

Every year, COSMOS - our hybrid platform highlighting independent music scenes from around the world - links up with new partners, inviting them to grant us a glimpse into their unique musical environments. We’re now rolling out the visual component of these partnerships: short but powerful mini-documentaries, by the scene, for the...

Kunsthal Kloof is an exhibition space that creates new connections in Utrecht's cultural landscape through experimentation. In this exhibition, Kunsthal Kloof focuses on the relationship to our living...

Youniss Ahamad’s journey started during quarantine and produced several tracks characterized by jagged rhythms underneath heavy synths and distorted vocals. In the four short years since the bir...

De Nijverheid is a cultural freeport full of artists from all kinds of disciplines. Over fifty artists call this their second home, making De Nijverheid an artistic hub that sparks new creativity, une...

TIMES (The Independent Movement for Electronic Scenes) is a cooperative project that brings together different European festivals to create original performances that combine music and visual arts. As well as shared programming of artists and the project's original creations, TIMES aims to support, promote, and improve diversity and susta...

Theater Kikker x U? presents The EarIn the 30-minute one-on-one performance Sensory Sensation Series No.1 – The Ear, the ear of the participant is central. The participant, the ear and the...

COSMOS: Behind the Scenes with Rắn Cạp Đuôi  In 'Behind the Scenes', COSMOS dives into local stories from across the world together with our global partners. Vietnamese experimental music collective Rắn Cạp Đuôi have been expanding their vast auditory spectrum since forming back in 2015. On their first two albums, Ngủ N...

De Witte Kunst is a Dutch musical ensemble consisting of multi-instrumentalist Lyckle de Jong and songwriter and singer Koen van Bommel. In their songs they dream about a better world, resulting in a...

If you know, you know. Digital natives, hyper divers, self-educated and tuned all the way in. This exhibition gives insight into the thriving and divers world of subcultures and scenes of Utrecht...

New at Museum Speelkok, a museum that houses a phenomenal, unique collection of self-playing musical instruments, is the freely accessible art space, where talented artists can exhibit their music and...

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....

Kim David Bots and Lyckle de Jong met in the water-basin of one of the earliest concrete structures in the Netherlands, a bunker that was part of Amsterdam’s defensive line, built around the 189...

Hard in style, soft in core. For Luna van der Laan (Looney Lunatic) and Carlos Kok (Boot 122), their passion for noisy, fast music stems from a broad artistic (self-)schooling, high levels of passion for music and, above all, an open mind. With a DIY-mentality, a grounded aversion of the establishment and a substance-over-style-approach,...

Still the crudest, strangest and loudest band from Atlanta. On their eighth LP, the cheekily titled 'Satan's Graffiti or God's Art?', the band unrolled an 18-song epic revelling in Wall Of Sound grand...

We welcome 69-year-old Kadri Gopalnath, saxophone maestro and pioneer from India. Gopalnath’s life’s work is to incorporate the woodwind instrument into the classic South Indian Carnatic m...

Just around Sunset on Sunday, 12 November, the spiritual Sai Anantam Ashram Singers will gather in TivoliVredenburg's Grote Zaal. Over the years, they have been bringing chants as followers of the leg...

Do you know what total destruction sounds like? It’s sounds like MC/singer Miss Red, aka Sharon Stern, and producer The Bug, alias Kevin Martin, hitting the stage. The Bug’s monstrous, all...

BAK presents London research agency Forensic Architecture is known for its unconventional research methods in order to investigate the violation of human and nature rights. As a Turner Prize 2018 nom...

When ex- COIL member Drew McDowall decided to revive the group’s 1998 masterpiece ‘Time Machines’ to the present, two decades after its release, the joke was probably not lost on him...

Drone-based music often wields the power to blur that stark hierarchy between audience and stage, to level everyone in the room as both participant and listener. Korean duo TENGGER are no exception to...

Welsh musician, composer, producer and author Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) was one of the artists to give a surprise performance at Le Guess Who? 2017. It was an an intimate solo show which t...

In 2014, Popmatters published an in-depth interview with the legendary singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan. Leading up to to release of her last album ‘Heartleap’ that same year, Vashti Bunyan...

Through live interviews, listening sessions, art exhibitions with select LGW? performers and all things print and sound, Kapitaal will transform into a three-day meeting place for craftsmanship and de...

Today, we announce three final line-up additions for Le Guess Who? 2018, including a performance by British electronic musician/producer Blanck Mass. We are also sharing some venue hosts during the festival; find their descriptions below & see when/where they are hosting in our downloadable time schedules.  Blanck Mass Sin...

Oiseaux-Tempête is the project of French multi-instrumentalists Fréderic D. Oberland and Stéphane Pigneul. In October, the group will release their new album 'From Somewhere Invisible': a collaboration with former Le Guess Who? artists Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem In My Heart, also LGW17 curator)...

Music as Spectral Infrastructure Writer, researcher and musician Edward George’s radio show The Strangeness of Dub combines critical theory, social history, a cross-genre musical selection, and...

In 1975, family group The Staples Jr. Singers released their first and only album: ‘When Do We Get Paid’ - recorded when the gospel band’s youngest members were in their early teenag...

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...

As music and media are so closely connected, we often underestimate the role of the music journalist in the distribution of music. At one point, a portal from obscurity to recognition, music journalis...

Levan Luka Nakashidze is a Georgian Music producer and DJ. During his career Luka moved through various music genres with the alias Exit!. 
His mixes are often eclectic, versatile and contain multiple...

Musical selections and conversation with DJ Lynnée DeniseThis session looks at the overlooked genealogies of Black music that shaped the electronic sound of Detroit. Picking up from DJ Lynn&eac...

Musical selections and a conversation with Edward GeorgeArtist and filmmaker Edward George explores how Caribbean consciousness—sonified through the music of dub—gives the housing estate o...

Musical selections and conversation with Dhanveer Singh Brar and Paul RekretIn this session Dhanveer Singh Brar and Paul Rekret are asked to pick a piece of music in response to a set of remarks that...

With her Quechua pop music, songwriter Luzmila Carpio has been one of the most influential artistic and spiritual ambassadors of Andean communities. Between innovation and ancient tradition, she spreads messages of indigenous struggle, female empowerment and love for the environment around us. Luzmila Carpio is bringing her iconic voice t...

U?, het gratis toegankelijke stadsprogramma van Le Guess Who?, kondigt met enthousiasme een nieuwe samenwerking met Music Moves aan. Music Moves is een trainingsprogramma waarin je een eigen muziek event organiseert voor mensen die daar niet vanzelfsprekend toegang tot hebben. De dansvloer is vrijheid, een plek om elkaar te ontdekken en...

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new collaboration was initiated between Amenra's Colin H. van Eeckhout and idiosyncratic folk artist broeder Dieleman. With a live premiere scheduled at LGW that year, unfortunately this has to be cancelled last-minute due to COVID restrictions, but the duo did record a collaborative album, support...

Three people. One will be in "character". One may not be. The former will be reacting to what the latter does sonically. The latter will be generating cues for the former to send back to him. The thir...

Le Guess Who? is a Celebration of Sound. From 10-13 November, the festival returns to Utrecht, The Netherlands, for its 15th Anniversary Edition. We now reveals the guest curators and their full curated programs, as well as the first artists for the general program. Curated programs by Animal Collective, clipping., and CURL Inviting gue...

United Screens for Palestine is an open and decentralized collective of programmers, cultural workers and venues, responding to the paralysis brought about by the ongoing genocide as well as the increasing policing, censorship and criminalisation of everything Palestinian. As a collective, they aim to make each screening a space for conve...

Last month, we hosted our very first reading group: a shared space to gather, reflect and think alongside one another. Over the past several years, we've been actively reflecting (both internally and in dialogue with various collaborators) on how the relationships between (cultural) institutions and grassroots organizations, collectives...

A Study of a Shared Meal is an invitation to come together in the preparation and sharing of a meal. Inspired by Harney and Moten’s idea of “study” as what you do with other people,...

Waterschade is a young punk band from Haarlem who do not like patriarchy, racism and, of course, capitalism. They express this with tight bass lines, hard riffs and lots of screaming. With a mix of ha...

Dianne Verdonk, Michelle Vossen and Roald van Dillewijn present and perform their new interactive installation bromwol. Literally meaning humming wool, they have mainly experimented with carded wool m...

As part of her curation at Le Guess Who? 2024, experimental cellist and vocalist Mabe Fratti performed live at the festival together with London-based vocal group Shards. Watch the concert film of the performance, featuring the tracks Kravitz, No Se Ve Desde Acá and Desde el Cielo: With her hypnotic pieces, Mabe Fratti comb...

“Do you know how to touch everything and be kind about it? To be strong. To keep all the life. A change is gonna come”. The closing words of Lonnie Holley’s latest album, Tonky, echo...

At the heart of Le Guess Who? is discovery: the act of seeing, finding, and gaining knowledge of something previously unknown. Question yourself: how much do you need to know about something to enjoy...

At the heart of Le Guess Who? is discovery: the act of seeing, finding, and gaining knowledge of something previously unknown. Question yourself: how much do you need to know about something to enjoy...

At the heart of Le Guess Who? is discovery: the act of seeing, finding, and gaining knowledge of something previously unknown. Question yourself: how much do you need to know about something to enjoy...

At the heart of Le Guess Who? is discovery: the act of seeing, finding, and gaining knowledge of something previously unknown. Question yourself: how much do you need to know about something to enjoy...

IDGK is an Istanbul-based music initiative documenting the city’s diverse alternative music scene. Since 2023, IDGK has produced numerous live performance videos in collaboration with local arti...

IDGK is an Istanbul-based music initiative documenting the city’s diverse alternative scene. Since 2023, IDGK has produced numerous live performance videos in collaboration with local artists, b...

In a world of natural and human-made disasters, what agency do we have as individuals? More specifically: how can we go beyond listening and transcend into moving and shaking matters beyond the dance...

Music is perhaps widely known to serve as a means of collective and individual healing. Yet how seriously do we consider sound beyond that of the auditory experience? What thoughts arise when consider...

AWICHAS is a music project initiated by Bolivian/Brazilian multi-medium artist and performer Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti. The project is inspired by Andean ritual and microtonal music. In collaboratio...

Raziyah Heath’s work aims to uncover the cross pollinations of Afro-diasporic (sub)cultures and sonic threads, focusing on the variations, range and intersectionality of the experiences that res...

Each year, COSMOS partners up with a number of new Embassies to showcase their respective scenes. This time, we commissioned local filmmakers to portray the main music spaces, actors and activities in...

Each year, COSMOS partners up with a number of new Embassies to showcase their respective scenes. This time, we commissioned local filmmakers to portray the main music spaces, actors and activities in...

Le Mini Who? presents the contemporary (Dutch) underground, in collaboration with independent local stores, shops and bars. It transforms Utrecht's city streets into a festival area, with more than fi...

What if art became illegal? How can an artist exist in a world where their expression is suppressed? With the rise of far-right politics and growing political tensions, artists from marginalized commu...

Asmae Amaddaou shares her keen yet velvety soft observations and experiences from her book ‘De wereld is van ons’. For the book, the 20-year-old Gouda-based, Moroccan-born writer drew from...

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...

VPRO Vrije Geluiden once again teamed up with Le Guess Who? the festival to capture several intimate sessions with festival artists - recorded at restaurant De Klub, just opposite of TivoliVredenburg. All sessions are now available to watch below.  Eli Keszler NY-based artist, composer, and percussionist Eli Keszler has garnered...

On the quays at De Nijverheid you will find the annually renewed open-air art exhibition KunstKoers. Prick up your ears as you wander along the art works, so you won’t miss out on composer and s...

Wanderwelle & Floor van het Nederend present their debut graphic novel ‘De Duizendpoot’ (The Millipede). The Wanderwelle duo is known for their electro-acoustic compositions and more....

On the closing night of Le Guess Who? 2018, Indian Carnatic music pioneer Kadri Gopalnath gave a mesmerizing performance, curated by Shabaka Hutchings. Listen to the full show, and watch and excerpt from the performance below.  About: Kadri Gopalnath’s life’s work is to incorporate the woodwind instrument into the cla...

In the mid-1960s, Art Ensemble of Chicago sprung from the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Moving far beyond jazz, avant-garde and performance art, the ensemble has created a realm that is entirely original. On the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2018, and on the eve of the Art Ensemble of Chicago’s 50t...

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...

Through the Buurt tour, you will explore the neighborhood Lombok and discover some favorite spots of De Voorkamers’ community members. They will match Dutch speaking with non-Dutch speaking part...

In the shed of the Ping Pong Club, the former factory for ‘Werktuigen en Spoormaterieel’ - tools and railway equipment, is the home for the annual Wisselspoor Photo Competition. This year'...

Moonwatch plays layered dream indie pop, merging spellbinding melodies with reverb-drenched textures to convey the moods of the night sky. The members of the five-headed band from Utrecht joined force...

Multifaceted artist Tomoki Sanders performed live during the closing night of Le Guess Who? 2025. Relive the show with our concert film, featuring the songs The Third Eye, Virtual Warrior and Unconditional Love.  At the age of 10, Tomoki Sanders was gifted a saxophone by their father Pharoah. Now, with tenor sax as primary instrum...

Through layers of percussion, voice and electronics, Roda de Santo expands the ancestral songs of Afro-Brazilian religions - cantigas de terreiro - weaving them with original compositions. Rooted in t...

Take a tour around the Ulu Mosque in Lombok. This is one of the biggest mosques in the Netherlands, and possibly also one of the most striking ones. When your train pulls into Utrecht Central Station...

Discover what De Voorkamer is all about: come along and take part in all kinds of creative 'mini' activities. These activities will give you a good impression of everything that takes place at De Voor...

A Misfit Cyberpunk Act. Bodyscan 223 is a media-dance-event that focuses on our conflicting ideas of technology, accesibility and queer-identity. Robin Nimanong presents his queer body as a witness to...

At De Havenloods you’ll be able to visit an art exhibition made for the Le Guess Who? Education Program. The exhibition features work made by five classes from three high schools from Utrecht: X...

Niño de Elche’s music is part brain, part heart. The Spanish musician, who is also called a ‘singer, poet and omnipresent master of ensorcelling souls’ has been challenging co...

Portuguese singer and songwriter Freddy Locks is deeply passionate about Roots Reggae. His journey began in Lisbon's punk-rock scene, later transforming through encounters with positive reality and re...

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...

Alternately playing the tar, the tanbour, and the setar, Iranian musician Khorshid Dadbeh is seasoned far beyond her years. She began her musical journey early, having grown up in an artistic family a...

Alternately playing the tar, the tanbour, and the setar, Iranian musician Khorshid Dadbeh is seasoned far beyond her years. She began her musical journey early, having grown up in an artistic family a...

On Saturday, November 11th, we will be listening to the stories presented by the participants of De Voorkamer's Storytelling Master Class. Together with Soula Notos, these women have practiced their c...

De Stadsjutters welcomes you to their adult playground, a realm of creativity and wildness. Dive into a day of art and music, exploring childhood trauma through imagination, catharsis, and celebration...

Danny van der Lugt and Victor Bontje team up to host a quadraphonic listening session. Normally they push the boundaries of spatial sound and acoustics to create music without compromise and to explor...

Improvisation and songwriting entangle through a plurality of voices, languages, strings, and unidentifiable noises. Songs of all forms sprout. Sberna's vocals shine and blaze fiercely in a dark warmt...

Enter the enigmatic realms of Mirusi Mergina, where unpredictability, darkness, and eclecticism converge to create a mesmerizing musical journey. At the core of her compositions lies a deep fascinatio...

Rave voor de Rafelranden organizes festive demonstrations to fight for more free spaces and non commercial culture in Utrecht. They highlight the importance of places that are created and shaped by a...

Kenyan artist and producer KABEAUSHÉ brought a powerful performance to the closing night of Le Guess Who? 2024, following the release of HOLD ON TO DEER LIFE, THERE’S A BLCAK BOY BEHIND YOU!. You can now relive this special moment – a night of bold sound, raw emotion, and unforgettable presence – with our concert...

As part of Arooj Aftab's curated program at Le Guess Who? 2024, surrealist blues poet aja monet performed live on the closing night of the festival: a moment in which we were reminded of the strength and touching character of the spoken word. You can now relive the performance with our concert film.  “Her voice is a balm and...

Cirkel om de Haard is an initiative started by Avan Omar, Ali Authman and a group of Kurdish musicians – most of whom live in Overvecht. At this concert Ali Authman plays the violin and the viol...

Dutch artist Marijke van Warmerdam spent an extended time in Rome from 2017. During this period she recorded the city in her typical way, resulting in a series of films in which the present, the past...

In honor of 900 years of Utrecht, the moment the city was born, No Man’s Land and U? are organizing a one-off musical trip through time. Leonard Luka, GINGE (ft. .Multibeat) and STACH x TANO are...

For Le Guess Who? 2023, Stereolab have curated an eclectic program, highlighting their various interests and inspirations. We've asked artists from their curated program to choose their favorite Stereolab track, what the band means to them and/or what it means to be curated by them. Listen to the playlist by artists from the Le Guess Who...

Bouldering is a fiery and spectacular form of climbing. A boulder is a clump of rock, and bouldering literally means climbing a rock. Since there are no rocks in the Netherlands, we climb walls with a...

Nature, afrofuturism, jazz, and hip-hop have come together to form Phantom Wizard’s ethereal work. The artist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist of Surinamese descent was born and raised in th...

Nature, afrofuturism, jazz, and hip-hop have come together to form Phantom Wizard’s ethereal work. The artist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist of Surinamese descent was born and raised in th...

(Nederlandse versie hieronder) As part of Le Guess Who? 2024, we are once again initiating the 'Donate a Ticket' concept. This initiative gives festival visitors the opportunity to purchase an extra day ticket for people who are also interested in visiting the festival, but do not have the financial resources themselves to do so. Visito...

Le Feast invites you into a living room in Utrecht, to enjoy a feast together with people you don't know (yet). Would you like to join as a home-chef or guest? You can now sign up!Le Feast nodigt je uit in een huiskamer in Utrecht om samen met mensen die je (nog) niet kent te genieten van een feestmaal. Lijkt het je leuk om deel te nemen...

Dive into darkness and discover the pulsating sounds of Amsterdam based Raderkraft - a masterful fusion of minimal synth, darkwave and Nederwave with post-punk elements. Raderkraft was born from his l...

Fiftieth anniversaries call for spectacular celebrations, and that is what Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble are embarking on this year. To commemorate half a century of continuously shifting gears and tempos in the jazz-blues continuum, the band is embarking on a new world tour. Before they do so, they visited the BBC...

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...

Two years after her stunning Le Guess Who? performance, the Guatemalan-born, Mexico-based vocalist and cellist Mabe Fratti returned in 2024 as a performer as well as festival curator. As part of her curation, Mabe Fratti presented some very special Mexican and South American acts that have influenced her personal development. Our residen...

La Double Vie de Véronique is a story of two women that go by the same name and share the same hopes and dreams, even though the one lives in Poland and the other in France. Unaware of the exis...

When De Ambassade first began dropping music unannounced, the Dutch scene noticed and proceeded to ask for more; and so, there came more cold and distant synth-wave tracks, whose reverb wrapping made...

Petersburg is one of the most mysterious and unique indie bands in the Netherlands. The band, formerly known as Petersburg Orderer and consisting of Camiel Muiser, Erik van de Paardt, Boris de Klerk (...

Rotterdam’s new livewire post-punk act Tramhaus have quickly carved out their own space within the iconic Dutch port city. On stage Tramhaus create shell-shocking havoc, with fragments of unfort...

(Nederlandse versie hieronder) For the upcoming festival edition, Le Guess Who? will continue its collaboration with the Dutch Council for Refugees. Just like last year, the festival supports the initiative ‘Grant an Entry’. The initiative gives festival visitors the opportunity to purchase an extra day ticket for refugees re...

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...

Ever since the release of their debut album Psychic, DARKSIDE have been celebrated for the fascinating ways they blend electronic music with disco, prog rock, psychedelic pop, and funk in a way that is both experimental and organic.  The group, featuring multi-instrumentalist Dave Harrington, electronic producer Nicolás Jaar...

While Utrecht-based artist Curling often takes to the stage as a singer in various metal, punk, and noise rock bands, in his DJ-sets he takes a completely different approach. His experimental mix of b...

The mechanical massage chair that Edwin Schulte made especially for an exhibition at the EXbunker, looks like an instrument of torture. Volunteer to take a seat in this chair made of recycled material...

Innovative hip hop artist Ido Hoogendoorn is working hard to become a pioneer in the next rap generation.  His style is intense, intriguing, melancholic and sometimes on the dark side. His lyrics...

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'...

With the motto of Listening is the Way Forward, Le Guess Who? is widely considered to be one of the most forward-thinking festivals around, celebrated for presenting groundbreaking music in inspiring ways. Here, artists from all over the world offer new perspectives on what is possible in music and, collectively, provide insight into the...

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...

The Utrecht based Onegg is a synthesizer collective led by twins Ewa and Marysia Saras, with band member Mariette Huls by their side. The band produces hauntological, synth based electronica. Melody a...

Whip is the combination of Ben Kalb (Pizza Knife) and Bob Mollema (Fluisteraars). They don't know what kind of music they make; it's genreless but explores all the areas they find relentlessly inspiri...

Kalaallit Nunaat, founded in 2018 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, combine their love for noise, post-punk, shoegaze and krautrock into a hypnotizing wall of sound. With music best enjoyed in a cold and...

Photo Archive Relive many unforgettable performances from Le Guess Who? 2022 and take a peek behind the scenes. Browse through a selection of images captured by our talented photography team. Festival photographers Juri Hiensch and Melanie Marsman once again use their lenses at Le Guess Who?, creating unique photo series that reflect th...

Finish off your U? journey with Ping Pong Club's all-day Sunday event. Visit one of Utrecht's last bars in the iconic train maintenance buildings around the city. They will have some of their local se...

FULCO serenades everyday madness. The Ghent-based Dutchman performs with BeraadGeslagen, STADT and De Beren Gieren, but when he’s not doing that, he is always writing songs in Dutch. Musicality...

Le Guess Who? 2024 is approaching, and we're looking forward to welcome you to Utrecht for our 17th festival edition.  We can't wait to share an amazing wealth of sounds with you again, but first, there are some important details we'd like to share with you. Please take a moment to review the following information before your visit...

Annemiek Schravesande crafts transient art from sugar. Her candy paintings, meant to be licked, embody impermanence. This approach showcases the duality of innocence and adulthood, inviting adults to...

Founded in the back of an Amsterdam metro, this platonic throuple combines cutting edge visuals with an exciting take on modern dark music. Founded out of a mutual love for the Japanese and London alt...

Raziyah Heath is an independent curator (a.o at Metro54), programmer, curious cat, hater, organizer, killjoy, lover, DJ and artist. At the moment she mainly delves into sonic realms/dimensions, and uses DJing under the name Chinnamasta as a medium for research and discoveries. Their work aims to uncover the cross pollinations of Afro-dia...

Too many birds exists on the precipice of music and nature. Music writer Ruben van Dijk (Front, OOR, et al.) is drawn to sounds that renegotiate our relationship to the world around us and blur the li...

Experience art like never before at Y?’s groundbreaking exhibit where the realms of art and technology intertwine. Delve into a world of awe-inspiring installations, where the past’s dream...

A powertrio in search of the razor-sharp edge between heavy and punk. Rats and Daggers focuses the intention of IDLES, the schwung of QOTSA and the fuck-it-all attitude of Amyl and The Sniffers into f...

Artists of Salon De Nijverheid invite everyone into their artist-run and self-built exhibition space The Tunnel and Hoek, part of the Art Café. Here, they present an extensive group exhibition...

Like a magic spell, the psychedelic groove of Peruvian legends Los Wembler’s de Iquitos pulses deeper than ever. Creators of the Amazonian cumbia, this group has been among the pioneers of psych...

Vital and exciting, the music of Assiko Golden Band de Grand Yoff is rooted in a very specific community, Dakar’s nightlife scene, but speaks to the world. For twenty years and across three gene...

De Nachtelijke Escapades present their new album De Dagelijkse Bezigheden. On the album, they describe their search for balance between playfulness and maturity: a bold, poetic mix of funk, hip-hop, j...

Visit our recordings section for lots of exclusive audio & video recordings of Le Guess Who? performances.  Featuring a.o. Neneh Cherry, Mount Eerie, Sun Ra Arkestra, James Holden, Mary Margaret O'Hara, Protomartyr, Selda Bağcan, Alanis Obomsawin, Junun feat. Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood and the Rajasthan Express, The Notwist,...

Lili Boulanger (1893) is a unique and prodigious case studies in music history, taking up singing, organ, piano, violin, cello and harp at the premature age of five. In 1913, she became the first woma...

In collaboration with Centraal Museum The Colombian ambient producer Lucrecia Dalt composed a commissioned piece for the exhibition De Line Up, which displays a rich overview of the power of drawing...

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...

Kleine Crack is the only Belgian artist signed to Burning Fik. The cult-rapper and his producer-teammate Slagter create ominous hip-hop, set to heavy beats. In their hometown ANNA (Antwerp) they are s...

Even without her other half Minka — who she met during EKKO’s DJ course over their shared love for fast and quirky electronic music — Joshka takes you on a rave journey past dynamic...

It is true that making plans for shows and festivals in 2021 is a bit of a gamble. But Le Guess Who? believes that it’s important to have something to look forward to. In the spirit of cautious optimism, we are proud to announce the second round of confirmations for November 11-14 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Le Guess Who?’s...

The Storyscope is a mobile installation that merges classical shadow puppetry with modern technology. The imagination comes to life using projections and animated images. Follow illustrator Lydrich Wi...

Lucas Kloosterboer plays the trombone, is a drummer and text performer, and has a degree in Dutch language. Others have described him as a 'freejazz-faun', 'iconoclast', 'slightly down in the mouth',...

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...

An instrumental post-rock project by English musician Pete Barnes. Having toyed with the idea of writing atmospheric instrumental music for a while, Barnes was left bedridden following a serious cycli...

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...

Le Guess Who? takes pace across 20 locations in the city center of Utrecht; ranging from churches and galleries to theaters and pop venues. Most are within walking distance from each other. Here are a couple highlighted.

Kaðlín is a composer based in The Hague, whose work reflects on deterioration by drawing parallels between the imperfections of memory and technology. She creates ethereal soundscapes by co...

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...

The breakdance and hip hop group Utrecht Connaisseurs Crew (UC Crew) was founded in early 2018. That same year, they won the first prize at the National Breakdance League. The crew consists of dancers...

You can also listen to this story – below or via your favorite podcast app. On the closing day of Le Guess Who? 2023, the festival features the first international performance of Ndox Electrique, whose music is inspired by an ancient ritual of the spirit-world originating from Senegal’s n’döep ceremonies. ...

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 not just pass the baton to those that carve out a new path – but where they engage on eye-level. In 2023, Le Guess Who? once again boasted an array of young artists...

Nihiloxica exploded out of Kampala in 2017 with their groundbreaking fusion of Bugandan drumming and UK bass. The band explores the darkest depths between two separate cultures of dance music, uniting abrasive club electronics with raucous percussive energy. At Le Guess Who? 2023, the group presented their late latest album 'Source of De...

Avant-garde cellist and vocalist Mabe Fratti returns to Le Guess Who? in 2024 as guest curator and performer. Now, she releases her new album Sentir Que No Sabes: a brave album, rich in both sonic inventiveness as emotional depth. At Le Guess Who?, Mabe Fratti will perform the music from the album accompanied by the London-based vocal gro...

Festival curator Slauson Malone 1 performed live at Le Guess Who? 2023 following the release of his latest album EXCELSIOR via Warp Records. On stage, he is joined by cellist Nicky Wetherell. Relive the performance with our concert film: Speaking about his role as curator at the festival, Slauson Malone 1 (real name: Jasper Marsalis) s...

Library Card came to be when four musicians from the lively Rotterdam music scene became friends. Lot van Teylingen, Mitchell Quitz, Kat Kalkman, and Emre Karayalçin soon emerged together as li...

U?, the freely accessible city program of Le Guess Who?, returns to Utrecht for its fourth edition. U? celebrates local and creative communities based in the Netherlands, with a strong focus on Utrecht. Our mission: Amplifying local communities from the fringe, U? is Utrecht’s radical playground for experimentation, co-creation and...

French indie-pop band Keep Dancing Inc debuts on Dutch Radio with a live-session at 3voor12 Radio.

Richard Dawson performed live at Utrecht's Jacobikerk during Le Guess Who? 2023 as part of the program curated by Slauson Malone 1. You can now listen to the British folk master performing Museum (from the 2022 album The Ruby Chord) and Two Halves (from 2020).  "The next song is from the point of view of a robot or an AI, somethin...

Boys of Summer take you into the world of Americana with warm guitar sounds. The nostalgia covered songs of well-known bands such as The Rolling Stones and heroes such as Springsteen and Neil Young. A...

Le Guess Who? is a playground for discovery and exploration, and once again that's deeply reflected in our 2024 program. Now that we've revealed the full line-up, including the curated programs by Arooj Aftab, Bo Ningen, Crystallmess, DARKSIDE, Mabe Fratti, and Touching Bass, it's time to start your musical discovery again. Take a deep...

With their podcast, U?TCAST showcases street culture talent from Utrecht along the full width.MokerjongCrow NesstybeatsYou may know Crow, aka Dark Ryat  for his music, but he's also a talent...

Noise Diva is an Amsterdam-based producer and DJ, Garage Noord resident, and co-founder at KLAB and SALWA foundation. Her musical stylings bridge together a variety of genres, from Moroccan trap to Eg...

Dancer and performer Kianí del Valle brings us the performance DE BRUJAS Y FANTASMAS, scored by experimental composer Ziúr. The captivating piece (whose title translates to Of Witches an...

Put on your ranger outfit, and join the Hofsafari! We will guide you through a jungle of circular buildings, sustainable entrepeneurs and wonderful gardens. What monsters are hiding in the pond?...

This event will hit you just as hard in the face as the rest of our program. No, you don’t have to step into the ring yourself, but you will be able to marvel at several intense boxing-matches a...

As part of her curation at Le Guess Who? 2024, experimental cellist and vocalist Mabe Fratti performed live at the festival together with London-based vocal group Shards. Watch the concert film of the performance, featuring the tracks Kravitz, No Se Ve Desde Acá and Desde el Cielo: With her hypnotic pieces, Mabe Fratti comb...

As a full-time member of Utrecht-based folk/slowcore formation I Am Oak, Dutch musician Robby de Selby is a versatile talent with an ear for both delightful melodies and foggy atmospherics. De Selby h...

Since 2012 Big Hare has been creating electronic mantras about things like internet phenomena, awkwardness and masquerades. In late 2019 they launched their second LP 'Lucky Dip' with Blowpipe Records...

The Amsterdam-based trio Marathon started out as a psychedelic shoegaze band, until they got a taste of the exuberance of garage punk. This discovery eventually led to the sound that characterises Mar...

On the closing night of Le Guess Who? 2018, Indian Carnatic music pioneer Kadri Gopalnath gave a mesmerizing performance, curated by Shabaka Hutchings. Listen to the full show, and watch and excerpt from the performance below.  About: Kadri Gopalnath’s life’s work is to incorporate the woodwind instrument into the cla...

At De Voorkamer you can learn the Syrian folk dance Dabke. Amer, who will be the teacher, is a health and food enthusiast, a body builder whose message is that everyone should stay fit and healthy wit...

Peach Tree, Ambiguous is a research project mapping production processes of value and meaning in the spiritual void around luxury goods. Simulating a tribalized department-store, the exhibition shows...

Location: Weerdsluis Boneless, brainless and bloodless. Jellyfish are fascinating creatures that can survive in various aquatic environments. They can thrive in the ice-cold depths of the Arctic as w...

Location: Vredenburgplein Aïda Gómez is an urban artist based in Berlin. Working with language games and the playful replacement of social codes in our everyday environment, she finds a w...

Fatemeh and Rian know each other thanks to their shared love of music. For several years, Fatemeh has been a participant at the weekly music evenings at the AZC in Utrecht. Here she treats the audienc...

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...

Want to be among the first to hear about the latest news & program updates? Download our official festival app. When you switch on notifications in the app, you'll receive news and last-minute update on your phone. During the festival weekend you can explore the line-up, create your personal timetable, find your way through Utrecht w...

Elegance, punch, softness, a magical rhythmic playfulness – Flamenco has it all. Flamenco is a physical activity, making music with the body, an outlet for the stirrings of the soul. Azules is d...

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...

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...

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...

Free parties were on the forefront of electronics since the birth of acid-house. Traveling D.I.Y. community’s like Spiral Tribe and MononoM are synonymous with underground and non-conforming sou...

Changelings, the fourth and final collection of original songs by Tilburg-based singer and producer Benjamin van Vliet a.k.a. Microwolf is a concept album about becoming a father. Its six expansive, f...

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 to...

Lees hier de tekst in het Nederlands. The open call has been closed.   Le Guess Who? in Utrecht is a festival for groundbreaking music and culture, taking place 7-10 November 2024. It exists to bring people together through music and art. U? is its freely accessible city festival, dedicated to celebrating creativity in...

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 Cham...

Our official Le Guess Who? 2023 app is now available, made in collaboration with TMSQR. With this app, you can explore the line-up, create your personal timetable, find your way through Utrecht with the interactive festival map and listen to the official LGW Playlist. You can also switch easily between Le Guess Who? and U?, our freely acc...

Ease Anais creates musical landscapes in analogue electronics. The duo is mainly inspired by the Japanese Ambient from the 1980s that results in a unique style that transforms your perception of your...

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',...

COSMOS x Underground Music Academy announce their 2024 Embassy in Detroit, USA A place to learn about the past, present, and future of dance music. With the Underground Music Academy, Detroit’s own Waajeed has created a utopian space for the city's aspiring musicians. Among music fans, few places occupy a similar space in the coll...

With their podcast, U?TCAST showcases street culture talent from Utrecht along the full width.MokerjongCrow NesstybeatsU?TCAST will be opened by a young enthousiast that we've seen making quite a...

This year, U?, the freely accessible city program of Le Guess Who?, starts a new collaboration with Music Moves to make the dance floor more accessible and inclusive. Music Moves is a training program in which young adults (17 - 27 years) organize their own music event for people who do not naturally have access to music events. "We bel...

Selestra is the music and sound art project of artist, researcher and xenologist Adriana Knouf. Adriana is also the founder of Selestrium Modular, listens to the stars and breaks out of the temporal g...

​​Musician and composer Denizhan Altay has just released his first EP ‘Dolu Anadolu’, a fusion of nineties hiphop and elements of traditional Turkish folk music. The EP contains a mix of t...

COSMOS: Behind the Scenes with Sharjah Art Foundation In 'Behind the Scenes', COSMOS dives into local stories from across the world together with our global partners. Located in Sharjah’s historic Art and Heritage Areas, Sharjah Art Foundation activities and events take place throughout the year and include exhibitions featuring t...

COSMOS x ICRN announce their 2024 Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania Bringing together DIY broadcasters from the Baltics and beyond, the Independent Community Radio Network (ICRN) has created an impactful platform that proves once more, that there is always strength in numbers.  In 2022, a handful of activists and community radios from...

Test your sustainable or social innovation at Le Guess Who? 2023Test jouw duurzame of sociale innovatie op Le Guess Who? 2023

Pedro is a versatile artist, mastering drawing, painting, sculpture, music, performance, and installation. His distinct style blends cartoonish characters, brushwork, and geometries, reflected in both...

Group exhibition with works from all artists residing at De Nijverheid De Nijverheid is an artistic hub with more than sixty artists working from their studios and ateliers, and every once in a while...

It doesn't matter whether you are musical or not, everyone can make tones in the Sound Garden. One day they just started building an interactive music machine. They have one limitation: all instrument...

Indian classical pioneer Kadri Gopalnath has devoted a lifetime to integrate the saxophone into the classical Indian genre of Carnatic music. We trace down the roots of this boundary-breaking art...

Before debuting his immersive multimedia-performance Somnium at this year’s Le Guess Who?, we had an extensive chat with Dutch musician, songwriter, and composer Jacco Gardner. About Dutch explorers, silent film soundtracks, Zambian rock legends, strange peninsula’s and of course, his upcoming LP Somnium. Jacco Gardner, sitti...

Kamiel Thomas is an indie songwriter and former member of the avant-garde dark rock ensemble GOLD. Kamiel's songs are worthy of arthouse films while also creating a sense of home. Kamiel Thomas i...

On Sunday afternoon, we’ll take a deep dive down into the depths of punk, new-wave and blood pounding rock ‘n roll. Together with long time festival location dB’s and brand new venue WAS., we will set the stage for a raving punk party, leading up to the celebration of 30 years of Mudhoney. Endless Boogie & Bloody Ma...

Velvet-Rebel’s dynamic and energetic sounds carry an important message of living fully with a mysterious dark edge. His use of a tight rhythmic spine of drums combined with bass with acceleratin...

Genre-bending singer Neneh Cherry performed at Le Guess Who? 2018, presenting work from her latest album 'Broken Politics'; you can now listen + watch part of the performance below:  Neneh Cherry - 'Shot Gun Shack', live at Le Guess Who? 2018: About:Across decades, Neneh Cherry traversed and transcended every known faction of the...

DUTCH CULT/CAMP TV, THINGS THAT DRIVE YOU MAD, AND NOISY GRINDPUNK!!!!!! ZALM IS A NEW EINDHOVEN-BASED ONE-MAN BAND THAT BRINGS UNPREDICTABLE SCREAMS AND DEEP, DARK GRUNTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ZALM IS FOR...

Dit weekend werden in de Stadsschouwburg Groningen voor de 21e keer de IJzeren Podiumdieren uitgereikt door De Vereniging Nederlandse Poppodia en -Festivals (VNPF). Le Guess Who? mocht de award voor Beste Festival in ontvangst nemen. Uit het juryrapport: “De organisatie bewijst keer op keer dat je met doordachte, vernieuwende en div...

Ambient drones, cowboy psychedelia and fuzz folk - that's how singer-songwriter Bart de Kroon AKA Homemade Empire from Utrecht describes the sounds with which he takes us back to the future. With his...

Are you ready for music from Afghanistan? Ghafar Amini is known within the Afghan community in the Netherlands and plays well-known Afghan songs. Along with the music, you will be able to fully experi...

Insert Blank Records is very proud to present to you their very first real-life showcase event. The new record label worked hard to build a diverse and joyful organization that represents the exciteme...

Common Frames and Radio Einstein present Greet & Meet: films, podcasts, photographs, talkshows and art, about and by newcomers from Utrecht and the surrounding region. In the wooden trailer you ca...

This will be the première of Aurélie Poppins (Cocaine Piss) and RomanOwitch (Detroit Underground) newest project. IDM scented alchemy of dirty, wet concrete-like hip-hop; acid synthesize...

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...

Le Guess Who? 2013 Live videos from LGW13 VPRO 3VOOR12 captured live performances from different locations in Utrecht. Watch below:

For a decade and a half, Mary Ocher has been weaving thought-provoking and often challenging art concerning authority, identity, and conflict. The artist's musical output encompasses everything from t...

Cutting edge Palestinian duo Shabjdeed & Al Nather performed live at Le Guess Who? 2024. Below, you can watch the performance of Nkd Glg and Arab Style from their momentous debut album Sindibad el Ward, released via BLTNM Records. "Shabjdeed & Al Nather’s deft double-time rapping gets a rapturous response from the bo...

In the flamenco world, Frente Abierto presents new possibilities. The group welcomes genres as diverse as metal and ambient into their realm, fusing their experimental streak with some of new flamenco’s most powerful singers.  At Le Guess Who? 2024, the Andalusian collective collaborated with Israel Fernández, a cantaor...

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...

M-II was born in the Philippines and fled to the Netherlands as a child with her family. From an early age she processes her life experiences by painting and making music. She raps and sings in differ...

Le Guess Who? presents ‘The Big Playback’, a conversational, in-depth podcast about all things music. In the second episode of ‘The Big Playback’, host Margaret Munchheimer talks to four different musicians about the shifting relationship between Art and Identity and who in some way explore the self as a mediu...

Outside the Catharijnepoort, where today you’ll find the Smakkelaarsveld, the Ellendigenkerkhof (the churchyard of the wretched) was situated between 1402 and 1664. A burial ground for those who...

Holzkohle plays electro ambient drone, which means low bloops, high bleeps and danceable beats. Sometimes with a piano with broken C key, sometimes with e-bow driven guitars, but always with synthesiz...

Frank Bosma is a creative developer who aims at offering people meaningful experiences that they can discover while playing, whether that’s online or offline. From sites to apps, and Augmented R...

Skatepark Utrecht will organize several skating workshops at U? for everybody willing to participate, experience is not required! Skateboards, helmets and other protection will be provided by the teac...

Claudia C. ten Hoeve creates art for children aged 1 to 111. She playfully explores how everyone can make a difference in the world. For U? she wants to turn Ravenoord (at Rotsoord) into Hartenoord, a...

(Nederlandse versie hieronder) Every year we give visitors the opportunity to 'Donate a Ticket'. This initiative gives festival visitors the opportunity to purchase an extra day ticket for people who are also interested in visiting the festival, but do not have the financial resources themselves to do so. Visitors can donate a ticket vi...

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...

Omit Iwik (Iris van der Sluis) is an ambient and experimental DJ and musician from Utrecht. Through soundscapes of manipulated field recordings, collected sounds, samples and guitar loops, Omit Iwik t...

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...

After a blistering summer full of food and worries in the French Ardennes, singer-songwriter Ootes is ready to share his new repertoire. Originally English songs became Dutch, but the main characters...

Audio Recordings  Listen to performances of Kamilya Jubran, ZULI & Omar El Sadek, Slauson Malone, Faiz Ali Faiz, Richard Dawson, W.I.T.C.H., Lost Girls, MIKE, SANAM, Niño de Elche, Stereolab, Le Cri du Caire, Pankisi Ensemble, Tom Skinner, Moin, African Head Charge,  VISIT AUDIO ARCHIVE

Le Guess Who? is an ever-changing format: we are always full of new ideas and looking for new ways to do what we do. In order to keep developing the festival the upcoming fifteen years on the same level as we did the last fifteen, we could use your support. Over the past fifteen years, we have developed into a platform that showcases...

The Amsterdam-based artist Nemo Vos (Tibor de Jong) graduated from St. Joost School of Art & Design, Breda, in 2015. You may know him from his digital video work for Obey Clothing or the animated...

This November, Le Guess Who? will feature a spellbinding solo piano performance by Abdullah Ibrahim, South Africa’s most eminent pianist, anti-apartheid activist and a world-respected master musician. Abdullah Ibrahim's effervescent music is instantly recognizable, taking the audience on a journey through gospel and jive, American j...

How does one put Ndox Electrique into mere words? It is wild, dark, and solar; it is feminine and powerful, groovy and heavenly. Most importantly, Ndox Electrique is a ritual of possession which comes...

The live-sets of BUG are bursting with energy, performers crawling over each other and a mosh pit in the venue. With its own sound and style, somewhere between hip-hop, punk and rave, BUG is infecting...

Portuguese producer and DJ Francisco "Fininho" Sousa began as a techno DJ in Lisbon. Co-founding Celeste/Mariposa in 2009 shifted his path, supporting Lisbon's African diaspora talent, notably from An...

Go nuts on the dancefloor, get some dirty doom in your eyes and become slightly intoxicated. One man band Schwierige Franz combines the meanest and the leanest of EBM, postpunk and fuzzy rock ‘n...

(scroll naar beneden voor de Nederlandse tekst) Pain Against Fear is the final part of the controversial music theater trilogy PERMANENT DESTRUCTION, produced by theater creator and performer Naomi Velissariou in co-production with Theater Utrecht. In this performance, Velissariou introduces herself as a popular singer of ‘PERMANEN...

For Le Guess Who? 2024 guest curator Arooj Aftab, the night is a big source of inspiration: to the night she dedicated the new album Night Reign, out now via Verve Records.  "There is an exhilarating sense of potential on Night Reign: dew glistens and flowers prepare to bloom as Aftab opens herself up to new love. Throughout the alb...

When producer, musician, and thinker Arp Frique introduced himself to the world on debut record ‘The Colorful World of Arp Frique’, the world couldn’t help but smile back. Five years...

When producer, musician, and thinker Arp Frique introduced himself to the world on debut record ‘The Colorful World of Arp Frique’, the world couldn’t help but smile back. Five years...

Coming from the free party scene, Diafracta felt the need for a more abstract approach to music. He has a never ending curiosity to dive into sounds and their sonic possibilities, creating experimenta...

Welcome to the world of PAINKILLER PARTY! This band revitalizes Electronicore with a mix of heavy breakdowns, quirky electronics, sweet melodies, and deep growls from a female voice. Think deathcore m...

As a DJ, Wes has an affinity for sounds from across the globe, both from the past and present. With a passionate interest in history, he’s always keen to track down the stories behind the music...

In just a few years, Keep Dancing Inc has etched an indelible mark on the indie alternative scene with their suave and serene approach. European tours alongside Blossoms, collaborations with Altin G&u...

Baby's Berserk, a radiant manifestation from Berlin's Toy Tonics label, weaves the vibrant threads of 1980s New Wave and Y2K Indie dance sensibilities. Guided by Lieselot Elzinga, a sage presence in a...

LUIZGA, the creative moniker of Luiz Gabriel Lopes, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and producer. With origins in Minas Gerais, his music blends MPB with global influences like pop and folk. Spanning...

"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...

Curated by Lonnie Holley, Saul Williams meets Carlos Niño & Friends featuring Surya Botofasina performed live at Le Guess Who? 2025, following the release of their self-titled album via International Anthem. Relive the performance with our concert film, premiered by The Wire.  Poet, musician, actor and director Saul Wil...

Athough the topics of the songs are often absurdist and quite bleak, BoterBoter’s live show of harsh vocals full of poetry and weird loops on hardware synths shows how not to spiral down in pess...

Come listen to the beautiful stories from participants of De Voorkamer Master Class Storytelling.Through three intensive sessions with storyteller Soula Notos (from the bimonthly Soula’s Storyte...

Utrecht's independent print workshop Kapitaal, once again hosts the official Le Guess Who? Hangout through all things print and sound. The program is a culmination of print, live music, DJ's, pizza's...

Calunga Estrelada is a percussive ensemble - terno - embodying an encounter of rhythms, processions and songs, in which (Afro-)Brazilian cultures of congada, maracatu de baque solto and samba pisado a...

tonya belugina is an independent cultural researcher, community-oriented curator and educator. Their projects are existing on the border of poetry, participatory practices, pedagogy and field-research...

An intimate portrait of the circumstances surrounding the creation of Jerusalem In My Heart’s live recording of “Wa Ta’atalat Loughat Al Kalam” (The language of speech has brok...

Foundation De Pastoe Fabriek presents De Pastoe Fabriek promotes the objective of good design from an aesthetical and corporate social responsibility perspective, stimulating designers to appreciate...

Foundation De Pastoe Fabriek presents De Pastoe Fabriek favours a new international counter-culture to break the hegemony of the global financial institutions and to reverse the tide of narrow-minded...

Colombian artist Julián Mayorga reminds us how freeing it can be to not take ourselves too seriously. Upon graduating from a Masters degree in electroacoustics and algorithmic composition in Ma...

Meant to perform at last year’s LGW OFF event, in 2021 Gebroeders Dieleman van Eeckhout join the main line-up of Le Guess Who?. This project is carried out by unorthodox duo Colin H. van Eeckhou...

French label Versatile Records prides itself on encouraging artists to stray far from the norm. ‘Jours De Grève’, helmed by French folk muse Emmanuelle Parrenin and German electroni...

19-year-old Nelcon is THE rapper from Utrecht. He recently dropped his debut album Nelconic on one of the most interesting independent labels in the Netherlands, Burning Fik. An album filled with fres...

This year, Le Guess Who? collaborates with Corderius College in Amersfoort in an educational project. Pupils were asked to choose one of the artists from this year’s line-up, and explore their background and inspiration. Based on this, they created a new visual image or product for the artist. Here's what they have to say about AMM...

burger service is a solo project by Jan Tromp that combines lofi, punk, Dutch, and wave. burger service is een soloproject van Jan Tromp waarin hij lofi combineert met punk, Dutch, en wave.  ...

Juan Juan taught his girlfriend to play the drums to his own songs, which draw on the music of Devendra Banhart and The Velvet Underground. His debut album ‘New Mexico’, recorded on a four...

Jasper Boogaard has felt at home in Rotterdam all his life, but to find his musical peers he needed to look elsewhere – in Philadelphia, home to bands like Hop Along, Alex G and Algernon Cadwall...

The Flare Quartet, with violinists from the Netherlands, Spain and Canada, was founded in 2020 by a group of master students from the Utrecht Conservatoire. They are joining the  Palestinian, Syr...

The performative character of the work of painter Koen Delaere can be compared to experiencing a live music performance or to making music in which meaning evolves while listening and playing. A spont...

Rotterdam-based, eclectic Kraut collective Smudged blends elements of hypnotic synth patterns, garage drums, fuzz guitars and kraut basslines resulting in a scuzzy mix of energetic garage and electron...

The Fire Harvest balances beautifully between slow core, country-noir and post-rock. They master the art of dosage, of giving substance to their music in the right way so that tension is preserved. Wh...

Combo Qazam is a post-punk band from Utrecht that relies heavily on grooves and eerie vocal harmonies. On their well-received debut Flight Music (2020), they link this to 90s indie, math rock, prog an...

Le Guess Who? will host a special lunch at LOU Oudenoord. A place for conversation, reflection, relaxation and great food. Engage in talks with your fellow festival visitors about all the things you&r...

Location: TivoliVredenburg Wilhelmusvlug is a contemporary artist whose main focus for the last 15 years has been on monumental light art and video art installations. All My Colours is a light art in...

Location: Neude What happens when you embrace noise? FROM NOISE is an audio-visual sculpture consisting of countless noise frequencies. The noise is used as a building block in an abstract landscape...

Fera is a wild and adventurous new work that Egyptian artist Maurice Louca wrote over a four-year period. It was performed live at Le Guess Who? 2024 together with Ayman Asfour as part of Chromesthesia, curated by Hannah Elsisi. Below, you can watch Barĩy from the captivating performance and listen to the full audio of the show. ...

When he was eleven, Haydar came to the Netherlands, got into Turkish music and started playing darbuka. Now, Haydar has been playing darbuka for over 40 years. Coming from Dutch and Turkish culture, h...

Formula C is a 22 year old rapper and producer from Amersfoort. With a raw, complex and funky sound, he immerses himself in rap verses with lots of metaphors, tongue twisters and varying rhyme schemes...

The synthpop songs of the Utrecht one-man band Yakuni Tunes contain solid drum computer beats, dreamy vocals and layered retro keyboards. These songs go hand in hand with lyrics about heartache, faile...

This year, Kapitaal returns as the official Le Guess Who? 2021 Hangout. Utrecht's beloved independent print workshop collaborates with Kickstarter and Stranded FM to bring you a program with radio and DJ sets, interviews, live sessions, art exhibitions, film screenings, and all things print & sound from Friday 12 November till Sunday...

Gonzo (circus), het Vlaams-Nederlandse magazine voor vernieuwende muziek en andere kunstvormen, is al jarenlang een partner van Le Guess Who?. Dit jaar presenteren ze een speciaal LGW21 dossier met interviews uit hun archieven met Space Afrika, Duma, Spill Gold, Angel Bat Dawid, Jessica Moss, Matana Roberts en Vladislav Delay. Daarnaast p...

The synthpop songs of the Utrecht one-man band Yakuni Tunes contain solid drum computer beats, dreamy vocals and layered retro keyboards. These songs go hand in hand with lyrics about heartache, faile...

This year, Le Guess Who? want to develop LGW TV, our online, interactive platform where we can create and experiment with new video content. To do so, we would love to hear what you would want to see on LGW TV. Therefore, we’re organizing group discussions with LGW audience members from all over the world. These online discussions...

Nijhof & Toonk make improvisational clever electronics fuelled by post-rock and dub-laden styles. In their immersive and lingering live-shows, unique pathways are explored and take shape, as the d...

Continuing the legacy of her father, the legendary Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar is considered to be one of the world’s most renowned sitar players. In 2018, she performed at Le Guess Who?, together with Austrian percussionist and Björk collaborator Manu Delago and the 27-member string section of the Metropole Orkest, conducte...

The Antwerp-based nine-piece ensemble Condor Gruppe takes you on a hypnotic trip through their record collections, paying tribute to obscure Italian 70s film soundtracks, krautrock and psychedelic gro...

Three veterans from the Dutch hardcore scene bring you an intense and melodic form of post-hardcorepunk in the vein of Wipers, Black Flag and Bad Brains. With two full-length albums under their belt,...

U?, het gratis toegankelijke stadsprogramma van Le Guess Who?, viert lokale en creatieve communities, met een sterke focus op Utrecht. U? keert van 8-10 november 2024 terug voor de vierde editie. U? onthult nu het volledige programma voor 2024, met op zaterdag 9 november een festival-playground in het Cartesiusgebied, en daarnaast veel a...

Le Guess Who? exists to bring people together through art and music. In 2021, the international festival for boundary-crossing music and culture makes a new addition to the upcoming festival edition: U?, a new, participative and freely accessible day program created for and with the city of Utrecht. 

Le Guess Who? x Kapitaal x Stranded FM present: The Official Hang-out. Through live music, radio dj-sets, talks, art exhibitions, printing and all things that scream print and sound, Kapitaal will tra...

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...

Cocobolo creates music with instrumental themes and evocative song titles. It’s a mix of old-school funk, psychedelic rock- and surf guitars, with a retro sound. Cocobolo believes that music is...

COSMOS: Behind the Scenes with Liquid Architecture In 'Behind the Scenes', COSMOS dives into local stories from across the world together with our global partners. For over two decades, Liquid Architecture has grown from a student project to Australia’s premier festival for experimental and avant-garde music. In its current form,...

Fueled by distorted guitars and intense vocals, this quartet channels deep-seated anger and pain. The lineup includes Shira van der Wouden (vocals), Mart Lier (drums), Jeroen van Koesveld (guitar), an...

Pakistani singer Faiz Ali Faiz gave a spectacular performance as one of the closing acts of Le Guess Who? 2023. You can now relive this glorious moment with our concert film, as well as the full audio of the show.  "Another kind of passion was found in the lovely old Vredenburg hall with the transcendent qawwali of Faiz Ali Faiz a...

Charlotte Nicole Victoria is a visual artist working at the crossroads of several mediums, especially printing, photography, and painting. She took a special interest in photography, exploring old pri...

Thomas Hell is a DJ, producer & music programmer interested in music as a means for communication and cultural expression. Alternating between softer sounds or harder styles, depending on the mood...

We’re transforming petting zoo Nieuw Rotsoord into an amusement park: PRETPARK!. A magical world offering fun for all ages. Think of rides, live shows, opera, light shows, workshops, film screen...

Linangan and Arts of Resistance are hosting a multi-media exhibition combined with a public program in Bibliotheek Neude, Utrecht as a part of U?, the free program connected to Le Guess Who festival....

COSMOS: Behind the Scenes with POP Montréal In 'Behind the Scenes', COSMOS dives into local stories from across the world together with our global partners.   Ever since Le Guess Who?'s very first edition, there's been a strong bond with POP Montréal’s 20+ year long history of platforming cutting-edge music. Fo...

The Utrecht squatting info hour (het kraakspreekuur) offers an alternative to the housing crisis by providing you with everything you ever wanted to know about squatting. Support your local squatting...

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 ve...

With a brush dipped in optimism, Tiago Caetano paints the melancholic Breton coast to turn it into the colourful palette of Brazil; luckily that warm wind will blow all the way to Utrecht for Le Guess...

An authentic showman, Índio da Cuíca radiates vitality and reveals to the world his expressive performance, original music and the charisma of a genuine Rio de Janeiro malandro. With a c...

Create, Play & Celebrate the City at the Kiemkamer Step into a green oasis in the heart of the city, where creativity, nature and community come together. Under the theme ‘Greening the City...

Gert Wessels crafts dynamic pieces that fuse form and function. His creations, marked by vibrant and distinct shapes, challenge nature with materials. Embracing chance, he sculpts polyurethane foam in...

Tonto (Francesco Zedde) came out of the most perverted wet dreams of Lightning Bold, Shellac, Zu, and Death Grips. You can call it noise, but it’s groovy like hip-hop and it’s anti-style l...

Canadian psych improvisers EarthBall performed live at Le Guess Who? 2025 following the release of their latest album 'Outside Over There'. Relive the performance, committed to spontaneous composition, free expression and sonic immersion, with our concert film.  The inception of wild ensemble EarthBall was serendipitous: they emer...

"Spiralling outwards from the cobbled, canal-studded streets of the old town, Utrecht is an architecturally beautiful city in the centre of the Netherlands." - Crack Magazine

Utrecht’s own synther-songwriter BoterBoter uses his hilarious, absurdist and poetic Dutch-language super-disco as a coping mechanism for his existence in this bizarre world. His unpolished but...

Dutch composer Wouter van Veldhoven explores the possibilities offered by archaic magnetic sound recording, processing and playback. He uses refurbished/adapted tape recorders, wire recorders and disc...

As Moor Mother, Philly-based noise artist, activist and wordsmith Camae Ayewa shapes the vocabulary of hip hop and energy of punk rock into a musical tour de force. Informed by history, Afrofuturism a...

The ‘Orchestre de Nouvelles Créations, Expérimentations et Improvisations Musicales’ (ONCEIM) is an orchestra of 34 musicians dedicated to the art of creation and experimenta...

Op zondag 22 oktober stellen we je persoonlijk het programma van Le Guess Who? 2017 voor in EKKO. Het festivalteam vertelt je over de totstandkoming van het wereldse programma en de verborgen schatten...

Centraal Museum presents Utrecht artist Robbie Cornelissen creates films, drawings and installations and was one of the main curators of the Centraal Museum exhibition De Line Up. Cornelissen is know...

In the late 80’s, Doug Hream Blunt moonlighted music with a job at a care home in San Francisco. As a relative late bloomer at age 35, he started writing songs after attending a How To Start A B...

Efterklang singer Casper Clausen presents his (yet to be released) solo music, made up in a small studio by the river in Cacilhas (Lisbon). With songwriting still in progress, Casper has only played s...

Keys of Light is a piano installation for everyone; it allows the audience to co-create the work by playing the piano. Every note that is played creates a pulse of light or visual element th...

Many questions arise when listening to K Records’ Old Time Relijun. Is it for real? Is it ironic? When leading man Arrington de Dionyso channels his best David Byrne impression under a cacophoni...

Le Mini Who? returns as part of Le Guess Who? 2018 on Saturday, 10 November. As a spin-off festival of Le Guess Who?, it transforms many of Utrecht’s local bars, restaurants, venues and warehous...

This experimental duo, born from members of Dutch dream-pop ensemble Bird On The Wire, has been telling vivid stories with their music since 2017, the year in which they released their debut EP. Altho...

Loui Lind (Louise Lindskov), a Danish Amsterdam-based artist, combines indie-folk/rock genres with her expressive high range vocal and storytelling. Loui Lind was inspired by musicians such as Mitski,...

Visit two art installations at Hof van Cartesius.Boomhut & FriendsBoomhut is an Utrecht-based collective and they focus on interactive and immersive art installations. Their works are not only abu...

Genre-bending singer Neneh Cherry performed at Le Guess Who? 2018, presenting work from her latest album 'Broken Politics'; you can now listen + watch part of the performance below:  Neneh Cherry - 'Shot Gun Shack', live at Le Guess Who? 2018: About:Across decades, Neneh Cherry traversed and transcended every known faction of the...

Through sampling and re-sampling of pre-recorded material and live performed pieces, Jos Smolders (modular synthesizer) and Guido Nijs (saxophone and other wind instruments) are trying to find new way...

presented by Jongerentheater Link Discrimination, prejudice, exclusion, racism; these subjects are all up for discussion at Open Podium West. Hear and meet people of all ages from the neighbourhood,...

I Think I Think is a dreampop duo consisting of Aurelia Wurfbain and Silva Westera. With the technological testcases in their music, like using computer controlled hammers/solenoids, tape loops and li...

In the Ubuntuhuis you can listen to Ubuntustemmen (voices) Part 1 & 2. In Part 1 you will hear Roos and Amara. Amara plays traditional Guinese kora music and djembé. Roos adds a layer of te...

Singer-songwriter Immen has a warm, intriguing voice and knows how to evoke a dreamy atmosphere with a dark edge. While most of her songs are written in English, she sometimes reverts back to her Fris...

Originally from Uganda, Daniel Okiror is an ethno-fusion musician and change-maker passionate about telling the ‘true’ African story. His performance, accompanied by other musical instrume...

Multidisciplinary arts center Basilica Hudson and Le Guess Who? will host the fifth edition of 24-HOUR DRONE from noon - noon on April 27 and April 28 in Hudson, NY.  The first wave of artists are now announced, including world-renowned Indian classical musician Maestro Khan with a performance of Indian classical/folk music for tabl...

Through live interviews and performances, listening sessions, art exhibitions and all things print and sound, Kapitaal, Utrecht’s beloved independent print workshop, will transform into a three-...

The initial line-up for Le Guess Who? 2019 has now been revealed. Delve into the music of all artists announced as part of the initial with our handpicked, official playlist. From Asha Puthli's cosmic disco anthem 'Space Talk' to the juggernaut industrial/metal of Godflesh, back to the vulnerable and healing music of La Bruja de...

The Late Frique Show, hosted by Arp Frique, is a late night talk show highlighting the music and artists you need to discover in order to grow and glow. The Dutch synth funkster making waves in the in...

Watch our concert film of Kim Gordon performing live at Le Guess Who? 2024, curated by Crystallmess, following the release of her latest, acclaimed album The Collective via Matador Records.  "The album's daring beats and improvised guitar are marks of a lifelong radical still at the peak of her powers.” – The New Yorker...

VPRO Vrije Geluiden was aanwezig op Le Guess Who? 2019 en maakte twee prachtige televisiespecials die op zondag 17 en 24 november werden uitgezonden op NPO1. Daarin zijn zowel sessies met festivalartiesten, opgenomen door Vrije Geluiden in het Academiegebouw in Utrecht, als live registraties van het festival te zien. Zondag 24 november:...

Amara Diabate, who lives in Zuilen, is a master drummer and kora player. He is hosting a djembe workshop where all those present can feel everything the drums produce and what it awakens. Diabate guid...

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...

An audio-visual scene in a greenhouse with artist Laurie Drew and musician Dennis Weijers.Een audiovisueel tafereel onder de kas van kunstenaar Laurie Drew en muzikant Dennis Weijers.

Voor U? 2024 zijn we op zoek naar nieuwe en enthousiaste curatoren om hun communities en creativiteit op het festival te presenteren.

Aloïs van Bruchem, aka ‘Birdguy’, creates multidisciplinary work. He is best known for his cartoon-like birds, which you see on canvases, skateboards, clothing or as street art. At Ku...

Stach Platenkamp (aka Stach) is a sound designer, producer, vocalist, session director and drummer. With his good friend Fuat Okatan (aka Tano Rivers), he is currently working on his first album. Earl...

Joram Feitsma composes neoclassical, minimal, melancholic piano music with an electronic twist. In October, he released his new album 'Stroom', with both music and poetry, that arrives at deeper groun...

(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...

Three veterans from the Dutch hardcore scene bring you an intense and melodic form of post-hardcorepunk in the vein of the Wipers, Black Flag and Bad Brains.Drie veteranen van de Nederlandse hardcore-...

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,...

Press Archive Our press archive includes press previews, reports and interviews for LGW23.

U?, het gratis toegankelijke stadsprogramma van Le Guess Who?, keert terug naar Utrecht voor de vierde editie. U? viert lokale en creatieve communities gevestigd in Nederland, met een sterke focus op Utrecht. Onze missie: Amplifying local communities from the fringe, U? is Utrecht’s radical playground for experimentation, co-creati...

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...

Cavolo Nero is the ingredient for all kinds of Tuscan specialties, but also a six-piece band from Utrecht. The brand new project was born out of love for afrobeat and groove-oriented music. With inspi...

‘El Peñon de Los Baños’ or ‘Colombia Chiquita’ is a rock formation in Mexico City, right next to the airport. Where hot springs still gush today. In the same way,...

Following the announcement of the curated programs and the initial names for the general program of Le Guess Who? 2022 last month, we are now adding four special projects to the program. These include the third edition of Hidden Musics and programs hosted by Coco Maria, GNOD, and Uncloud. Hidden Musics Le Guess Who? proudly presents the...

Musician Domenico Lancellotti (of +2's and Orquestra Imperial) grew up in Rio de Janeiro, and samba was the soundtrack not only in the city but also at home; his father, Ivor Lancellotti, is a revered...

This November, Le Guess Who? features a performance by Kamilya Jubran, which was curated by mastering engineer Heba Kadry. Born in Palestine and currently based in Paris, Kamilya Jubran is one of the most revered figures in the experimental and alternative Arabic music scenes.  Through her multi-disciplinary work, Jubran continues t...

Le Guess Who?, considered to be one of the most forward-thinking festivals around the world, returns to Utrecht, the Netherlands, from 9-12 November for its 16th edition. We now reveal the full 2023 line-up, after previously announcing festival curators Heba Kadry, Nala Sinephro, Slauson Malone 1 and Stereolab, as well as performances by...

MARUSKES is an experimental duo, consisting of Tania Zountsa on alto sax and Lida Brouskari on electronics, theremin, piano, and vocals. Driven by a fascination with literature, short stories, and the...

In Emma Riethorst’s sculptures and paintings, forgotten figures come to life. Their life-like appearance commands empathy. Through themes like anthropomorphism, these wordless creatures remind u...

COSMOS: Behind the Scenes in Athens with stegi.radio In 'Behind the Scenes', COSMOS dives into local stories from across the world together with our global partners. The scene in Greece has undergone a renaissance of sorts, with Athens becoming a hotspot for creative minds from around the world. Needless to say, this development hasn't...

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...

The Independent Community Radio Network (ICRN) connects and supports like-minded community radios with the shared goal of establishing a more sustainable and long-term future. ICRN’s activities...

We got an amazing amount of enthusiastic responds to our call for volunteers, so therefore we closed the registrations for now. However, schedules always change and there is a chance that a spot will open up. So sign up here and we'll get in touch as soon as possible. We are beyond excited to let you know that Le Guess Who? 2024 is upon...

Dance group Pieremachochel is a folk dance group from Utrecht. They have been keeping the rich Dutch folk dance tradition alive for almost 50 years. To this day they showcase Dutch folk dances to the...

Psychedelic noise-rock group GNOD has been working on rewiring the band's sound together with MC Sissi. This transformative collective now announces their upcoming collaborative album Inner Fucking Peace, out on the 25 October via Rocket Recordings. In anticipation of the record and of their show at Le Guess Who? 2024, the artists share t...

In the run up to the festival, about 170 students of three secondary schools in Utrecht have created artworks inspired by artists of the 2023 line up, commissioned by Le Guess Who? and BAK. The studen...

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...

Honingbeer is the solo project of violinist Marthe Lasthuis. In her latest EP ‘Opia’, Honingbeer’s musical colors shine. It’s a fully realized vision shaped by her background i...

gbw9 is a self-proclaimed babydj and half of raghoul - a multidisciplinary bass culture-focused label based between Morocco and the Netherlands. In 2021, they first appeared as gbw9 during Kigagne, a...

Dit jaar nodigde U? het Utrechts-Amsterdamse collectief 45ACIDBABIES uit voor een residentie in VOGELFREI. Tijdens deze residentie werkten ze aan een speciale performance rondom hun nieuwe album, dat een eerbetoon brengt aan en inspiratie haalt uit comic book-cultuur, video games, queerness, ballroom cultuur (vogue), eclectiek, kleur en e...

Birdcage Radio is a creative community and daily online radio that focuses on forward thinking events and dance music. For U? they will gather their beautiful flock of colourful birds to finish the fi...

Bouldering is a fiery and spectacular form of climbing. A boulder is a clump of rock, and bouldering literally means climbing a rock. Since there are no rocks in the Netherlands, we climb walls with a...

As part of her curation at Le Guess Who? 2024, Mabe Fratti presents some very special Mexican and South American acts that have influenced her personal development, including experimental jazz artist Germán Bringas. The short documentary Caminatas, created by Smiling C, dives into the life and work of the multi-instrumentalist and...

Dear Omens is a musical melting pot from the bustling streets of Amsterdam. This band intertwines krautrock, new waves, and dark tones into an idiosyncratic sound. With a fusion of organ, percussion,...

Crashing drums, growling bass and haunting guitars: that’s what Ziggy Splynt is. A dive into a musical world that is somewhere inbetween dreamy landscapes and a raging tempest. The alt-rock trio...

COSMOS x Santuri announce first 2024 Embassy Ahead of their first-ever electronic music summit, Kilele, COSMOS sits down with Santuri co-founder and director David Tinning as well as Nairobi staples Nyokabi Kariũki and KMRU.   For a full decade, the Santuri organisation has been supporting, highlighting, and releasing a mix of con...

We’re pleased to announce that Khyam Allami, Animistic Beliefs, Natural Information Society, Antipop Consortium, Wayne Phoenix, Badume’s Band & Selamnesh Zéméné, Kim David Bots & Lyckle De Jong, Toumba, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Radio Choir performing Delius’ A Song of the...

Introducing HOUSE OF DAAN, a crochet and ceramic studio crafting unique, taboo-challenging items. They redefine love, sexuality, and the human body through vibrant wool, yarn, and porcelain creations....

Beyond just music, Mimosa, the new project by Mbé, Leyblack Beats and Luiz Felipe Lucas, is an in-depth socio-cultural manifesto in which the three artists analyze, with an archeological eye, t...

Regardless of where his muse takes him, electronic musician Nick León never loses sight of Miami's dance floor. The sound he curates for the club is dystopian in nature, evoking the chaos only...

BUI (Bevordering Utrechtse Improvisatie), an interdisciplinary music collective from Utrecht, presents ‘What are You building in There?!’. Performers, musicians, audience, and passersby ar...

This month, Ksenia Kwiecińska’ll host the fourth reading group: a shared space to gather, reflect and think alongside one another. Over the past several years, we've been actively reflecting (both internally and in dialogue with various collaborators) on how the relationships between (cultural) institutions and grassroots orga...

Moments of encounter carry worlds within them. An exchange of intimacy, laughter, care – sometimes even a sense of community. For YUMNA, creating meaningful moments for Muslim women is therefore...

12:30 - 12:50 / De NijverheidScqxhbsvjjkalanmmdnnnsusaarrgrggggghhhghggggggzzzzhggzggsrrschttttzzzzztgggsschhrxrxrrrrrrschrwxzz

Guitarist and composer Caxtrinho reshapes samba into something urgent and unpredictable: a space where groove meets dissonance and memory meets resistance. As a Black and peripheral artist from the ou...

North Holland’s grindcore/mincecore powerhouse Combi Magnetron serves up a relentless sonic feast fueled by microwaved fury. This adrenaline-fuelled band cranks out thunderous noise and blisteri...

Directed by Luis Chumbe HuamaníRunning time: 94 minutes Sonido Amazonico (“Amazonian Sound”) is a fascinating journey through the history of the Sánchez Casanova brothers, k...

Overlooking the waterfront at De Nijverheid, Kunstkade presents seven big art installations from this year’s outdoor art exhibition. This edition is all about tickling your imagination with play...

We live in turbulent times. Polarisation, war and genocide are not distant abstractions, but pressing realities that shape lives across the world. Fortunately, the consequential global migration foste...

Experiencing nightlife and music events can be exhilarating, but also demanding on both body and mind. Loud environments, long nights and substance use can all intensify stimulation, with our brains r...

“Inclusivity in Dutch culture is an illusion, if the Netherlands doesn’t open the doors”. These were the conclusive words of Le Guess Who?’s statement about the struggles of ob...

16:15 - 16:35 / De StadsjuttersTonto came out of the most perverted wet dreams of Lightning Bolt, Shellac, Zu, and Death Grips. You can call it noise, but it's groovy like hip-hop, and raw like punk....

Stichting Le Guess Who heeft een Culturele ANBI-status. Een ANBI is een instelling die zich voor minstens 90% inzet voor het algemeen nut. Een ANBI is vrijgesteld van schenkbelasting. Voor een begunstiger van een ANBI betekent deze ANBI-status fiscaal voordeel in de inkomstenbelasting en de vennootschapsbelasting. KVK-nummer: 51954222RSI...

Building ecologies of sound and care At Hof van Cartesius, collaboration goes beyond humans — they co-create with waste cycles, plants, algorithms and the city’s sonic undercurrents. For...

Le Guess Who? 2025 is approaching, with artists and listeners from all over the world gathered in Utrecht for our Celebration of Sound.  We're excited to welcome you back to Utrecht. Here is some important info we'd like to share with you before your visit to the festival.  Downloading your ticket & wristband pick-up To d...

Every November, LGW offers the Utrecht Treasure Guide as a local guide to explore the city. Currently though, everyone is bound to their homes; all cultural activities in the usually so vibrant city of Utrecht are cancelled, and bars and restaurants are closed. That's why we’ve updated the Utrecht Treasure Guide with locations...

With many idyllic canals, a medieval city centre, the vibrant nightlife, and an overload of cultural activities, the city of Utrecht has some incredible discoveries in store for you. Selected with great care, Le Guess Who? would like to introduce to you this year's Utrecht Treasure Guide. Here is an interactive map, showing...

(scroll naar beneden voor de Nederlandse tekst) U? is the participatory & freely accessible day program of Le Guess Who?, which returns 10-13 November to Utrecht. It hosts a multitude of events and activities which are created for and with local citizens, initiatives, entrepreneurs, social institutions and community centers. U? featu...

From 10-13 November, we'll celebrate the 15th Anniversary of Le Guess Who? We hope you have a wonderful time in Utrecht and are excited to celebrate together with you. But first, there are a couple of things we'd like to draw your attention to. Please read the information below carefully before visiting the festival. Download your ticke...

As Le Guess Who? will finally return to Utrecht after two years, we'd like to present some of our favourite spots in the city with this year's Utrecht Treasure Guide. Discover some of the city's best places to visit: think bookstores, record shops, hairdressers, bars and restaurants. All of these locations are unquestionably worth visiti...

With its cosy and colourful atmosphere, picturesque canals, breathtaking medieval city centre and buzzing nightlife, the city of Utrecht is a hidden gem full of lovely people and stunning places. Selected with great care, Le Guess Who? would like to introduce you to the 2022 edition of the festival's Treasure Guide.  In the mood for...

Every year, Le Feast invites you into a living room in Utrecht, to enjoy a feast together with people you don't know (yet). Many Utrechtian home-chefs will transform their living room into a cozy brunch restaurant, welcoming other visitors of Le Guess Who? to join for a massive brunch feast with lots of poached eggs, Ottolenghi inspired s...

Next week, we'll present our newest satellite event, 'Untitled', with one of the goals being 'an exploration of other artistic expressions by festival artists'. As part of Untitled, we will present a guided tour through Utrecht by acclaimed visual artist, improvising musician and 'Lover of Mother Universe' Lonnie Holley. Led by the m...

This year, as part of the 2025 festival edition, Le Guess Who? presents the first edition of Sound & Culture Summit: a program that embodies the festival’s mission to celebrate boundary-crossing music and culture by exploring diverse perspectives. It’s a space that encourages deep listening, critical thinking and meaningfu...

In 2025, De Voorkamer, a meeting space for newcomers and the local community, presented a program at U? that focused on celebrating creativity, community, and connection. Their program featured a workshop organized by performing artist, cultural practitioner, producer, and artist-in-residence Abdalla Daif. Our residential photographer Ro...

Interview: Aquiles Navarro (River Down Records) River Down Records – a COSMOS 2025 Embassy – is a label from Panamá City, dedicated to documenting and developing the creative sound of Panamá. With over 15 digital releases to date, River Down Records has produced new works and supported artists with an already es...

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...

(Nederlandse versie hieronder) With Day Tickets and 4-Day Passes for Le Guess Who? 2022 currently being on sale, we are once again offering the 'Grant an Entry' option in our ticketing system, for which we are continuing our cooperation with the Dutch Council for Refugees and NewBees The 'Grant an Entry' initiative gives festival v...

(Nederlandse versie hieronder) As part of Le Guess Who? 2023, we are once again initiating the 'Grant an Entry' concept. This initiative gives festival visitors the opportunity to purchase an extra day ticket for people who are also interested in visiting the festival, but do not have the financial resources themselves to do so.  V...

"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...

This year, Le Guess Who? will have its very own, official festival hangout, hosted by Kapitaal: a Utrecht-based -open- studio for screen-, etch- and risoprint. A meeting place with a proper program, filled with exhibitions, lectures and music, owners Carlien and Ramon create a social place where craftsmanship, design and pop-culture meet....

COSMOS x U? announce their 2024 Embassy in Utrecht, the Netherlands For the first time since its inception, U? – Le Guess Who’s freely accessible city program – enlists five Community Curators from different cities, to bring fresh new perspectives to the Utrecht’s subcultural network. What they all have in common...

Our official Le Guess Who? 2024 app is now available, made in collaboration with TMSQR. With this app, you can explore the line-up, create your personal timetable, find your way through Utrecht with the interactive festival map and listen to the official LGW24 playlist. You can also switch easily between Le Guess Who? and U?, our freely a...

Test your sustainable or social innovation at Le Guess Who? 2023Test jouw duurzame of sociale innovatie op Le Guess Who? 2023

For U? 2024, we are looking for new and eager (aspiring) curators to highlight their communities and creativity at the festival.

(Nederlandse tekst hieronder) In 2026, Le Guess Who? continues to offer Low Income Day Tickets. This initiative is specifically for those who otherwise would not be able to attend the festival. This initiative arises from the fact that we hear that the ticket price is still one of the biggest barriers for people to visit the festival. W...

On Saturday 8 November, U? hosts the multidisciplinary performance lost and found curated by tonya belugina, a researcher and community-oriented curator whose projects exist on the border of poetry, participatory practices, pedagogy and field-research. lost and found explores the world where everything is already existing: nature, histor...

Le Guess Who? & de Volkskrant bring you video portraits of artists performing at Le Guess Who? 2016.  We meet legendary Brazilian protest singer Elza Soares before her performance, and talk...

An authentic showman, Índio da Cuíca radiates vitality and reveals to the world his expressive performance, original music and the charisma of a genuine Rio de Janeiro malandro. With a career spanning over 50 years, the singer and multi-instrumentalist gives his all with exceptional dance moves while duetting with his cu&iac...

Based between Amsterdam and Berlin, Insan Larasati is a community organizer, DJ, designer and inclusivity officer. With artist Shasti Andara they founded Nusaqueer Diaspora, an open-structured collective that focuses on community events for the Indonesian and Southeast Asian Archipelagan queer diaspora. Freshly graduated from the Willem...

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…

(English version below) Voor de komende editie van Le Guess Who? (8 t/m 11 november in de gehele binnenstad van Utrecht, werkt de organisatie samen met VluchtelingenWerk, dat maatschappelijk par...

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...

U? is opening up a monthly reading group, not as a fixed program, but as a shared space to gather, reflect and think alongside one another. Each month, we’ll come together to explore questions that matter to the people in the room: How can we build collaborations that are non-extractive and non-hierarchical between grassroots init...

COSMOS: Behind the Scenes in Pernambuco, Brazil Following their broadcast during Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of COSMOS, we talk to Ana Garcia and Benke, the people behind Coquetel Molotov to discuss the local music scene in the city of Caruaru; how their involvement in COSMOS became Coquetel Molotov’s first musical incubator; and di...

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...

(Nederlandse versie hieronder) Between a partnership of more than 40 Dutch festival, a new initiative emerged, called ‘Geef een Toegift’ (‘Give an Encore’). Festival visitors...

(Nederlandse tekst hieronder) Following the success of last year's pilot, we are continuing to offer Low Income Day Tickets for Le Guess Who? 2025. This initiative is specifically for those who otherwise would not be able to attend the festival. This initiative arises from the fact that we hear that the ticket price is still one of the...

(scroll naar beneden voor de Nederlandse tekst) U? is the freely accessible day program of Le Guess Who? In 2023, U? takes place on 11 & 12 November. With this open call, we want to give everyone with ideas the opportunity to participate. The program of U? consists a multitude of events and activities which are c...

As part of Arooj Aftab's curated program at Le Guess Who? 2024, surrealist blues poet aja monet performed live on the closing night of the festival: a moment in which we were reminded of the strength and touching character of the spoken word. You can now relive the performance with our concert film.  “Her voice is a balm and...

Lili Boulanger (1893) is a unique and prodigious case studies in music history, taking up singing, organ, piano, violin, cello and harp at the premature age of five. Boulanger died at the age of...

Le Mini Who? returns as part of Le Guess Who? 2019 on Sunday, 10 November. As a free spin-off festival of Le Guess Who?, it transforms many of Utrecht’s local bars, restaurants, venues and warehouses into improvised venues for (mainly) Dutch underground bands to play. For its 11th edition on Sunday, 10 November 2019, Le Mini Wh...

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. This year, even more neighborhoods a...

Upon arrival at the festival, you will need to exchange your ticket for a festival wristband to ensure entrance to the festival venues. Please note: You can only do this at our ticket desk in TivoliVredenburg (Vredenburgkade 11, right next to Utrecht central station), not at other venues. Please note that you can only coll...

On Thursday, 8 November (the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2018), French experimental orchestra ONCEIM will perform twice in Utrecht’s iconic Dom church; a collaboration between Le Guess Who? a...

We’re pleased to announce that Panda Bear & Sonic Boom, Alabaster DePlume, The Bug feat. Flowdan, The Notwist, África Negra, Max Cooper, EIGEN RISICO, Smote, and The Brother Moves On will be joining us this year. View the full line-up here.  We’re also announcing programs, films & exhibitions presented by...

LnHD (Lynn Nandar Htoo) & rEmPiT g0dDe$$ (Victoria Yam) are two of Southeast Asia’s boldest new voices, fusing industrial club sounds, field recordings, fractured vocals and percussive minimalism. As the co-founders of Align.Online, a digital community that connects women and queer artists from all over Southeast Asia, they are...

In our Utrecht Treasure Guide - which is part of this year's official program guide -, we offer you a handpicked selection of exciting (non-LGW) events and locations in our city to explore.  Selected with great care, every store, restaurant or event we highlight is deeply embedded in the daily life of many Utrechters, and all of the...

Le Feast invites you into a living room in Utrecht, to enjoy a feast together with people you don't know (yet). Would you like to join as a home-chef or guest? You can now sign up! “Le Feast is such a great way to bring people together in an atmosphere of generosity and celebrate what unites us.” - Guest Home-Chef We are lo...

This week, we’ll host our third reading group: a shared space to gather, reflect and think alongside one another. Over the past several years, we've been actively reflecting (both internally and in dialogue with various collaborators) on how the relationships between (cultural) institutions and grassroots organizations, collectives...

Known for her relentless appetite for boundless experimentation, producer and musician Ziúr has always been subverting expectations, corkscrewing through hardcore, metal and punk before veering towards electronic music’s turbulent fringes. As a guest curator for Le Guess Who? 2025, her program spotlights bold, inspiring artis...

Nihiloxica exploded out of Kampala in 2017 with their groundbreaking fusion of Bugandan drumming and UK bass. The band explores the darkest depths between two separate cultures of dance music, uniting abrasive club electronics with raucous percussive energy. At Le Guess Who? 2023, the group presented their late latest album 'Source of De...

(artwork by Grouper's Liz Harris) Liz Harris aka Grouper is one of the most prominent and inspiring musicians exploring the space between sound and song. While mostly ambient based, her compositions...

Originating in Senegal, Ndox Electrique is a genre-blurring musical ensemble that blends electronically-infused avant-rock with the intense, ritualistic vocal chants and rhythmic percussion of the Lebu people's n'doëp ceremony. Their debut album, Tëdd ak Mame Coumba Lamba ak Mame Mbang, is set to be released on November 3, prom...

Widely considered to be one of the most forward-thinking festivals, Le Guess Who? exists to promote sounds that are often overlooked and to platform fresh perspectives on what is possible in music. Artists from all over the world offer insight into the unprecedented diversity of human creativity.  Le Guess Who? returns 6-9 November...

Interview: Kathryn Mohr Recently, we’ve visited the Eastern region of Iceland for an extensive chat with our 2025 COSMOS Embassy Seyðisfjörður Community Radio. This time, we’re moving a mere 100km further to Stöðvarfjörður, another fisher village in East Iceland that doubles as a hideout for cre...

Vanity Roxane is a DJ by night and a cultural advisor by day. Her work bridges the gap between heritage, policy, and creating – with a special focus on hip-hop, sound system culture, and gender equality. She is the founder of The FemDem, a collective to empower womxn+, ruling the soundwaves. The FemDem, a collective of Fem+ DJs and...

Interview: Seyðisfjörður Community Radio Seyðisfjörður Community Radio (SCR) is a shared digital and analogue broadcasting platform located in the fisher town of Seyðisfjörður. The platform is hosted, nurtured and initiated by an open-ended international community inhabiting various conditions and p...

Interview: Ozan Tekin x IDGK “İstanbul’u Dinliyorum Gözlerim Kapalı” is the title of a poem by Turkish poet Orhan Veli Kanık. It beautifully describes a city best experienced with all senses wide open. A sentiment that our 2025 COSMOS Embassy IDGK shares so much, that they’ve borrowed their name acronym from...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Le Guess Who? 2014 Audio Recordings There are lots of recordings available in our audio archive, including Selda Bağcan, Baba Zula and many more from other editions of the festival. 

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...

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...

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...

Meshell Ndegeocello is a true multitalented and multifaceted artist: singer-songwriter, rapper, bassist, collaborator, GRAMMY-winner, neo-soul movement igniter. Yet, even when sinking seamlessly into each one of her many roles, she has always worn her artistry and identity as a proud Black queer woman on her sleeve.  You can now rel...

Activism in Music is a series in which we highlight artists who use their work as a means of resistance against oppression while also celebrating oppressed cultures. Here, journalist, writer and editor Brechtje Keulen talks to musician, poet, writer and actor Saul Williams; musician and sound artist Dirar Kalash; composer, vocalist and o...

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...

Ahead of his performance at Le Guess Who?, shamanic painter Joe Coleman gives us a glimpse into his immersive work process. “Computers are very odd to me,” Brooklyn-based painter and perf...

Ahead of her performance at Le Guess Who?, we catch up with Tunisian singer, musician & artist Emel Mathlouthi while on her way to a performance in Washington DC. It became a talk about being challenged by collaborators, the Arab Spring and the role of social media, being categorized by singing in Arabic, and the importance of being t...

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...

COSMOS x Touching Bass announce their 2024 Embassy in London, UK Touching Bass is a London-based musical movement founded by Errol and Alex Rita, comprised of a community-come-club night, record label, staple NTS Radio show, concert series and curatorial studio.  Since its inception, Touching Bass has steadily established itself as...

COSMOS x Honiunhoni announce their 2024 Embassy in Karachi, Pakistan Honiunhoni is an independent production company and record label founded by musician and anthropologist Daniyal Ahmed.  Rooted in the ethos of ethnographic research, Honiunhoni celebrates Pakistan's cultural richness and diversity by curating and highlighting the...

While The Mauskovic Dance Band, brainchild of producer and multi-instrumentalist Nic Niggebrugge, is based in Amsterdam, the group create an ecstatic and exotic fusion of Colombian rhythms, 70’s afro-beat and hypnotic disco. To celebrate their UK debut mini-tour, the group is set to release a 7" single;...

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 collaborations, we're starting a new interview & music series call...

“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...

DRINKS are set to return to Le Guess Who? with a fresh batch of offbeat psych pop vignettes. We linked up with eternal nomads Cate Le Bon and Tim Presley via FaceTime to talk about living off the grid...

Multi-instrumentalist and singer Natalie Merling aka Weyes Blood returns to Le Guess Who? this year, invited by Perfume Genius for his curated program. Pitchfork recorded a mesmerizing session with We...

This November, Le Guess Who? will feature a special performance by Cheikha Rabia, a renowned singer with over five decades of experience in reinventing rai music. Her performance will be a collaboration with Esraa Warda, a prolific dancer expert in traditional North African dance forms. Both artists hail from Algeria, but currently, Cheik...

Le Guess Who? is een internationaal toonaangevend festival voor grensverleggende muziek en cultuur van over de hele wereld. De vijftiende editie vindt plaats van 10 tot en met 13 november 2022 in Utrecht. Le Guess Who? presenteert geluiden die je op andere plekken niet te horen krijgt, maar volgens ons juist aandacht verdienen omdat ze j...

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.The festival aims to let as many Utrecht residents as possible come in contact with the sounds, pers...

(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...

U?, the freely accessible city program of Le Guess Who?, returns to Utrecht this year with an emphasis on community. As a festival that aims to amplify local communities from the fringe, U? understands the importance of free spaces that are available for creation and for communities to thrive. Words by Gloria MaPhotography by Mirel Masic...

Mexican mystical phenomenon La Bruja de Texcoco (real name: Octavia Mendoza Anario) recalibrates her classical teachings to create an astonishing tapestry of traditional Mexican music, baroque and jazz, playing various string instruments, percussion and harp.  The legend of La Bruja de Texcoco (literal translation: 'T...

On Friday, 8 November 2024, Le Guess Who? will witness the magic of legendary Cumbia and Gaita ensemble Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto. To say that we are excited about welcoming them to Utrecht would be a massive understatement. In fact, the influence of this Grammy-winning, generations-spanning band on the trajectory of Latin American musi...

Utrecht based photographer Rogier Boogaard captured documentary photo series of artists involved in the festival.De Utrechtse fotograaf Rogier Boogaard heeft artiesten die betrokken waren bij het festival vastgelegd in documentaire fotoseries.

De Raad van Toezicht van Stichting Le Guess Who maakt bekend dat Bob van Heur en Anne Marleen de Jong per 1 januari 2023 zijn aangesteld als directeur-bestuurders van Le Guess Who?. Zij volgen algemeen directeur Johan Gijsen op.  Hans van Soelen, voorzitter Raad van Toezicht: “Als Raad van Toezicht zijn we verheugd met deze tw...

"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...

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In 2007 startte Johan Gijsen samen met Bob van Heur het festival Le Guess Who? om ondervertegenwoordigde muziek een plek te geven. Nu is het festival met zijn genre-doorbrekende programmering wereldwijd toonaangevend en trekt het ieder jaar muziekliefhebbers van over de hele wereld.  Johan Gijsen: “Met dezelfde kriebels waarme...

We’re very happy to announce that we'll have our very own Le Guess Who? Beer for sale at the festival this year. In collaboration with one of Utrecht’s finest microbreweries, De Kromme Har...

Le Guess Who? is een festival voor avontuurlijke muziek. Het festival is internationaal toonaangevend en staat bekend om de inspirerende manier waarop grensverleggende muziek wordt gepresenteerd. Vier dagen lang neemt het festival de stad Utrecht over met meer dan 250 optredens in popzalen, theaters, kerken, oude fabriekspanden en werfkel...

During Le Guess Who? 2024, we witnessed the magic of legendary Cumbia and Gaita ensemble Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, thanks to festival curator Mabe Fratti who invited them to Utrecht. Dubbed "the authentic masters of traditional Colombian Music" by the New Yorker, Latin GRAMMY-winning Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto have toured the world f...

During Le Guess Who? 2024, we witnessed the magic of legendary Cumbia and Gaita ensemble Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, thanks to festival curator Mabe Fratti who invited them to Utrecht. You can now relive the performance with our concert film below.  Dubbed "the authentic masters of traditional Colombian Music" by the New Yorker,...

Recently, Colin Stetson has been teasing his new soundtrack for the far-from-typical horror film 'Hereditary'. You can now stream Stetson's full horrifying score below. While you're at it, you can als...

Press Archive Our press archive includes press previews, reports and interviews for LGW22.

Ahead of his one-off, improvised, and non-rehearsed performance with King Britt at Le Guess Who?, Drowned in Sound interviewed musician, poet, actor and screenwriter Saul Williams about what we c...

A classical singer. A multi-instrumentalist. A transgender artist. An experimental pioneer of electronic music. A children’s show composer and actor. A Buddhist practitioner. A psychotherapy co-...

Upon arrival at the festival, you will need to exchange your ticket for a festival wristband to ensure entrance to the festival venues. Please note: You can only do this at our ticket desk in Tiv...

The third edition of Kilele Summit is about to take place in Nairobi from 23 to 28 February, 2026. A COSMOS Embassy since 2024, Santuri East Africa and Kilele have become a melting pot of adventurous music and culture. Under this year’s theme, "Sound and Solidarity", Kilele returns with a vibrant conference program with showcases, i...

COSMOS: Behind the Scenes in China We discuss LGW Embassy: China with Ivan Zhang two days before the Chinese New Year: a talk about BIE Music’s COSMOS collaboration and the diversity found in local music scenes across China; how going back to basics can also be a way forward; and how China is not the cloistered cultural island many...

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...

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. Ben Shemie, beter bekend als zanger/gitarist van SUUNS is inmiddels geen onbekende meer van Le Gues...

Op zondag 28 oktober, twee weken voordat Le Guess Who? losbarst in Utrecht, stelt het festivalteam je persoonlijk het programma voor. De oprichters en organisatoren nemen je aan de hand mee door het p...

Richard Dawson performed live at Utrecht's Jacobikerk during Le Guess Who? 2023 as part of the program curated by Slauson Malone 1. You can now listen to the British folk master performing Museum (from the 2022 album The Ruby Chord) and Two Halves (from 2020).  "The next song is from the point of view of a robot or an AI, somethin...

Peruvian legends Los Wembler’s de Iquitos performed live during the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2025. You can now listen to and relive the full performance via the recording below. Creators of the Amazonian cumbia, Los Wembler’s de Iquitos have been among the pioneers of psychedelic cumbia in the ’60s - when shoema...

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. De Uruguayaanse DJ en producer Lechuga Zafiro probeert de grens tussen het verkennende karakter van de c...

Mexican mystical phenomenon La Bruja de Texcoco (literal translation: 'The Witch of Texcoco') recalibrated her classical teachings to create an astonishing tapestry of traditional Mexican music, baroque and jazz, playing various string instruments, percussion and harp. Having recently released her debut 'De Brujas Peteneras...

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...

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. Conjunto Papa Upa is de band van Amsterdamse Venezolaan Alex Figueira. De muziek kun je omschrijven als...

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...

The Daily Indie neemt je mee op wereldreis. Door middel van een interactieve kaart leiden ze je door het programma van Le Guess Who? 2018. Ga op bezoek bij en ontdek: Carnatische muziekpion...

Colombian ambient producer Lucrecia Dalt composed a commissioned piece for the exhibition De Line Up at Centraal Museum Utrecht, which displays a rich overview of the power of drawing from the 1950s to the present. We caught up with the exhibition's curator Robbie Cornelissen at the opening of the show, and visited Lucrecia Dalt in Polan...

Pinkstermaandag 5 juni in LE:EN, Utrecht, met: Six Organs of Admittance, Baby Dee en Faarjam.

Op donderdagavond werd in TivoliVredenburg de Maartenspenning uitgereikt aan Johan Gijsen en Bob van Heur, oprichters van het internationale festival Le Guess Who?. De stedelijke onderscheiding is in het leven geroepen voor bestuurders die zich op cultureel terrein op een buitengewone manier voor Utrecht hebben ingezet. Burgemeester Shar...

U?, the freely accessible city program of Le Guess Who?, celebrates local and creative communities based in the Netherlands, with a strong focus on Utrecht. The festival aims to strengthen relationships between people and presents a range of multi/interdisciplinary events, such as performances, exhibitions, food events, public discourse,...

(scroll naar beneden voor de Nederlandse tekst) For a long time, the Utrecht collective (...) Centraal was hardly visible online, but that has now changed: on June 30, their debut single 'Spokenjong' was released. It is the first single from their upcoming EP.  “The collective of (…) Centraal makes everythi...

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,...

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...

Powerhouse duo Lightning Bolt performed live at Le Guess Who? 2019 in Utrecht, The Netherlands, marking the 25th Anniversary of the band. The performance was curated by Patrick Higgins. Now, we're pleased to help you relive this intense show in both video and audio, captured at 2AM on Friday night at the festival. Listen + watch more Le...

Every year in our visitors survey right after the festival, we ask you what your favorite performance of the festival. Below are your 17 choices of Le Guess Who? 2017. We're pleased to also share the...

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...

In collaboration with Vrije Geluiden, we recorded one of the performances of Niger's Les Filles de Illighadad at Le Guess Who? 2016. Pan African Music now premieres these recordings, ahead of the rele...

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...

A transcendental opening ceremony took place at the start of Le Guess Who? 2024, thanks to a special collaboration between the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra and visual artist Arion de Munck, who presented the world premiere of Hadra Immersive at the festival.  The Hadra is an ancient northern Moroccan ceremony that leads participan...

(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...

In a new episode of Red Bull Radio's Open End, Circuit des Yeux premiered her cover of 'Soeur de Race', from French-Portuguese avant-garde singer Catherine Ribeiro. With her band Alpes, Ribeiro r...

After their three performances at Le Guess Who? 2016, Niger's Les Filles de Illighadad returned to the Netherlands this week for a studio session + interview for Vrije Geluiden. Watch the full recordi...

Lees hier de tekst in het Nederlands. U?, the freely accessible city program of Le Guess Who?, celebrates local and creative communities based in the Netherlands, with a strong focus on Utrecht. From 8-10 November 2024, U? returns for its 4th edition. The 2024 program for U? is now revealed, featuring a festival playground taking place...

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....

Le Guess Who? & de Volkskrant bring you video portraits of artists performing at Le Guess Who? 2017. We meet up with Perfume Genius’ Mike Hadreas to discuss his live performance, and his cu...

We've just updated our audio archive with Tout-Puissant Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou's full performance at Le Guess Who? 2015. Listen below: About: ‘The all-powerful polyrhythmic orchestr...

"Le Guess Who? is voor ons nooit een vraagteken, maar een dik uitroepteken", aldus Gonzo (circus). In aanloop naar Le Guess Who? 2023 publiceert het muziek- en cultuurtijdschrift nu een online special met interviews met ZULI, 3Phaz, SANAM's Sandy Chamoun, Richard Dawson en Ale Hop; een luistertest met Bill Orcutt; en een route met festiva...

WDR COSMO, a German, public radio station focusing on global pop and voices from around the world, broadcasts 14 hours of Le Guess Who? 2025 recordings during several festival specials on 24 & 26 December and 1 January. You can listen to recordings of a.o. Hania Rani presents Chilling Bambino, Lonnie Holley & Friends, Lido Pimie...

For numerous years, Le Guess Who? collaborates with VPRO Vrije Geluiden to capture special, intimate sessions with festival artists. This year, these were recorded at the beautiful Stadsklooster and on a boat in Utrecht's scenic canals. Watch below.  Índio da Cuíca An authentic showman, Índio da Cuíca...

(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...

(scroll naar beneden voor de Nederlandse tekst) On Saturday 9 September, U? presents a program at HE:LEEN Festival in the Le Guess Who? office. This year, HE:LEEN Festival returns to Rotsoord for a new edition full of talented musicians, artists and performers. The festival highlights the creative and energetic appearance of the area. I...

(Nederlandse tekst hieronder)Kleine Crack is a Belgian artist signed to hip-hop label Burning Fik, the label of Faberyayo (De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig) and Abel (Hang Youth). The cult rapper and his producer-teammate Slagter create ominous hip-hop, set to heavy beats and scary lyrics. In their hometown Antwerp they are stalwarts of the scen...

Soul maverick Swamp Dogg has released his new album ‘Love, Loss and Auto-Tune’ via Joyful Noise Recordings. Although Jerry Williams Jr. said goodbye to the life of a conventional...

Raised in North Carolina, Kelsey Lu (although she prefers you just call her 'Lu') is the daughter of two devout Jehovah’s Witnesses. From a young age on, Lu was always encouraged to surround her...

Under the name Nivhek, Liz Harris (Grouper) recently released double album ‘After its own death / Walking in a spiral towards the house’, consisting of opaque assemblages of Mellotron, guitar, field recordings, tapes, and broken FX pedals. It ranks among Harris’ most stark, primordial work: fragile, feverish, ominous, an...

In the mid-1960s, Art Ensemble of Chicago sprung from the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Ever since, they have been celebrated as one of the most remarkable free ja...

To fight the ordinary, Paddy Steer does the extraordinary. Surrounded by knobs, wires, keys, and wearing self-made, Sun Ra-inspired costumes, Paddy Steer looks and sounds like a music wizard from anot...

Want to be among the first to hear about the latest news & Le Guess Who? program updates? You can now also subscribe via WhatsApp to receive festival updates. To do so, add +31 6 8379 7340 to you...

During Le Guess Who? 2017, Perfume Genius and Mary Margaret O’Hara met backstage for a side-by-side interview. Mike Hadreas invited the Canadian cult hero to Utrecht as part of his curated...

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...

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...

*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...

We got an amazing amount of enthousiastic responds to our call for volunteers, so therefore we closed the registrations for now. However, schedules always change and there is a chance that a spot will open up. That's why we opened a waiting list. You can sign up for the waiting list here.Please keep in mind that being on the waiting list...

As we near the start of Le Guess Who? 2024, we’d like to share the behind-the-scenes struggles and frustrations we are experiencing in trying to obtain visas for the artists we’ve invited to Utrecht. At Le Guess Who?, our focus and dedication has long been on developing a diverse and inclusive program, also through extensive...

Brian Jackson performed live during the closing night of Le Guess Who? 2024, featuring a string of classic tracks such as The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Home Is Where the Hatred Is, and Winter in America. You can now listen to, and relive, the full performance below.  As one-half of power duo Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jac...

As part of her curation at Le Guess Who? 2025, Ziúr invites the phenomenal rapper Lady Lykez, whose dynamic presence and razor-sharp lyrics reveal an innate ability to command the stage and captivate the audience. Following the feature of her track WICKED GYAL in the TV series Ironheart (which continues the story from Black Panth...

A South African drummer, composer, scholar and bandleader based in Cape Town, Asher Gamedze's music is a profound mixture of various musical traditions from Southern Africa, free improvisation, jazz and radical social and political thought, turning his music into a powerful act of freedom, resistance and activism.  After multiple pe...

The open call has been closed.  *** Following the success of last year’s pilot, U? is excited to continue co-creating the festival program with communities across the Netherlands. We once again invite (aspiring) curators who are deeply connected to a specific community to shape the program together with us. This process is a...

The open call has been closed.  *** U? is excited to continue co-creating the festival program. We once again open up space for individuals or collectives who are closely connected to a community to step into a curatorial role. Rather than prior experience, we are looking for a strong motivation to work with and for a community, an...

Doğa Sultan is an Istanbul-based designer, who produces visuals in multiple disciplines. Her work sits at the intersection of textile surface research, garment design, street art, and independent publishing. The base of all of her activities is the countercultural frameworks provided by punk and hardcore. In this context, she runs the An...

Tabideee is a DJ, researcher, and archivist exploring the critical contributions of Black communities across the continent and diaspora to electronic music. Her sound pays tribute to Afro-Arab electronic productions, specifically exploring her Sudanese heritage and neighbouring influences. Through this, she has developed an archival prac...

Tania Feghali is an Italian-Lebanese independent filmmaker, radio host and sound curator. Her work encompasses personal documentaries, commissioned films, sound curation, archival research, and visual reportages. Her practice revolves around film portraits, documenting the genesis of artists’ creative worlds and journeys, with a par...

Every year, COSMOS - our hybrid platform highlighting independent music scenes from around the world - links up with new partners, inviting them to grant us a glimpse into their unique musical environments. We’re now rolling out the visual component of these partnerships: short but powerful mini-documentaries, by the scene, for the...

COSMOS: Behind the Scenes with Oroko Radio In 'Behind the Scenes', COSMOS dives into local stories from across the world together with our global partners. Within the first two years of their existence, Oroko Radio has come from a beautiful idea to a globally renowned fixture in independent broadcasting, connecting the dots between Accr...

COSMOS: Behind the Scenes in Mexico City, Mexico We speak to Daniel (Danny) Alvarado Chávez, head of Sonido Confirmación, an independent project made to ‘represent and connect Mexico City through images and music’, while diving into the capital's music scene. Every minute, new acts mushroom across the city&rsquo...

COSMOS: Behind the Scenes in Slemani, Kurdistan-Iraq Following their broadcast during Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of COSMOS, we talk to Space21's Hardi Kurda about the concept of illegality; the musical cacophony of Slemani; the US-led invasion of Iraq, which happened twenty years ago, and also how it led to surprising musical discoveries...

COSMOS: Behind the Scenes in Goa, India Following different collaborations with Le Guess Who?, including for LGW Embassy: Goa, India which debuted last November, COSMOS talks to Rana Ghose (REProduce) about risk-taking as a focus area; instinct as a curatorial aspect and how Goa differs from the rest of India. As one artist chimes in: "E...

Gonzo (circus) is een Vlaams/Nederlands magazine gericht op vooruitstrevende muziek en cultuur. Het magazine is mediapartner van Le Guess Who? 2018, en dit jaar werken we uitgebreider samen dan ooit.&...

At Le Guess Who? 2019, residential photographers Melanie Marsman and Juri Hiensch captured a stunning series of artist portraits surrounding their performances at the festival. View the full series here, featuring a.o. La Bruja de Texcoco, Coucou Chloe, James Merry, Oshun, Stella Chiweshe,&nbs...

Relive Ndox Electrique live at Le Guess Who?, the first international performance of the genre-blurring musical ensemble that originated in Senegal, and whose music is inspired by an ancient ritual of the spirit-world originating from Senegal’s n’döep ceremonies.  About How does one put Ndox Electrique into mere...

Palestinian-born, Paris-based musician Kamilya Jubran, one of the most revered figures in the experimental and alternative Arabic music scenes, performs at Le Guess Who? 2023, curated by Heba Kadry. Relive the mesmerizing performance with our concert film.  About Raised by her music-loving parents in Galilee, for 20 years she was...

Kenyan artist and producer KABEAUSHÉ brought a powerful performance to the closing night of Le Guess Who? 2024, following the release of HOLD ON TO DEER LIFE, THERE’S A BLCAK BOY BEHIND YOU!. You can now relive this special moment – a night of bold sound, raw emotion, and unforgettable presence – with our concert...

Le Guess Who? presents 'The Big Playback', a podcast about all things music. Episode 3 is a four-part series entitled 'For the Record', exploring the role of the archivist from all angles, released in weekly installments. In this new series, host Margaret Munchheimer talks to an independent archival collective in Indonesia; a sound and p...

We've made the stream of Shabaka & The Ancestors' powerful performance at Le Guess Who? 2017 available now, which was curated by James Holden for the festival.  Listen to British jazz s...

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&...

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...

When UK-based experimental collective Ex-Easter Island Head steps on stage, the electric guitar - an instrument whose possibilities sometimes seem to have been exhausted - is born anew. Mechanical preparations, extended techniques; call it what you want, but, to us, it's more like auditory magic.  Watch our concert film of the group...

Le Guess Who? takes pace across 20 locations in the city center of Utrecht; ranging from churches and galleries to theaters and pop venues. Most are within walking distance from each other. Here are a couple highlighted.

Powerhouse duo Lightning Bolt performed live at Le Guess Who? 2019 in Utrecht, The Netherlands, marking the 25th Anniversary of the band. The performance was curated by Patrick Higgins. Now, we're pleased to help you relive this intense show in both video and audio, captured at 2AM on Friday night at the festival. Listen + watch more Le...

Each year during Le Guess Who?, our residential photographers capture the most beautiful and special moments of the festival, onstage as well as backstage. Visit our gallery section to view all the impressive series made during the festival. Currently, the gallery features a stunning series of artist portraits by photographers ...

VPRO Vrije Geluiden was aanwezig op Le Guess Who? 2019 en maakte twee prachtige televisiespecials die op zondag 17 en 24 november werden uitgezonden op NPO1. Daarin zijn zowel sessies met festivalartiesten, opgenomen door Vrije Geluiden in het Academiegebouw in Utrecht, als live registraties van het festival te zien. Zondag 24 november:...

For Le Guess Who? spin-off festival Le Mini Who?, 2019 marks the move to Cartesius. Le Mini Who? transforms local bars, restaurants, venues and warehouses into improvised venues for (mainly) Dutch underground bands to play. For its 11th edition on Sunday 10 November, Le Mini Who? settles in the Cartesius area, located in the nor...

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...

(artwork by Emma Fischer) At a very young age, Han Bennink started drumming for his grandparents on pans and cookie cans, and with curtain rods as sticks. All over the world, Bennink is celebrat...

Le Mini Who? is a spin-off festival of Le Guess Who?. It transforms many of Utrecht’s shops and bars into improvised venues for (mainly) Dutch underground bands to play, where people jostle for...

Le Mini Who? returns as part of Le Guess Who? 2018 on Saturday, 10 November. As a spin-off festival of Le Guess Who?, it transforms many of Utrecht’s local bars, restaurants, venues and warehous...

The European Jazz Network (EJN) is the Europe-wide association of 170+ organizations and promoters from 34 countries who specialize in creative music, contemporary jazz and improvised music. Every year since 2012, the EJN awards a European promoter who succeeds to create visionary and fascinating musical programs.  Le Guess Who? is...

The cult album Faust IV was the fourth studio album released by the German krautrock group in 1973. Reimagining the music from the iconic album, Faust IV was performed live at Le Guess Who? 2021 as part of the curated program by OSEES' John Dwyer. Faust IV Live! captured the strange magic that then and now defines Faust as an entity unto...

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...

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...

The destruction caused by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria has been immense. Many cities and towns have been completely destroyed. Tens of thousands of people have died, and countless others are still missing or left homeless under heavy circumstances.  Below, we have gathered different donation options. If you are able to, then p...

As part of Le Guess Who?'s Education Program in 2022, students of five classes from three high schools in Utrecht created artworks inspired by festival artists: their music, culture, and background stories. During the festival, we hosted an art exhibition at De Havenloods as part of our free day program U? to display all the works that...

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,...

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...

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...

Over the years, Taiwanese-born, Montréal-hailing Alex Zhang Hungtai (formerly Dirty Beaches) has dived fully into the role of composer. Tinkering with the saxophone, synthesizers, percussion, and piano, Zhang has embraced the free form, focusing on explorations of improvised music, free jazz, and ritualistic music of liminality....

As we’re gearing up for Le Guess Who? 2023, we are proud to present a new collaboration with Choo-Choo to offer visitors an easy and sustainable way to book their international train journeys to and from the festival.  With Choo-Choo you can travel sustainable by train to & from different European cities. These routes are...

Fera is a wild and adventurous new work that Egyptian artist Maurice Louca wrote over a four-year period. It was performed live at Le Guess Who? 2024 together with Ayman Asfour as part of Chromesthesia, curated by Hannah Elsisi. Below, you can watch Barĩy from the captivating performance and listen to the full audio of the show. ...

U?, the freely accessible city program of Le Guess Who?, celebrates local and creative communities based in the Netherlands, with a strong focus on Utrecht. This year, the festival presents a range of multi/interdisciplinary events, such as performances, exhibitions, food events, public discourse, participatory programs and any other act...

(scroll naar beneden voor de Nederlandse tekst) On Saturday 14 September, U? presents a program at HE:LEEN Festival in the Le Guess Who? office. This year, HE:LEEN Festival returns to Rotsoord for a new edition full of talented musicians, artists and performers. The festival highlights the creative and energetic appearance of the area....

U?, the freely accessible city program of Le Guess Who?, returns 8 & 9 November to Utrecht for its fifth edition. Through public programming, U? aims to connect people and foster personal encounters. U? is dedicated to celebrating local and creative communities based in the Netherlands, with a strong focus on Utrecht. On Saturday, 8...

Since 2022, Le Guess Who? collaborates with the Nature and Environment Federation Utrecht to offset CO2 emissions from international air travel by artists and visitors. In 2025, festival visitors again had the option to compensate the CO2 emission of their trip to Utrecht when buying a ticket. Additionally, LGW compensates CO2 emission f...

Brian Jackson performed live during the closing night of Le Guess Who? 2024, featuring a string of classic tracks such as The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Home Is Where the Hatred Is, and Winter in America. You can now listen to, and relive, the full performance below.  As one-half of power duo Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jac...

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...

In a couple of weeks, our satellite event Lombok Festival will return as part of Le Guess Who?, highlighting this vibrantly diverse neighborhood of Utrecht. The event is organized...

After eight decades of triumph and tragedy, Brazilian protest singer Elza Soares is lauded as queen of samba and a powerful voice against repression and injustice relating to gender, race, sexual orie...

Le Guess Who? & de Volkskrant bring you video portraits of artists performing at Le Guess Who? 2017. Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda’s devotion to spirituality defined the final decades o...

Le Guess Who? & de Volkskrant bring you video portraits of artists performing at Le Guess Who? 2017. Jerusalem In My Heart is the main project of Lebanon-born, Montreal-based artist and producer...

Le Guess Who? & de Volkskrant bring you video portraits of artists performing at Le Guess Who? 2017. Han Bennink, the world’s most resourceful drummer, celebrated his 75th birthday at Le Gu...

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...

Le Guess Who? & de Volkskrant bring you video portraits of artists performing at Le Guess Who? 2017. We visit James Holden in his London studio to discuss his new album 'The Animal Spirits', play...

The first curators are announced for the 11th edition of Le Guess Who? 2017, each hosting a range of inspirations and befriended artists, and also performing themselves. Perfume Genius invites a.o. Bu...

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...

Gonzo (circus) is een Vlaams-Nederlands magazine voor vernieuwende muziek en andere kunstvormen, en is al jarenlang partner van Le Guess Who?. In aanloop naar LGW22 presenteert Gonzo (circus) nu een dossier met interviews met en artikelen over onder andere GNOD, billy woods, Divide and Dissolve en Liz Harris (The Garbage Man). Ook is er e...

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...

Touching Bass is a London-based musical movement founded by Errol and Alex Rita, comprised of a community-come-club night, record label, staple NTS Radio show, concert series and curatorial studio. Since its inception, Touching Bass has steadily established itself as one of London’s most important musical incubators, gaining cult s...

As guest curator at Le Guess Who? 2024, Touching Bass' Errol and Sammseed presented 'INNA', an in-the-round dance floor of inclusion, celebrating the Jamaican roots of sound system culture. During this night, we created the short film INNA – an ode to the spiritual & emotional importance of sound system culture, featuring Touc...

Widely considered to be one of the most forward-thinking festivals, Le Guess Who? exists to platform fresh perspectives on what is possible in music. Artists from all over the world offer insights into the unprecedented diversity of human creativity. Le Guess Who? returns 7-10 November 2024 for its 17th edition in Utrecht, The Netherland...

Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore, celebrated composers within the fields of contemporary ambient and experimental music, unite their singular talents on the ethereal new song Perpetual Adoration, marking their debut collaborative single. Invited by guest curator Lonnie Holley, the longtime friends and collaborators will perform togethe...

We would love to hear your feedback, thoughts and experiences on Le Guess Who? 2025 so we can take these into account as we head toward the 20th edition of LGW next year. If you have a moment, please fill out our visitor survey. Thank you! Photography by Lisanne Lentink

Multidisciplinary artist J.A.D.E crafts a diverse and ever-evolving sound. At her core, she feels most at home within the realm of Neo-Soul, blended with rich R&B influences. She's currently working on her second EP, Slightly Carbonated, in collaboration with Scott Cian. Slighlty Carbonated is a journey to rediscover, reconnect with,...

Le Feast invites you into a living room in Utrecht, to enjoy a feast together with people you don't know (yet). Would you like to join as a home-chef or guest? You can now sign up!Le Feast nodigt je uit in een huiskamer in Utrecht om samen met mensen die je (nog) niet kent te genieten van een feestmaal. Lijkt het je leuk om deel te nemen...

Leading up to Joan of Arc’s forthcoming album ‘1984’, Devendra Banhart released a cover of Joan of Arc’s ‘Shown And Told’ for Joyful Noise Recordings' ‘Cause...

Every week, we’ll bring you a must-hear track from the Le Guess Who? 2018 line-up. This week, it's Ethio-jazz legend Hailu Mergia with a contemplative solo piano track. Together with the Wa...

Enter the dark, mythical world of minimalist composer and acclaimed lute-player Jozef van Wissem. Accompanied by his baroque instrument, Van Wissem creates highly distinctive sonic soundscapes by blen...

Ahead of his appearance at Le Guess Who? 2018, The Quietus has interviewed lo-fi rap and trap producer JPEGMAFIA. In the interview, he talks about the study of journalism  the curr...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Did you forget to walk by the merchandise stand during the festival? Or looking to do some Christmas shopping for your friends or loved ones? The official Le Guess Who? 2019 merchandise is now available in our webshop. Screenprinted by KapitaalThis year's festival merchandise features t-shirts, sweaters, umbrellas, tote bags, baby bodysu...

Did you forget to walk by the merchandise stand during the festival? Or looking to do some Christmas shopping for your friends or loved ones? The official Le Guess Who? 2019 merchandise is now available in our webshop. Screenprinted by KapitaalThis year's festival merchandise features t-shirts, sweaters, umbrellas, tote bags, baby bodysu...

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...

Following our initial line-up announcement in May, we're now pleased to reveal the full curated programs by Fatoumata Diawara and Iris van Herpen & Salvador Breed for the festival, as well as new additions for Moon Duo, Patrick Higgins, and The Bug curations. We're also announcing Príncipe Discos and Spazio Disponibil...

Le Guess Who? 2015   

Disco and jazz icon Asha Puthli is the guest in the first-ever Red Bull Music Academy lecture from India. In the lecture, the singer, songwriter and actress who grew up in Mumbai discusses her incredible life and career. In the lecture, Puthli talks about moving from Mumbai to New York as a young girl; her contribution to Ornette Col...

Psychedelic/krautrock mystics Moon Duo have risen up as one of the most intoxicating live acts of this decade, with their music containing elements of 80’s disco, occult literature, electronic music and film soundtracks.  Moon Duo’s guitarist Ripley Johnson also hosts a monthly radio show on NTS Radio. Called &lsquo...

Eleanor Friedberger has released a new video for ‘It’s Hard’, taken from her fourth solo album ‘Rebound’, released earlier this year. The video, in which Friedberger is p...

Ahead of his appearance at Le Guess Who? 2018, The Quietus interviews Joe Cardamone about his searing new multimedia project, making art in the era of Trump, and how he survived the end of the gr...

Tim Kinsella's art-rock band Joan of Arc have released their new song ‘Indelible in the Hippocampus is The Laughter’, which is a selection of audio from the live score the band made f...

Mount Eerie has released his new live album '(after)', which was recorded in full at Le Guess Who? 2017. The performance was curated by Perfume Genius for the festival, and took place at the Jaco...

Sons Of Kemet's new album 'Your Queen Is A Reptile' (released in March via Impulse!) is the "jazz" choice for nomination in this year's Hyundai Mercury Prize. Ahead of the event, the band gi...

Rock 'n Roll visionary Ian Svenonious currently performs with his solo project Escape-Ism, and will release his second disc of solo-sneers titled 'The Lost Record' on 7 September. Talking to The Washi...

In a new in-depth interview with Fractured Air, bass sax virtuoso Colin Stetson details the making of his captivating soundtrack to Ari Aster’s debut horror film 'Hereditary', alo...

L.A. based experimental musician Joe Cardamone, formerly of The Icarus Line, is now performing under his own name and preparing the release of 'Holy War Collection'. He now releases a new single...

Due to the volatile nature of the accusations surrounding Ms. Argento, she has chosen to withdraw from her curatorship of this year's edition, while these issues remain open. Le Guess Who? supports he...

Czech Republic's Please The Trees originally hail from the forests of a mountainous region in East Bohemia. Grounded in the psychedelic riffs and motorik beats of krautrock, the band will present...

Mount Eerie has announced the release of '(after)', a new live album recorded live at Le Guess Who? 2017. The performance was curated by Perfume Genius for the festival, and took place at the Jacobike...

The Bogotá-based sextet Meridian Brothers offer a very distinctive and playful take on tropical sounds like salsa, cumbia and reggaeton in an electronic context. The band have now shared t...

Continuing the legacy of her father, the legendary Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar is considered to be one of the world’s most renowned sitar players. In a recent interview with The Spinoff, Shan...

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....

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...

The Line Of Best Fit interview Meredith Graves (Perfect Pussy), on 3 albums she would be crate-digging for at the World's Biggest Record Fair, happening in Utrecht during Le Guess Who?...

In a new interview with The Quietus, UK producer Klein discusses being a woman and a producer, and 'Tommy'; her new EP for Hyperdub. Stream a track below, and read the interview here.  "Live sho...

Maâlem Houssam Guinia is the son and successor of the late Maâlem Mahmoud Guinia, an emblematic figure in the practice of West-African Gnawa music. Maâlem means 'master musician', an...

Let's cut that wedding cake. Liars' new album 'TFCF' is out today, and you can stream it in full via the embed below. As Angus Andrew previously said about the album: "My favourite feeling is goi...

Swiss-American musician Manuel Gagneux funnels the spells of black metal into howls of Tom Waits-esque juke joint blues. A strange request at the notorious 4chan forum lead to Zeal & Ardor's...

Kevin Morby wanders through Paris in his new black & white video for 'Downtown Lights' from his latest album 'City Music', released earlier this year. Watch below.  "I set out to write a sim...

After the release of 'Paradise Valley' 7" last year, Grouper now shares contemplative new song 'Children'. The track was recorded around the time of the sessions for her latest album, 'Ruins'. "I pus...

Born Otis Calvin III, OCnotes has been an artist, musician, DJ, author, motivational speaker and vibrant figurehead within Seattle’s music scene since the turn of the decade. He just releas...

Hailing from the small town of Como, Mississippi, The Como Mamas consist of Sisters Angela Taylor and Della Daniels together with their friend Ester Mae Smith. They have been singing together since ch...

After the release of their album 'Twenty-Two Strings' last year, UK-based musical collective Ex-Easter Island Head now share the video for the title song of the album, filled with abstract images and...

Through her roots in hardcore-punk, and her activities as a writer and journalist, Meredith Graves (Perfect Pussy) is known to pose the most sincere, complex and impassioned of questions. i-D talked w...

Born in the Southwest of the United States as Otis Calvin III, OCnotes was influenced at an early age by skateboard culture and developed a fascination for cartoons, as well as receiving musical educa...

Le Guess Who? 2019 curator Jenny Hval's multi-disciplinary work aims to break beyond the confining zones of a certain genre or discipline to form a deeper connection with her audiences. Now, the Norwegian avant-pop artist announces her new album 'The Practice of Love' (out 13 September 13 via Sacred Bones), and shares its first singl...

Le Guess Who? takes pace across 20 locations in the city center of Utrecht; ranging from churches and galleries to theaters and pop venues. Most are within walking distance from each other. Here are a couple highlighted.

In the mid-1960s, Art Ensemble of Chicago sprung from the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Ever since, they have been celebrated as one of the most remarkable free jazz movements to arise from Chicago’s already rich jazz heritage. Moving far beyond jazz, avant-garde and performance art, the ensemble...

From 10-13 November, Le Guess Who? returns to Utrecht for its 15th Anniversary Edition. We now proudly reveal the full 2022 line-up, with new additions joining the likes of Abdullah Ibrahim, Low, Lole Montoya, Nia Archives, as well as festival curators Animal Collective, clipping., and CURL. General program Joining Le Guess Who?&rsquo...

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...

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...

Thank you so much for celebrating 15 years of Le Guess Who? together with us. It’s been an honor to have you with us. ❤ We hope you’ve had some beautiful days in Utrecht, have made new discoveries and found inspiration during your time with us. Thanks to all who make it possible: from volunteers to visitors, artists to partne...

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...

Following the announcement of the initial line-up for Le Guess Who? 2023, including programs curated by Heba Kadry, Nala Sinephro, Slauson Malone 1 and Stereolab, we now add several special projects to this year’s festival edition, featuring COSMOS, Hidden Musics and The Anonymous Project. Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective COSMOS...

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...

Lost Girls is the Norwegian duo made up of experimental guitarist Håvard Volden and former LGW curator Jenny Hval. Their latest album, 2023's Selvutsletter, continues the intuitive, late night feel of the group's previous work with topics such as cities after dark, music rituals, band practices of the ‘90s, and the early days...

We are excited to present our film & talk program, as well as a special exhibition, new additions to our 2024 line-up and the long-awaited time schedules for Le Guess Who? 2024. Time Schedules Start your scheduling now! The time schedules for Le Guess Who? 2024, as well for U?, our freely accessible city program, are online now. Pl...

The application form is closed. We are beyond excited to let you know that Le Guess Who? 2025 is upon us. However, in order to make the magic happen we need some helping hands. Each year, we work with a big team of volunteers, consisting of enthusiastic music-lovers from all over the world. Would you like to be part of the team during t...

Le Guess Who? exists thanks to a community that believes in music’s power to connect, heal and transform. As we look ahead to our 20th edition, we’re focused on building a more sustainable future for the festival — one that allows us to remain independent, non-profit and driven by the artists and audience who shape it...

Le Guess Who? presents 'The Big Playback', a podcast about all things music. Episode 3 is a four-part series entitled 'For the Record', exploring the role of the archivist from all angles, released in weekly installments. In this series, host Margaret Munchheimer talks to an independent archival collective in Indonesia; a sound and perfo...

Have you ever heard of Roy and Silo, the famous male chinstrap penguins, who formed a pair at New York's Central Park Zoo? What about the red flour beetles who engage in same-sex relationships simply to practice mating? Did you know that clownfish can change their sex if needed? Or that among bonobos (who share almost 99% of their DNA wit...

U?, the freely accessible city program of Le Guess Who?, is dedicated to celebrating local and creative communities based in the Netherlands, with a strong focus on Utrecht. Through public programming, U? aims to connect people and foster personal encounters. U? returns 8 & 9 November to Utrecht for its fifth edition. The festival no...

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...

Buddy to Buddy matches newcomers to citizens based on equality, shared interests and a lot of ‘gezelligheid’. It helps newcomers get out of social isolation and it involves fellow citizens with the integration of their new neighbors. In this short documentary, our resident photo- & videographer Juri Hiensch visited buddy's...

Le Guess Who? exists to promote sounds that are often overlooked, and to platform fresh perspectives on what is possible in music. Artists from all over the world push the boundaries of expectations and offer an insight into the unprecedented diversity of human creativity.  U? is the participative and freely accessible city program...

Every year, COSMOS - our hybrid platform highlighting independent music scenes from around the world - links up with new partners, inviting them to grant us a glimpse into their unique musical environments. In the coming weeks, we’re rolling out the visual component of these partnerships: short but powerful mini-documentaries, by th...

COSMOS is Le Guess Who?’s globe-spanning initiative that amplifies exciting music scenes from around the world. Through films, interviews, performances, and artist residencies, COSMOS connects international music communities and shares their stories. Now, COSMOS reveals the 2023 Embassies, together with its first-ever live program,...

Le Guess Who? aims to present a festival that is accessible for everyone, but unfortunately not all festival venues are equally accessible. Please have a look below or at the specific venue pages for more information. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us via accessibility@leguesswho.com. Website accessibili...

Lost Girls is the Norwegian duo made up of experimental guitarist Håvard Volden and former LGW curator Jenny Hval. Their latest album, 2023's Selvutsletter, continues the intuitive, late night feel of the group's previous work with topics such as cities after dark, music rituals, band practices of the ‘90s, and the early days...

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...

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...

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...

In the weekend of 14 & 15 November, Dutch broadcaster VPRO Vrije Geluiden recorded live sessions with artists who were supposed to perform at LGW OFF. At Utrecht's De Nijverheid, Vrije Geluiden captured performances of Indu Panday, Andy Moor & Yannis Kyriakides, and Sun-Mi Hong & Alistair Payne.  For many years Le G...

Pakistani singer Faiz Ali Faiz gave a spectacular performance as one of the closing acts of Le Guess Who? 2023. You can now relive this glorious moment with our concert film, as well as the full audio of the show.  "Another kind of passion was found in the lovely old Vredenburg hall with the transcendent qawwali of Faiz Ali Faiz a...

US-born, Stockholm-based minimalist artist and apprenticing organ tuner Kali Malone gave a special organ performance in TivoliVredenburg's Grote Zaal as opening 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 performance: 'Sa...

Upon arrival at the festival, you will need to exchange your ticket for a festival wristband to ensure entrance to all the festival venues. Like last year, our Ticket & Info area is located in TivoliVredenburg on the ground floor.  Please note: - You can only exchange your ticket for a wristband at our ticket desk in Tivoli...

Press Archive Our archive includes press previews, reports and interviews for LGW21. Have a look at all published articles at the link below. VISIT PRESS ARCHIVE

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

This year, Le Guess Who? will feature three new venues for the official music program: WAS., BASIS, and Poema. All of them are part of Utrecht’s buzzing nightlife and are among the most prominent clubs in town. This time, we introduce you to BASIS: an Utrechtian sanctuary for house and techno lovers. "BASIS is located at a unique v...

Thursday 8 November, on the opening night of this year’s festival, we present two performances by ONCEIM in the Utrecht Dom Church, in collaboration with contemporary music organization Gaudeamus. ONCEIM, short for ‘Orchestre de Nouvelles Créations, Expérimentations et Improvisations Musicales’, is a French...

Hip hop visionaries Digable Planets played an exclusive show at Le Guess Who? 2016. We've just added three tracks to our online audio archive - listen below: Recorded by VPRO 3voor12 on Saturday, 1...

Le Guess Who? 2017 celebrated the life & work of Alice Coltrane with the Sai Anantam Ashram Singers performing her ecstatic music live at the festival. Listen to three tracks of the performan...

Electronic explorer James Holden presented his new performance 'James Holden & The Animal Spirits' live at Le Guess Who? 2017, featuring tracks from his new album; a record that enhances Holden&rs...

During Le Guess Who? 2017, the French team of La Blogothèque traveled to Utrecht to record two intimate Take Away Shows at inspiring and special locations in our city. Now, we present the first...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Sietse van Erve has been composing under his Orphax-moniker for the better part of the past two decades. He forges sound from electronic and acoustic instruments, other people’s composition...

Natasha Kmeto is a composer, producer, singer and performer from Portland, OR. Stylistically she explores the lines intersected by RnB, soul, and dance music, built using an electronic toolkit de...

Montreal's Big|Brave merge guitar torrents, withered noise bursts and shamanic yelps. Now, the trio release their new album 'Ardor' via Southern Lord Records. Stream it in full below: 3 slowly de...

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...

Scott Fagan’s lost 60s classic South Atlantic Blues is a gorgeous synthesis of Donovan-ish pop, jazz, R&B and Caribbean sounds plus a grandiose vocal delivery that recalls Scott Walker and B...

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 &...

We hope to see you again in 2017, 9-12 November. Tickets available now.

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...

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...

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...

Incredibly devastating news: Brazilian icon and legendary musician João Donato has unexpectedly passed away on Monday in Rio de Janeiro. João Donato was scheduled to perform twice at Le Guess Who? 2023, to honor his life and career and celebrate his 90th birthday at the festival.  Donato has been a massively influenti...

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...

Now that we've revealed the full line-up for Le Guess Who? 2023, including the curated programs by Heba Kadry, Nala Sinephro, Slauson Malone 1 and Stereolab, it's time to start your musical discovery again. Take a deep dive into our official festival playlist. 

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...

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...

Start your scheduling for Le Guess Who? 2023 now! The timetables are online now. Please note: for sustainability reasons, we will only have limited printed timetables available during the festival. A printable PDF version will follow soon, as will our official app. We also have some program updates: we’re thrilled that Antipop C...

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...

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...

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...

There's lots of Le Guess Who? to hear this week on BBC Radio.  First off, on Friday night (November 22 at 23:00 GMT), BBC Radio 3's Late Junction will premiere audio recordings of Ethiopian funk legend Ayalew Mesfin's first ever European live performance at Le Guess Who? 2019, as well as a section of the live premiere of AEAEA at th...

W.I.T.C.H., the band responsible for pioneering zamrock, returned to the stage during Le Guess Who? 2023 following the release of their new album 'Zango', their first in nearly four decades. On stage, they were joined by a.o. Jacco Gardner, Michael Rault and Nico Mauskoviç. Relive the performance below with our concert film and the...

Made up of Syrian vocalist, composer and musician Lynn Adib and Lebanese underground pioneer, music producer and multi-instrumentalist Zeid Hamdan, Bedouin Burger is a duo who mesh classical and Arabic folk music with streaks of modernity, braiding narratives between past, present, and future. After releasing their debut single 'Taht El...

Le Guess Who? exists to promote sounds that are often overlooked, and to platform fresh perspectives on what is possible in music. Artists from all over the world offer an insight into the unprecedented diversity of human creativity.  Le Guess Who? returns 7-10 November 2024 for its 17th edition in Utrecht, The Netherlands. We&rsq...

Durban-based Gqom futurists Phelimuncasi (Nyege Nyege Tapes) brought their life-affirming energy to Le Guess Who? 2023, providing ample space to dance and sweat at TivoliVredenburg's Pandora stage. Relive the performance with our concert film below.  About Much like the South African bee after which they named their most recent a...

South Carolina-based artist Khari Lucas is a multifaceted creator. Making music as Contour is only one of his many artistic exploits, among which he includes film scoring, fashion work, radio programming, and more. Contour is a vessel for his musical research, songwriting, and production. Via soundbites and references, Contour draws in hi...

Each year, Le Guess Who? invites trailblazing creatives to curate their own dedicated programs, highlighting their inspirations, emerging acts and fellow like-minded artists, with an emphasis on discovery and exploration.Experimental cellist and composer Mabe Fratti introduces her curation at Le Guess Who? 2024 with a personally compiled...

London-based Mexican violinist, composer, and improviser Gibrana Cervantes performed live at Le Guess Who? 2024, as part of the program curated by Mabe Fratti. You can listen to the full performance below, featuring two unreleased tracks: ‘Blur of Memories’ and ‘Verdad vs. Error’, as well as ‘Moving Through...

When UK-based experimental collective Ex-Easter Island Head steps on stage, the electric guitar - an instrument whose possibilities sometimes seem to have been exhausted - is born anew. Mechanical preparations, extended techniques; call it what you want, but, to us, it's more like auditory magic.  Watch our concert film of the group...

South London's Wu-Lu, spearheaded by musician/vocalist Miles Romans-Hopcraft, performed live at Le Guess Who? 2024 as part of Bo Ningen's curated program for the festival. Below, you can watch the group perform the tracks Ten & Blame from the album LOGGERHEAD, released via Warp Records. “Powered by artistic freedom and sens...

Watch our concert film of Kim Gordon performing live at Le Guess Who? 2024, curated by Crystallmess, following the release of her latest, acclaimed album The Collective via Matador Records.  "The album's daring beats and improvised guitar are marks of a lifelong radical still at the peak of her powers.” – The New Yorker...

In the flamenco world, Frente Abierto presents new possibilities. The group welcomes genres as diverse as metal and ambient into their realm, fusing their experimental streak with some of new flamenco’s most powerful singers.  At Le Guess Who? 2024, the Andalusian collective collaborated with Israel Fernández, a cantaor...

Melbourne foursome Tropical Fuck Storm's fiery flavor can be savored through a string of releases dating back to 2019 - but there is nothing quite like devouring the thunderous delicacy live, as we experienced again at Le Guess Who? 2024. Watch the concert film below. The group's new album 'Fairyland Codex' is out now via Fire Records.&nb...

Cutting edge Palestinian duo Shabjdeed & Al Nather performed live at Le Guess Who? 2024. Below, you can watch the performance of Nkd Glg and Arab Style from their momentous debut album Sindibad el Ward, released via BLTNM Records. "Shabjdeed & Al Nather’s deft double-time rapping gets a rapturous response from the bo...

Ever since being a young boy, Katokye dedicated his life to traditional songs from the Bahima (Western Uganda). He roamed his homeland to refine his art and now, in his mid-50s, he is one of the most talented traditional singers in the region.  In anticipation to his show at Le Guess Who? 2025, the singer now shares his first studio...

Driven by an appetite for boundless experimentation, producer and composer Ziúr has always been subverting expectations, corkscrewing through hardcore, metal and punk before veering towards electronic music's turbulent fringes. Today, the Le Guess Who? 2025 guest curator releases her new album Home via Kuboraum Editions. On t...

Le Guess Who? is once again presenting a specially curated film program as part of its 2025 festival edition with a selection of films that are directly or loosely tied to the music program and artists performing at the festival, as well as the premiere of the different COSMOS Embassy Films. Presented as part of the film program are Bixa...

Each year, Le Guess Who? invites guest curators to create their own dedicated programs, highlighting their inspirations, emerging acts and fellow like-minded artists, with an emphasis on discovery and exploration.Musician and visual artist Lonnie Holley introduces his curation at Le Guess Who? 2025 with a personally compiled playlist.

Ever since the release of their debut album Psychic, DARKSIDE have been celebrated for the fascinating ways they blend electronic music with disco, prog rock, psychedelic pop, and funk in a way that is both experimental and organic.  The group, featuring multi-instrumentalist Dave Harrington, electronic producer Nicolás Jaar...

With just four weeks to go until Le Guess Who? 2025, we now reveal the full time schedules for LGW and U?, our freely accessible day program. Dive in & start planning your discoveries in Utrecht via leguesswho.com/timetable. Please note: for sustainability reasons, we won’t hand out printed time schedules during the festival. I...

Le Guess Who? presents 'The Big Playback', a podcast about all things music. Episode 3 is a four-part series entitled 'For the Record', exploring the role of the archivist from all angles, released in weekly installments. In this new series, host Margaret Munchheimer talks to an independent archival collective in Indonesia; a sound and p...

Grand Maalem Omar Hayat performed live during the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2025, channeling the spirit of Gnawa through music that blurs the line between ritual and performance. Relive the performance with our concert film and audio recording below.  "The spirited performance from Omar Hayat moves the room with traditional,...

Multi-disciplinary and genre-blending artist Cézanne paints musical landscapes with her music. She writes songs that explore self-reflection and societal norms, offering listeners a transformative experience. Cézanne describes her music a Cinematic Soul: a lush, emotionally evocative genre that blends soul with the immersive...

On Saturday 13 September, U? presents a program at HE:LEEN Festival in the Le Guess Who? office. This year, HE:LEEN Festival returns to Rotsoord for a new edition full of talented musicians, artists and performers. The festival highlights the creative and energetic appearance of the area. During the festival, U? presents a performance by...

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 10-13 November, U? features music performances, exhibitions, brunches, silent disco&rsquo...

At Le Guess Who? 2025, Brazilian trailblazing Black & queer collective BATEKOO joined forces with the powerhouse dolls from Amsterdam-based collective Los Angles for a club night at De Helling to celebrate queer & trans communities. Our resident photographer, Tengbeh Kamara, was present to capture the club night and the special m...

Elder Ones performed live at Le Guess Who? 2025 as part of Amirtha Kidambi's curation at the festival. Entitled 'Outernational', Kidambi's curation centered around the belief that music can play a central role in building global cultural solidarity and community in our tumultuous and revolutionary times. Watch the concert film of the perf...