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Makaya McCraven is one of Chicago’s most versatile and in-demand drummers. At Le Guess Who? 2019, McCraven, together with his stellar live band, gave a wonderfully free-spirited performance. As debut of the show, the group played the brand new song 'In These Times', which you can view below, as well as listen to the entire perf...

More than two decades after Lightning Bolt's acclaimed self-titled LP, they still know how to pulverize and pummel listeners into submission with their deafening interpretation of noise rock music. Today, the Rhode Islanders release their seventh LP 'Sonic Citadel' via Thrill Jockey. Bassist Brian Gibson and drummer/vocalist Bri...

Thank you for your donation! With your support, we're able to continue to showcase underrepresented sounds that otherwise would not be heard. Photo: Loop at Le Guess Who?, by Erik Luyten.

Stockholm musician and composer Ellen Arkbro is motivated by generating and absorbing sound. Whether she has her hands on a 400-year old pipe organ or a grid of digital equipment, the results are equa...

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...

Composed by Low Jack, Lacrimosa is a contemporary requiem in eight parts that follows the journey of a day, from sunrise to sunset. Deeply tied to the composer’s own life, the work reflects on l...

Indulging in distorted guitar drones, weed420 takes you on a venture exploring memory, politics and the experience of uprooting. The collective blends noise, lo-fi and maximalist vaporwave; somber clo...

BizaarWebWide is a collection of happenings curated and hosted by Raouf Alaïa, member of the BizaarWebWide collective. This event transforms the venue Kapitaal to a universe of outlandish express...

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

(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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

Six standalone stories are featured in this film, which are united by a common theme of violence and vengeance. Director Damián Szifrón takes the idea of human behavior of people in dist...

Lightning Bolt’s floor shows are the stuff of myth and legend, unleashing a hailstorm of noise that would leave every venue smoldering in dust and vapors for weeks. Two decades after their accla...

The sensational Afro-psychedelic collective BCUC (Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness) started out as a social gathering in their native township of Soweto, South Africa. Even with a relatively short h...

Tampa rap duo They Hate Change performed at Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of the program curated by clipping., following the release of Finally, New; their debut album for Jagjaguwar. Relive the ecstatic performance below with our concert film, featuring two unreleased tracks produced by John Carroll Kirby and Zach Witness: AboutTampa&rsq...

At Le Guess Who? 2024, residential photographers Melanie Marsman and Juri Hiensch captured a stunning series of artist portraits surrounding their performances at the festival. Part of the series features, among others, Ghanaian-French producer and vocalist PÖ and musician, producer and composer Jowee Omicil, who both performed...

DJ Murat is Utrecht's own party-starter. He effortlessly mixes Moombahton, Urban and Afro beats - guaranteed to get you in the right mood. DJ Murat began his musical journey at BOKS (the creative hots...

Designed for contemplation, Sphaîra is an immersive sensory experience and an audiovisual interpretation of sound artist Sara Persico’s homonymous album. It incorporates field recordings f...

Leave it to Dominican-American booth wizard Kelman Duran to surprise listeners at every turn. The LA artist, musician, visual artist, filmmaker, and academic’s electronic abstractions derive fro...

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...

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...

Experimental electronic hip-hop duo H31R–composed of producer JWords and rapper maassai–forge a synthesis of electronica and hip-hop that results in an enigmatic but complementary sonic ex...

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...

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...

Each year, COSMOS – Le Guess Who?’s global music community – partners up with eight new Embassies to showcase their music scene. For this, we commission local filmmakers to portray t...

Each year, COSMOS – Le Guess Who?’s global music community – partners up with eight new Embassies to showcase their music scene. For this, we commission local filmmakers to portray t...

Each year, COSMOS – Le Guess Who?’s global music community – partners up with eight new Embassies to showcase their music scene. For this, we commission local filmmakers to portray t...

“Hardcore never dies, but only if we are the ones who keep it alive” said local hardcore artist Luna van der Laan, and so 030HARDCORE was born! In collaboration with U?, she invites every...

In partnership with Radio AlharaRadio Alhara presents an unprecedented collaboration between Beirut-based multi-instrumentalist and puppeteer Yara Asmar, electronic musician Sary Moussa, and Bethlehem-based tenor of the Greek Orthodox chorus of the Nativity church Laurence Samour. The experiment is as much an attempt to apprehend an unfor...

In partnership with Radio AlharaRadio Alhara presents an unprecedented collaboration between Beirut-based multi-instrumentalist and puppeteer Yara Asmar, electronic musician Sary Moussa, and Bethlehem-based tenor of the Greek Orthodox chorus of the Nativity church Laurence Samour. The experiment is as much an attempt to apprehend an unfor...

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...

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....

Utrecht's beloved independent print workshop, Kapitaal, collaborates with Stranded FM and Julian Brimmers to host the official Le Guess Who? 2022 Hangout through all things print and sound. The progra...

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...

In partnership with Space21Hardi Kurda, a sound artist and curator of Kurdistan-Iraq’s first experimental festival, Space21, takes us on a listening journey to the city of Slemani and its cultural and art activities. Here, the view of the mountains and nature mix with the urban sonic environment. The sound of power generator noises...

Kunsthal Kloof organized a residency for two recently graduated artists to work on site for a month to create an exhibition. During U? 2025, they present the work of Hazel van Berkel, who creates impr...

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...

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...

"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

Friso is an organizer, promoter, musician, DJ, and the curator of Boot122 for U? 2025. For decades, he has been putting on concerts, primarily within the punk and hardcore scenes, but also in the dub...

Whether it’s a stage, a computer screen or a page from a book: Jenny Hval’s multi-disciplinary work aims to break beyond these confining zones to form a deeper connection with her audience...

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 After its debut at le Guess Who? 2021, COSMOS returns to collaborate with Embassies all around the globe. COSMOS is Le Guess Who?’s hybrid platform for collaboration with international partners to present their local scenes through audio-visual content.  VISIT COSMOS

For Le Guess Who? 2026, we offer several ticketing options, including discounted tickets for CJP and U-pas members, and options for people who don't have the financial resources to visit the festival. See all the different ticketing options below (all prices include service costs). Regular Tickets These are the regular ticket prices fo...

Based at Het Hof van Cartesius, 030303 Records is a platform for the advancement of acid sounds. What started as a small acid party in a vaulted cellar has become a mature international label devoted...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

PICÓ: Voices of a Sonic Culture Directed by Edna MartinezProduced by Strut Records, Edna Martinez Running time: 40:55 minutes PICÓ: Voices of a Sonic Culture is a documentary that mov...

Berlin-based Colombian DJ, producer and Le Guess Who? 2025 guest curator Edna Martinez brings La Saramuya soundsystem to TivoliVredenburg’s Pandora to close off the festival with the sounds from...

A seminal group for the foundation of the shoegaze and dream pop sound, A.R. Kane drenched the late 1980s with a blissful sound that reshaped indie music, blending pop, dub, jazz, dance, noise guitar...

Johanna Constantine presents "Rise"&Kembra Pfahler and the Girls of Karen Black present "Fuck Island" Founded by New York-based artists Kembra Pfahler, Johanna Constantine and Anohni, Future Femi...

LGW19 Line-up Le Guess Who? 2019 featured programs curated by Fatoumata Diawara, Jenny Hval, Moon Duo, Patrick Higgins, Iris van Herpen & Salvador Breed and The Bug. View the full line-up via the link below.  LE GUESS WHO? 2019 LINE-UP

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...

Prepare for a giant meeting of improv artists. The copper horns of Stichting BUI, a celebrated gathering of titans of improv, will come shoulder to shoulder with poetry performer Wordbites and beatbox...

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...

Jaafar Touffar is a prominent Arabic Hip Hop artist from Lebanon. He has created a unique sound mixing Rap with Ataba (a traditional Arabic musical form) and Folkloric music that couldn't be studied i...

In partnership with Buh Records.   Buh Records is a record label based in Lima-Peru, founded in 2004 by Luis Alvarado. Focused on a wide universe of experimental and unconventional music, w...

De Saffier en Kaffeetaria will get wild! Together, they are showcasing their most valuable gemstones on their own stage. They will host an extensive and eclectic collection of singer-songwriters, DJs,...

Buh Records is a record label based in Lima, Peru. Founded in 2004 by Luis Alvarado, the label focuses on a wide universe of experimental and unconventional music. Especially their outstanding work in...

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...

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 us...

LE 18 is a multidisciplinary cultural and residency space established in 2013 and located in the medina of Marrakech, Morocco. It aims to provide time and space for research, creation, encounter, mutu...

Some music instruments carry a whole world of tradition, faith and culture. It’s the case of the tanbur, a millenia-old lute strongly tied to the city of Kermanshah, western Iran. Its practice is associated with mystical Yarsan religious beliefs and its knowledge is passed down through generations. Mohammad Mostafa Heydarian, a you...

PRAM’s sound is driven by an innovative rhythm section, where the drums pulse with command, while the bass grooves with a deep, experimental edge, exploring everything from krautrock to dub. A d...

Fusing experimental club, Spanish vocals and her signature genre-blurring edge, Mina Galán is a DJ on a breakout moment, rising from underground favourite to one of the most in-demand names in...

J.A.D.E is a multidisciplinary artist from and based in Amsterdam. After starting to get to know poetry and using Ableton she started to produce her own beats, creating alternative neo soul since...

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...

Nikolaienko is a sound artist who mainly works with outdated musical gear, which he uses to produce tape and cassette loops as a base material for his sound collages. He is also a founder of Muscut, a...

Nikolaienko is a sound artist who mainly works with outdated musical gear, which he uses to produce tape and cassette loops as a base material for his sound collages. He is also a founder of Muscut, a...

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...

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, and perf...

Enveloped in bass, seduced by bass, submerged in bass and utterly crushed by bass: The Bug vs Ghost Dubs seek to craft a new form of spectral dub. The tag team featuring soundlab explorer Kevin Martin...

Founded by siblings Chuquimamani-Condori & Joshua Chuquimia Crampton, Los Thuthanaka bridge the past, present and future of the mighty Pakajaqui Nation through a potent blend of Andean rhythms, Ay...

Los Delfines del Amor bring a lively and captivating performance to Le Guess Who?, evoking a festive atmosphere of glowing lights, saturated colors and constant motion. In their music, salay, a lively...

Declared a ‘cult hero’ by The Guardian, Perfume Genius has invited Canadian songwriter and actress Mary Margaret O’Hara to Utrecht for a very rare live performance. The undisciplinar...

“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...

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…

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...

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...

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...

What is Foodman? By the time whichever song of his comes to an end, the answer has yet to be found. Plunderphonics, footwork, ambient, house, techno, and an array of other genres coexist chaotically,...

Rizqita (they/them/dia) is a queer Javanese-Minangkabau transdisciplinary relational artist, community organizer, and DJ. They consider themselves as a spatial jockey in their arts, where their practi...

In the wake of an old family snapshot, Azka, now a young adult, embarks on a voyage down the corridors of their childhood—a sacred time when the seeds of awareness were sown, both of the externa...

While shooting photographs, Jip Jansen tries to capture a feeling. To portray an emotion. The images are timeless. Almost all the photos are shot in the Slachthuis, the most beautiful café in H...

On the decor of a desolate and rain-soaked pavement wanders a one-man orchestra, equipped with a scratched up sampler, a bunch of guitar pedals, and a tender falsetto. There’s a touching and com...

Martha Da'ro is a multi-disciplinary Belgian-Angolan artist - whose creative career spans from music, film and theater. In 2020 she released her genre-bending EP ‘Cheap Wine & Paris’,...

Birdcage Radio is a creative community and daily online radio that focuses on forward thinking events and dance music. Next to the events Birdcage is also a record label and collaborates with visual a...

In an richly textured blend of sound and re-imagining of the poetic music traditions of the Xhosa people of South Africa, Dumama joins forces with saxophonist and synth artist Pachakuti, and drummer-v...

“KNOW THE PAST. CHANGE THE FUTURE.” Operating under this slogan, Detroit’s Underground Music Academy is a place to learn about the history, creation and business behind electronic mu...

Step into an audiovisual realm of words as mirrors, in a framework of clatter. Welcome to Voice Actor’s pavilion. Surrounded by offering of poetry and recorded introspections, a small-scale cons...

Balancing noise experimentation and pop vocal hooks, the music of Alpha Maid sounds like instinct brought to life: raw, urgent and a very necessary expression. As a guitarist, vocalist and producer sh...

Driven by a deep passion for uncovering rare sounds and preserving musical heritage, Katayoun is a selector, sound archivist, and curator long focused on Iran’s vibrant sonic landscape. Her DJ s...

Driven by a deep passion for uncovering rare sounds and preserving musical heritage, Katayoun is a selector, sound archivist, and curator long focused on Iran’s vibrant sonic landscape. Her DJ s...

As immortalised on the iconic track Poison Dart, The Bug feat. Warrior Queen remains a devastating pairing: spitting sharp rhymes over cavernous dub rhythms and grimy dubstep atmospheres. Shape-shifti...

Dub producer and riddim maker Habesha is a DJ heavily influenced by the UK dub scene. She gained popularity by bringing her music to major sound systems in the UK and around the world, with her signat...

In collaboration with Casco Art Institute Throughout Beverly-Glenn Copeland’s extraordinary 74 years on this planet, he has consciously and constantly dealt with his process of becoming and bei...

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...

The First 5 Years Dive into our Five Years publication with pictures, reports and all the details about the first five editions of the festival.

Somalia's legendary Dur-Dur Band played a major role in the 1980s nightlife of the capital Mogadishu. After reissues by Awesome Tapes From Africa and Analog Africa, Dur-Dur Band's mix of vibrant funk and traditional Somalian rhythms earned renewed recognition globally. The Vinyl Factory's longread tells the story about how the Somalian C...

Le Guess Who? 2019 Line-up Le Guess Who? 2019 featured programs curated by Jenny Hval, Fatoumata Diawara, Iris van Herpen & Salvador Breed, Moon Duo, Patrick Higgins and The Bug. View the full line-up via the link below.  LE GUESS WHO? 2019 LINE-UP

In partnership with V2X. About V2XV2X represents a new generation of Vietnamese creatives shaping their own identities. Operating as an independent media company on the intersection of art, music, culture, V2X highlights creative communities from all corners of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Their work curating emerging cultures in today's m...

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...

Le Guess Who? 2022

Following his recent collaboration with slowthai called 'Glidin', Gambia-born, Coventry-based rapper and BBC Sound of 2021 winner Pa Salieu is back with a new, three-song EP titled 'Afrikan Rebel'. This latest EP features guest appearances from Nigerian artists Tay Iwar, Zlatan and Obongjayar. Listen to 'Afrikan Rebel' below. The Face al...

Via therapeutic frequencies, forest bathing, and binaural sound, Hinako Omori's solo work is more akin to immersive cartography of the mind in ambient tradition than a plain recording. The Yokohama-bo...

South East London producer, vocalist and DJ Coby Sey excitingly intersects contemporary club, DIY-art, and music production. After performing at Le Guess Who? in 2017, he now returns as part of the London collective & guest curators CURL, together with Mica Levi and Brother May.  This week, Coby Sey released his debut album 'Con...

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...

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...

A little over thirty years ago, avant-pop icons Stereolab splashed onto the scene with 1992’s ‘Peng’, a debut more agleam than most, revealing a charisma many bands never possess. Th...

It is no wonder that Argentinian-born, Mexico-based DJ, and producer Tayhana’s work has captured the notice of names such as Rosalía and Daniela Lalita. Tayhana has risen to prominence am...

Consensual Peggy emerges as a riotgrrrl punk band, fearlessly embracing the currents of hysteria. Unpredictable, exuding a resounding uproar, and fiercely untamed. Born from a furnace of anger and inc...

Learning the art of Drag is an amazing journey in one’s life, but the threshold to start is often quite high! Queer Arcana offers the perfect place to start experimenting. Under the guidance of...

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...

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...

Photo Archive Step back into Le Guess Who? 2024 and revisit some of its most memorable moments—on stage and behind the scenes. Explore a curated collection of images captured by our dedicated photography team. Our team of photographers documented this edition, creating striking photo series that capture the energy, atmosphere, and...

Three years after her last Le Guess Who? showcase, Brooklyn-based, Pakistani singer and composer, Arooj Aftab returned to the festival in 2024 both as a curator and performer. "Aftab’s voice and her band’s musicianship are breathtaking on their own, but there’s an intimacy, a warmth, an un-self-seriousness that makes th...

Through their electrifying live performances, intersectional feminist firebrands M(h)aol are fostering an environment of unity and strength, and gaining a reputation that brought them to the iconic KEXP sessions stduio. In their performance, vocalist and drummer Constance Keane fearlessly drives the trio as they tackle the systemic oppres...

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 and communities can be more thoughtfully nurtured. We recognize that these relationships require careful and sustained a...

The legendary Amersfoort hardcore punk trio Seein' Red formed around 1989 from the ashes of Lärm. The band quickly found their line-up consisting of brothers Paul & Olav van den Berg, on guit...

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...

Charity Charly is a self-taught filmmaker and artist who focuses on making the invisible layers in society visible. She is currently working on her debut as a director for her first film ‘Tra Fa...

YoungWoman is an Amsterdam-based Egyptian DJ, producer and cofounder of Amsterdam’s first T4T Collective: Los Angles. With sets that feel like drinking an energy drink and hopping on a rollercoa...

L/MA0RI is a selector known for her genre-defying radio curation and shows. Besides DJing, she shares her love for music and community as a member of the Amsterdam-based Radio Tempo Não P&agrav...

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...

Japanese-American musician and composer Patrick Shiroishi is best known for the new ways he bends notes out of the saxophone’s mouthpiece, both in a band setting (The Armed, Wild Up, and Upsilon...

Black creative music often becomes a powerful act of resistance and activism, and that’s certainly true for Asher Gamedze’s music. Through rolling drums and poetic reflections, the virtuos...

Belfast-born polymath, Calibre, has spent three decades immersed in a creative journey spanning various artistic realms as a painter, multi-instrumentalist, singer, writer, producer, and DJ. Across 23...

You might have seen her walking around festival terrains around the globe, with a bag full of vinyls and a big smile on her face. Inventive collector and selector DJ Marcelle brings her iconic three-t...

Multi-faceted artist Hania Rani brings to Le Guess Who? a thrilling storm of synthesised patterns that pulls the listener into a deeply hypnotic trance. The pianist, composer and vocalist has emerged...

Somewhere between a love letter and a shrug, Smerz’s music is a liminal space that flirts with the listener while keeping an eye on the exit. Sampled strings swell like something borrowed from a...

Amsterdam-based Los Angles - a collective showcasing and nurturing trans talent - invites to Le Guess Who? 2025 two of their powerhouse DJs. A rigorous sonic maximalist who thrives at the intersection...

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 ele...

Directed by Garin NugrohoRunning time: 80 minutesBali, circa 1932. Since childhood, Sinta and Darta were close, though they came from two opposite classes. Sinta was born in a wealthy family of a nobl...

Directed by Lonnie Holley & Cyrus MoussaviRunning time: 18 minutes  Lonnie Holley has been adrift across the timelines for longer than he can remember. Using advanced technology of his own d...

In recent years, audiences have been surprised to learn that some of their favorite festivals were bought up by private equity funds—often with values far removed from the communities these fest...

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...

Returning to Le Guess Who? for 24 HOUR DUB, Aba Shanti-I is one of those heavyweights who shaped what dub music and sound system culture are today. Born in London to Antiguan parents, he grew up immer...

Jamaican dub poet, musician, radio host and cultural activist Mutabaruka established his legacy by performing his cutting edge lines at reggae festivals across the world. Widely recognized for razor-s...

The alias of Mad Professor probably came naturally for someone who built his own radio and telephone system at the age of 10 years old, and later his own mixing desk. In the early 1980s he launched hi...

Transporting listeners from the dance floor to a different dimension, SEEKERSINTERNATIONAL is an audio-visual project that reimagines Jamaican culture through kaleidoscopic lenses. Crafting oblique mu...

24 HOUR DUB keeps flowing lead by a visionary who bridges the analog roots of dub with the evolving world of digital sound: Scientist performing the classic album Scientist Rids the World of the Evil...

Conjuring a sense of cosmic belonging within life’s maelstrom, Azu Tiwaline is a producer and DJ beloved for her wonderful ability to channel vast inner realms into the outward joys of dance and...

Legendary outfit Ibex Band has played a central role in defining the sound of 1970s Ethiopian music, modernizing traditional rhythms and arrangements into a contemporary form. Through innovative guita...

Desert blues heroes Etran de L’Aïr make a triumphant return to Le Guess Who?, invited by guest curators Tropical Fuck Storm, with many tours and accolades under their belt. Having perfected...

Producer Loraine James has established her identity through a blend of refined composition, gritty experimentation and unpredictable, intricate electronic programming. While titles released under her...

Having become somewhat of a mainstay in Utrecht, Stranded FM celebrate and share music from all over the globe, becoming the city’s bastion for discovering fresh sounds. During their four-year r...

Jazz superforce Shabaka Hutchings curates his own program at Le Guess Who? 2018, hosting a variety of inspirations, interests and like-minded artists. Now, he has put together a personal playlist...

Besides being a member of The Mauskovic Dance Band, Amsterdam-based Donald ‘Donny’ Madjid is also a drum-machine-wielding story-teller, whose debut album ‘Pure Donzin’, takes i...

Every week, we bring you a must-hear track from the Le Guess Who? 2018 line-up. As the festival is getting closer and closer, we dive deeper and deeper into this year's worldly, prismatic line-up. This week, we highlight the elated mix of Arabic rhythms, raw Eastern funk and vintage psychedelia of The Scorpios. Having fled from the...

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...

Even if Neptunian Maximalism, also known as NNMM, are more of a sparse community of ‘multi occultural engineers’ than a band per se, their mission is crystal clear; to explore the evolutio...

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...

Although this Ireland-centered collaboration between Paddy Shine of GNOD and Phil Masterson of Los Langeros, Damp Howl, and Bisect, is technically “new folk”, the listener should tread car...

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...

WTF Gallery & Café was founded in 2010. The gallery has consistently embraced progressive thinking and pushed the barriers of what a small independent art space can sustain and present in terms of diverse art forms. A pioneering successful independent space, WTF is a vital meeting point for local artists and offers a rare platf...

Rapper and producer Pink Siifu has a mercurial talent for intersecting styles and culture. Following the release of 2020's 'NEGRO' (which got expanded to 'NEGRO DELUXE' earlier this year), Pink Siifu is now already preparing his follow-up, entitled 'GUMBO’!', out August 3.  The album will feature contributions by Nic...

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...

Belgian musician, composer, and instrument maker Jochem Baelus aka Slumberland and experimental Tuvan singer Sainkho Namtchylak gave a collaborative performance during Le Guess Who? 2021 at Utrecht’s Jacobikerk. With Slumberland, Belgian musician, composer, and instrument maker Jochem Baelus creates hypnotic krautrock and post punk...

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...

In partnership with LE 18 LE 18 is a multidisciplinary cultural and residency space established in 2013 and located in the medina of Marrakesh, Morocco. It aims to provide time and space for research, creation, encounter, mutual learning, and the cross-pollination of knowledge. The space has developed organically and through a collaborat...

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...

Polish guitarist Raphael Rogiński presented his album Žaltys live at Utrecht’s Pieterskerk during Le Guess Who? 2024, accompanied on stage by Lithuanian singer and kanklės player Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė and American multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily. You can now listen to the full performance, which was co-curated by Unsound as pa...

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...

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...

Ajabu Ajabu is a screen, a studio, and a collective devoted to the preservation, production, and presentation of audio-visual art forms in Tanzania. For COSMOS, they presented  "A Stream of Cons...

Born Yallah Gudencia Mbidde in Kenya and raised in Uganda, MC Yallah is a seasoned industry veteran, having first stepped onto the hip-hop scene in 1999. Her expressive and poetic rhymes, which came i...

(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...

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 i...

In partnership with Oroko Radio.  Oroko is a not-for-profit independent internet radio station based in Accra, Ghana. We aim to connect, inspire and empower through conversation, collaboration a...

Since 2022, Le Guess Who? partners with the Nature and Environment Federation Utrecht to offset CO2 emissions from international air travel by artists and visitors. Thanks to collaboration in 2023, a sustainable roof at Utrecht’s Hof van Cartesius, a unique circular workspace for creative entrepreneurs, has now been realized. Hof va...

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...

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...

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...

For the September episodes of COSMOS' monthly show on Refuge Worldwide, we’re headed towards Southeast Asia, for a double-header transmission from Malaysia/Cambodia and Vietnam. 

In the nineties, electronic music was flowering out of every crevice in Detroit. Theo Parrish has taken it upon himself to continue sowing the city’s seeds. The producer, DJ, and sound engineer...

For the first episode of COSMOS on Refuge Worldwide in 2026, we've cued up a special all-originals mix by Seyðisfjörður’s (Iceland) Austin James Christ and a sonic meditation on the aura of Mediterranean gardens by film- and radiomaker Tania Feghali (NTS). 

COSMOS – our hybrid platform highlighting independent music scenes from around the world – is an integral part of Le Guess Who?. Here’s how to experience COSMOS from 6-9 November – onsite or online. Live Radio Once again, COSMOS and Refuge Worldwide join forces at the COSMOS Foyer. During all festival days, we&rs...

Stachel is a two-piece punk band from Utrecht, influenced by old German and Dutch punk. Their mostly political lyrics match with their DIY attitude: self-recording and self-distributing their records...

Maurice, AKA Mau’s Acid Machine, is a Rotterdam based performer and DJ. Combining a passion for tinkering and electronic music, Maurice was put on a path of patching and modulating to build his...

B3CKI is a DJ, visual artist, and aspiring musician from Jakarta, Indonesia based in Cologne, Germany. As a DJ, B3CKI's sets always include hard-hitting drums mixed together with distortion, deconstru...

A musical hunter-gatherer, Badreddine Haouat, AKA Retro Cassetta, has spent years digging through crates in the lookout for North African music gems. His gargantuan cassette collection forms a musical...

Birth of Manuel is a Faxe-powered punk band from the Utrecht underground scene. Founded by members of Throwing Bricks, Ontaard (performed at U? 2023) and Ciao Bon Jovi Jon Bon Jon Jovi Jon, with the g...

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 incre...

Hong Kong producer gyrofield is a rising star whose influences span a.o. drum & bass, ambient, techno, hyperpop, grime and dubstep. After a period in Bristol, they have recently moved to Utrecht, and their curation at Le Guess Who? 2025 features musical heroes and like-minded artists. Together with fellow DJs & producers Ciel, Cal...

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...

Some music instruments carry a whole world of tradition, faith and culture. It’s the case of the tanbur, a millenia-old lute strongly tied to the city of Kermanshah (western Iran). Its practice...

As a meticulous producer of hyper-detailed IDM soundscapes and disassembled dubstep tracks, Objekt has an unpredictable and unique approach to DJing. Feeding off spontaneity and crowd energy, he could...

Producer 33EMYBW uses abstract dance music to explore the mysteries of humanity and its evolution. Her deconstructed club compositions draw inspiration from IDM, folk music and a wide range of visual...

The inception of wild ensemble Earth Ball was serendipitous: they emerged from Vancouver Island embracing complete improvisation, free expression and a truly psychedelic sound. Each member brings a di...

As part of her guest curation at Le Guess Who? 2025, trailblazing percussionist Valentina Magaletti takes the stage for a special improvised set. Her versatile technique, which can incorporate anythin...

Le Guess Who? aficionados are certainly familiar with the work of multi-talented artist Alabaster DePlume, whose instrumental and lyrical creations radiate healing and empathy. Often joined on stage b...

Poet, musician, actor and director Saul Williams is the groundbreaking artist who introduced the world to the slam poetry movement–with the film Slam (1998)–and a vital voice in alternativ...

An absolute highlight of the 2024 Venice Biennale, Wael Shawky’s video work Drama 1882 addresses a key moment in Egyptian history: the nationalist Urabi Revolution (1879–1882) in which the...

Rooted in archival footage, soundscapes and poetry, Neither on the Ground nor in the Sky is a live audiovisual performance. It creates a dialogue between the geographical landscapes of Syria and Leban...

A pure blast of explosive chaos, this wrecking one-man band detonates drums and vocals in a jungle of distortions and digital artifacts. Tonto came out of the most depraved fever dream of Zu, Deerhoof...

Electronic music composer Heinali, whose work extends Western medieval music traditions through modular synthesis, and  singer Andriana-Yaroslava Saienko,  who practices authentic Ukrainian...

Directed by: Saul Williams & Anisia UzeymanRunning time: 110 minutes  Multi-hyphenate, multidisciplinary artist Saul Williams brings his unique dynamism to this Afrofuturist vision, a sci-fi...

ALIGN.ONLINE is a Southeast Asian platform dedicated to cultural and sound innovation, with a focus on supporting women and the queer community in electronic music. Founded after Victoria Yam (aka rEm...

Broken Spectre is an immersive film that documents the immense destruction of the Amazon Rainforest between 2018 and 2022. Richard Mosse’s multi-layered approach reveals the all-encompassing nat...

Musician, activist, podcaster and LGW 2025 co-curator Amirtha Kidambi invites us into her vision of ‘Outernationalism’, a concept introduced by the late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto to descri...

Musician, activist, podcaster and LGW 2025 co-curator Amirtha Kidambi invites us into her vision of ‘Outernationalism’, a concept introduced by the late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto to descri...

HULUBALANG is the latest project from inventive electronic producer, sound artist, label founder and DJ Kasimyn, known as one-half of Gabber Modus Operandi. Driven by the urge to experiment, the proje...

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, and perf...

Cycle or walk through Utrecht suburb Lombok's main street, and you're immediately welcomed by Turkish and Moroccan grocery stores, bakeries, the smell of kebab, and huge piles of colorful fruits sold...

Wilfred Guerrero is the heart and soul of El Dragón Turbo Láser, one of Colombia’s most iconic picós. Inherited from his father, who founded the system in the 1960s, it serv...

Rooted in deep techno but unbound by its conventions, Sa Pa crafts immersive, shape-shifting compositions, in which thick bass lines amalgamate to create a thick low frequency zone, while off-kilter b...

Performing on the embaire, a giant Ugandan wooden xylophone played by six musicians at the same time, Nakibembe Embaire Group create hypnotic and joyful music. The instrument weaves polyrhythmic melod...

Born in Notting Hill of Grenadian parentage, Dubplate Pearl is a South London digger and selector whose music-loving parents influenced her taste and passion. She started her music journey through sou...

Saturated and explosive, BBBBBBB is a duo whose music hits like a technicolor digital assault. They dub their music genre "Victory Hardcore”: a mix of digital hardcore, noise, industrial and tra...

After 16 years as a songwriter and bass player with his band Beak>, as well as a collaborator of Robert Plant and Massive Attack, Billy Fuller jumps into a new solo project that serves as a peek in...

Electronic fury and feverish organic percussion collide with a relentless Latin American punk spirit. The vital and combustive music of Deafkids comes from "the perception of the environmental, politi...

Having forged a genre-blending sound of folk, electronica and ambient textures uniquely her own, Juana Molina is a master of experimental pop, creating a familiar but always unpredictable landscape&md...

Pairing traditional song structure with abstract spatial dynamics, ouri creates unparalleled tension between aggressive rhythmic progression and soothing harmonic fluidity. She stretches beyond the bo...

In its simplicity, the title of Bill Orcutt’s latest album, Music in Continuous Motion, captures the musician’s decades-long career as well as his style: a steady flow of riffs and arpeggi...

For the past thirty-three years, instrumental trio Dirty Three occupied a mythic place on concertgoers’ bucket lists around the world, as their live performances are renowned for both fierceness...

Uniquely mixing improvised experimentation and emo songwriting, Chuck Roth writes songs that exist and evolve on the spur of the moment. Every recording or performance is a version of a piece: delicat...

With a commitment to intercultural expression, ZÖJ is an experimental cross-cultural music duo that blends traditional elements with contemporary experimental influences. Central to their practic...

A distinctive cinematic experience that mirrors the sonic textures of a record, BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions weaves fiction and history in an immersive journey. The fictionalized figures of W. E. B....

Percussionist Edward Wakili-Hick (Nok Cultural Ensemble, Sons of Kemet) presents an ode to Nyahbinghi with a performance that channels the spiritual and rhythmic force of Rastafari drumming through a...

There aren't many interviews with Grouper's Liz Harris around, but now, she's spoken with Love Lion about her dreams, adventures and the things she likes doing the most. Read the full interview here....

Fashion designer Iris van Herpen and sound artist Salvador Breed curate a lineup of artists and performances symbolizing their highly intertwined aesthetics, developed over years of collaborating on n...

Le Mini Who? is a spin-off festival of Le Guess Who?. It turns venues, cafes, art spaces and even a fire station of the fast-developing and creative area Cartesius into improvised venues for (mainly)...

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...

Presented by Le Guess Who? & Springhaver The directorial debut from Boots Riley presents an alternate reality of present-day Oakland, California, when telemarketer Cassius Green finds himself in...

Presented by Le Guess Who? & Centraal Museum As co-creative director for Björk on visuals, mask-maker James Merry is primarily known for his hand embroidery on sportswear, but he also create...

Presented by Le Guess Who? & Springhaver Part film, part baptism, in Black Mother director Khalik Allah brings us on a spiritual journey through Jamaica. Soaking up its bustling metropolises and...

Every week, we’ll bring you a must-hear track from the Le Guess Who? 2018 line-up. This week, it's a synth-driven song by singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart, with nonchalant nods to disco. ...

Le Guess Who 2018 will host the influential Lydia Lunch and her Big Sexy Noise. How did Lunch become the revered anti-establishment figure she is today? This article offers a brief exploration of the...

Brooklyn five-piece Gustaf have generated a surprising loud buzz for a band which hasn’t been in circulation for more than a few years. Formed in 2018, they quickly garnered a reputation in punk...

Besides being a captivating composer, violinist, and vocalist, Jessica Moss is also a skillful story-teller. Listening to her first solo ventures, one is immediately transported into the icy Montreal...

Born to a Gabonese father and a Singaporean mother, Devi Mambouka is a quintessential child of the world. After relocating to the United States at twelve, she found singing an unlikely refuge. Nowaday...

In 2020, Lyra Pramuk published a picture of her vocal cords on Instagram – a display-case of the force behind her debut album ‘Fountain’, arranged entirely from the sound of her...

Luc Bersier, Low Bat, Leonard Prochazka and Ariel Garcia may all hail from different places in Western Europe, but the Jean-Luc project drew them together to make several vibrant EPs – each...

The South African, Afro-psychedelic collective BCUC gave an ecstatic performance on the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2018, curated by Shabaka Hutchings. Relive the full set below, and watch the video for the group's performance of 'Yinde': About:BCUC (Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness) started out as a social gathering in their nati...

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...

‘Vision Of Paradise’ is the thrilling, poetic story of the legendary Lee Scratch Perry, a fairy tale documentary rather than a biography. The film is a mind-blowing encounter with the inve...

Facts & Figures Browse through our Facts & Figures magazine, in which we offer you an insight into the impact and results of LGW ON/OFF, with data from both events, photos, and quotes from media.   Press Archive Our archive includes press previews, reports and interviews for ON/OFF. Have a look at all published articles...

De Schuurman’s 2021 release – ‘Bubbling Inside’, a collaboration between Kampala-based label Nyege Nyege Tapes and Rotterdam’s platform Pantropical – centers around...

Norwegian-German saxophonist Bendik Giske has likened his art to the one of a machine, but, still, through his music - most recently his second solo album, 2021’s ‘Cracks’ - there is...

A woman arrives in Lebanon in search of a missing man, whom she met in Iceland a few years ago. Here, the buildings and landscapes still bear the traces of past conflicts, and the missing friend&rsquo...

Photo Gallery Our photo team captured a lot of special moments during Le Guess Who? 2012. Take a scroll through our 2012 photo archive:  VISIT PHOTO GALLERY

Linton Kwesi Johnson's impressive body of work includes stints as reggae poet, political orator, recording artist, and author/journalist. His 1978 reggae album Dread Beat an' Blood is a statement akin to Gil Scott-Heron's The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. A vocal personality who fights oppression against black youth, the Jamaica-born...

Rotterdam’s Rats on Rafts’ most recent album, ‘Chapter 3: The Mind Runs A Net Of Rabbit Paths’, is proof of their ambition - and even more so is their one-off performance at Le...

Australia's Tropical Fuck Storm maps their own music from noise-rock and post-punk. This August, the band released their new album 'Braindrops' through Joyful Noise and now they share a new video for album track 'The Happiest Guy Around'. Directed by Glendon and Isabella, who are also known as 'the animators for the stars', we s...

Kazakh-British composer and violinist Galya Bisengalieva performed her latest album 'Aralkum' in full live at Le Guess Who? 2021, as part of the program presented by Uncloud. You can now listen & relive the entire performance.  "It has been speculated how the current environmental crisis we face will inspire musicians, the sam...

Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, visual artist and record label owner John Dwyer was one of the curators for Le Guess Who? 2021, presenting his personal program with inspirations and fellow like-minded artists. As part of the curation, Dwyer also performed twice himself on the final day of the festival: first with jam-loving c...

Georgia's Pankisi Ensemble performed live at Le Guess Who? 2023 as part of the Hidden Musics program. Now, you can relive this touching performance with the full audio of the show, recorded at Utrecht's Jacobikerk during the festival. AboutThe Pankisi Ensemble goes against the typical 'ethno-fusion' grain in two ways. First, by not res...

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...

Audio Recordings Listen to performances of the Microphones, Mazaher, FLOHIO, Slumberland feat. Sainkho Namtchylak, Zwangere Guy, Suuns, Ice Balloons and Plague Organ. VISIT AUDIO ARCHIVE

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...

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...

Hatis Noit’s vocal awakening came at the age of sixteen, during a trip to Nepal in which she was moved by a female monk’s chant. This experience led her to begin exploring the visceral pow...

After the death of krautrock legend Christian Burchard, his band Embryo continues, led by his daughter Marja. Is it possible to build musical autonomy on top of such a rich heritage?IDFA (Internationa...

In partnership with Honiunhoni Honiunhoni, meaning "Impossible Possibilities," is an independent music production collective and record label founded in 2022 by musician and anthropologist Daniyal Ahmed. Rooted in the ethos of ethnographic research, Honiunhoni celebrates Pakistan's cultural richness and diversity through meticulous curat...

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...

Baskot Lel Baltageyya (meaning ‘cookies for thugs’) is a Cairo-based project headed by musician Adham Zidan and poet Anwar Dabbour. From the start, Zidan has resisted the idea of it being...

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...

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...

DIEMAJIN, the duo of Berlin-based producer DJ DIE SOON (Daisuke Imamura) and Tokyo-based vocalist MA, present 陰陽 (Yin and Yang) at Le Guess Who? 2025 as part of Tianzhuo Chen's curation at the festival. Listen to the full performance: Imagine a spectral, sinister version of Tokusatsu - the Japanese live-action films or television pro...

Ensemble Nist-Nah performed live at Le Guess Who? 2025, bringing together eight eclectic musicians in a fusion of gamelan and experimental percussion at Utrecht's iconic Jacobi church. Listen to, and relive, the full performance via the recording below.  Led by drummer and percussionist Will Guthrie, Ensemble Nist-Nah draws on a w...

WTF Gallery & Café was founded in 2010. The gallery has consistently embraced progressive thinking and pushed the barriers of what a small independent art space can sustain and present in t...

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...

In partnership with Seyðisfjörður Community Radio. Seyðisfjörður Community Radio (SCR) is a shared digital and analogue broadcasting platform located in the village of Seyðisfjörður on the east-coast of Iceland. The radio is hosted, nurtured and initiated by an open-ended international community of...

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...

There is a good reason why names such as John Zorn, Matana Roberts, and Fred Frith have rushed to play with Ava Mendoza, as the Brooklyn guitarist, vocalist, and composer has built a reputation as one...

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. ...

‘Dogsbody’, Brooklyn-based quartet Model/Actriz’ first album, crashed onto music listener’s radars earlier this year like a seismic sea wave. It is easy to see why Cole Haden a...

The village of Cileunyi, located in the mountainous areas surrounding Bandung, West Java, is home to Reak, a spiritual trance ritual that has existed in the region for hundreds of years. Seni Reak Juarta Putra, an original community of the Reak ceremony, offers this year’s Le Guess Who? audience a rare glimpse into the ritual. Th...

(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....

POP Montréal International Music Festival is an annual not-for-profit curated cultural event that champions independence in the arts by presenting emerging and celebrated artistic talents from a...

Hatis Noit's musical awakening took place at the tender age of sixteen during a trek to Buddha's birthplace in Nepal. One morning when staying at a women’s temple she came across a female monk singing Buddhist chants whose otherworldly sounds moved her so intensely that she was instantly aware of the visceral power of the human voic...

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...

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....

As prominent as the English are in pop music, their role in symphonic music is modest. At most about five composers have made a bit of a name for themselves. These include Frederick Delius. The Englis...

Some people are worth waiting for - and Ustad Noor Bakhsh is certainly among them. Having had to cancel his performance at Le Guess Who? last year due to health issues, the electric Benju master is th...

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...

For U? 2024, Hof van Cartesius presents a diverse program created together with the artists that are located in this unique circular workspace for creative entrepreneurs. Photographer Rogier Boogaard documented two artists who will be part of this year's festival program. First up: Sophie Wantia. Sophie Wantia is the founder of Studio...

Josephine Zwaan, artist, producer, researcher and founder of a platform for female and non-binary music producers named Rosetta will lead a conversation with Deborah X, one of the founders of DJ and p...

Accommodation in Utrecht is in high demand during the festival. Therefore, it is recommended to also look into accommodation options in the surrounding areas of Utrecht, where there may be more rooms available, including budget-friendly options.

In partnership with POP Montréal.   POP Montréal International Music Festival is an annual not-for-profit curated cultural event that champions independence in the arts by pres...

As guest curator for Le Guess Who? 2025, musician, activist, improviser and community organizer Amirtha Kidambi invites us into her vision of 'Outernational', which is centered around the belief that music can play a central role in building global cultural solidarity and community in these tumultuous and revolutionary times.  In th...

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...

Jagannathan Sampath, or DINfidel, is a computer programmer who makes music on his computer called DIN Is Noise. Sampath started his screen career elsewhere, as he began writing computer animation soft...

Mexico-born, Amsterdam-based Fuensanta Méndez is a singer, composer, double bassist, improviser, multidisciplinary artist, and, according to Art District Radio, a ‘spirit steeped in poetr...

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...

Out of this year’s Touching Bass curatorship comes a thrilling end-of-week back-to-back featuring two of the South London-based movement’s leading lights - Errol and Sammseed. Touching Bas...

A crossover between American duo The Body, who have been tinkering with noise and metal since 1999, and Berlin-based DJ, producer, and vocalist Felicia Chen (AKA Dis Fig) was bound to make the earth s...

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 the same day as his Nick León b2b, LA-based abstract electronic music icon Kelman Duran is linking up with multi-faceted artist Franziska Aigner, AKA FRANKIE. There is a lot of crossover in...

smother is an Amsterdam-based doll of many trades: DJ, freelance writer, communications girlboss at a cultural fund, and co-founder of trans-femme Los Angles Collective through which she organizes T4T...

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...

Dez Dare is a one-person fuzz beast, who has been recording out of his home studio for the past 5 years and has produced some of the weirdest and catchiest, fuzz-induced, electronic, garage, punk, to...

South East Londoner Emma Warren has been documenting underground music culture for decades. The author of Dance Your Way Home: A Journey Through The Dancefloor (2023), Make Some Space: Tuning Into Tot...

Eight years after their first show at Le Guess Who?, and seven after the release of debut album Blood—a baroque, cello-led exorcism that introduced a singular voice moving between the sacred and the sensual—Kelsey Lu returns with the long-awaited new record So Help Me God. So Help Me God by Kelsey Lu “A lot has happene...

Born from the ashes from other unknown bands, Human Dogfood is a three-piece punk group hailing from the suburbs of Paris. Music-wise, two vocalists scream and shout on fast three-chord (max) songs. T...

RVILLA is a French-American hip-hop artist using her art and voice in service of truth, freedom, and empowerment. Primarily focused on rap, she also seamlessly blends elements of R&B and soul into...

Introducing: the playful and colorful sound journey of vocal artist and DJ, TiZi. Internet based and passionately learning about music - how it provokes the body to move -, seeing colors in music and...

‘Pedestrians Of Bright Silence’ sees Weak Moves frontman Jesper Vervoort transform into a one-man orchestra, equipped with a sampler, guitar pedals, and a soft falsetto. Dusty yet razor-sh...

The artist formerly known as D-Ribeiro has, over the years, learned to embrace new disciplines. Namely, the otherwise well-known DJ has been deepening his identity as a harpist, composer, and stage pe...

Nearly fifteen years after bursting on the scene with debut ‘Splazsh’, Darren J. Cunningham, AKA Actress, is still pulling the wool over our eyes. This year, our earbuds are blessed with &...

Sadaa Sound Syndicate presents Sawt Syria, a two-part essay film that delves into the inner worlds of the alternative music scene in Syria and its exilic diaspora in Europe. Through intimate conversat...

Degeneracy Regeneracy is an immersive audiovisual exhibition of five interconnected artworks, each unfolding like a chapter in a larger narrative. Set within a single space, it explores the cyclical r...

Abdullah Miniawy, who previously graced the LGW stage with Le Cri du Caire, is an Egyptian expressionist, writer, singer, composer, who has performed worldwide at renowned venues and festivals, includ...

​​Santuri East Africa is a community-focused music innovation hub based in Nairobi, Kenya. Their goal is to bring about a more equitable, authentic, and diverse music industry. For a full decade, the...

Having just released their 500th issue, The Wire is considered as one of the best independent, in-depth print and online music magazines. For over 40 years, The Wire celebrates and interrogates the most visionary and inspiring, subversive and radical, marginalized and undervalued musicians on the planet.  Leading up to Le Guess Who?...

Guitarist, vocalist and producer Alpha Maid, whose performance at Le Guess Who? 2025 is curated by Valentina Magaletti, has shaped a distinctive sonic language that draws from grunged-out guitar, lo-fi glitch and noise audio sample electronics. The artist now releases her debut album Is this a queue via AD 93. Is this a queue by Alpha Ma...

COSMOS returns to the Refuge Worldwide signal. This time with a free-spirited transmission by Amsterdam’s iconic DIY-venue OCCII, and a deep dive into Southeast Asian psych rock by LaMunai Records. 

Partners in marriage and art, Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and Frank Rosaly’s ‘MESTIZX’ builds upon the sounds of their respective ancestral roots in Bolivia, Brazil, and Puerto Rico....

This year, Le Guess Who? attendees will again be treated to a performance by DNA? AND?, an Oslo-based improvisation project unlike any other. This is because the group is made up of professional music...

“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...

Across 24 years, sound and multimedia artist Raven Chacon has built an extraordinary body of work, appearing in over eighty solo and collaborative appearances, including with the influential collectiv...

Sought after for her adventurous and protean DJing style, Ciel is an innovative producer and selector whose sets incorporate a diversity of genres she loves, from drum & bass and house to electro...

Like a lucid dream, the chants of multidisciplinary artist and musician Daisy Rickman intertwine a mystical connection between an ode to her Cornwall and the cosmos that holds us. The singer-songwrite...

With their most recent album A Soft and Gatherable Star, Jabu channels insomnia and inebriation into hazy tracks brimming with longing, fragmented memories and psychotropic experiences. Evolving from...

Can samba carry a message of redemption? With his celebratory albums Curyman and Curyman II, Rogê seeks to spread joy, “so that we don’t give in to sadness, to laziness, to a lack of...

When Blueberry Boat (2004) was released, Pitchfork described it as “a record for the overgrown part of our brain that craves engrossing complexity”. At the time, The Fiery Furnaces, consis...

Amirtha Kidambi’s music is grounded by a deep commitment to social practice. The composer and her ensemble Elder Ones confront and resist systems of oppression with compositions of sonic activis...

Merope’s roots lie deep in the soil of Lithuania’s folk songs, vividly evoked through the resonant sound of the kanklės (a traditional string instrument) and their ancestral singing. Joine...

Due to his groundbreaking approach to songwriting and electronic production, over the last decade IOSONOUNCANE has emerged as a key figure in Italy’s independent music scene. His collaboration w...

With his uniquely flamboyant performances, Devendra Banhart became one of the defining artists of the 2000s international indie music scene. Over the years, his already colourful songwriting expanded,...

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...

With their new album the world is still here and so are we - marking a return after two decades - Welsh trio Mclusky hit the stage with the same ragged urgency that first defined them. Indebted to bot...

Mirands is an open format DJ and co-founder of BATEKOO, a vital cultural movement amplifying Brazil’s Black and LGBTQIA+ voices. Celebrating diversity through music and dance, BATEKOO empowers m...

Composer and performer Skander Jaïbi premières his debut album Who has the right to closure?: classical structures and intangible soundscapes stemmed from a collaboration with Alicia Verd&...

The annual residency-based sound gathering “Sounds of Places” returns to Le Guess Who? 2025 with sound artist and art producer Ibrahim Owais, joined by Yara Asmar. A spatial sonic narrativ...

Moody, luminous and quietly feral, Snakeskin’s music floats voluptuous vocals over a bed of industrial beats, ambient drone and shapeshifting electronics. Dream pop in form but not in spirit, th...

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...

Directed by: Claudia Priscilla & Kiko GoifmanRunning time: 75 minutes Bixa Travesty (Tranny Fag) is a feature-length documentary picturing the Brazilian transsexual singer Linn da Quebrada who al...

The music of Kathryn Mohr exists in a liminal space of auditory dissociation. Whether led by guitar or synth, her art chases the ephemeral nature of humanity through dark ruminative songs. Her latest...

The music of Kathryn Mohr exists in a liminal space of auditory dissociation. Whether led by guitar or synth, her art chases the ephemeral nature of humanity through dark ruminative songs. Her latest...

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....

African Head Charge performed live on the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2023 following the release of their new album 'A Trip To Bolgatanga'. You can now relive the performance with the full audio of the show, which is assured to put a smile on anyone's face.  About'A bad attitude is like a flat tire - you can't go anywhere until...

Le Guess Who? 2026 5-8 November in Utrecht, The Netherlands 24 HOUR DUB can be visited by Le Guess Who? visitors with a 4-Day Pass. Visitors with a Saturday Pass or Sunday Pass can visit the 24 HOUR DUB programs on those respective days. More info about 24 HOUR DUB here.  LGW offers discounted tickets for CJP and U-pas membersNo...

Le Guess Who? 2023 featured programs curated by AMPFEMININE, Stereolab, and Heba Kadry. View the full line-up via the link below. LE GUESS WHO? 2023 LINE-UP

Ami Dang takes her listeners to higher states of mind through meditative sounds. The Baltimore ambient musician fuses sitar, voice, and electronics to create east-meets-west transcendental music. On her latest solo record 'Parted Plains', she draws inspiration from South Asian and Middle Eastern folkloric narratives. Dang c...

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...

As a spin-off festival of Le Guess Who?, Le Mini Who? transforms many of Utrecht’s local bars, restaurants, venues and warehouses into improvised venues for (mainly) Dutch underground bands to p...

ALIGN.ONLINE is a Southeast Asian platform dedicated to cultural and sound innovation, with a focus on supporting women and the queer community in electronic music. Founded by award-winning musicians...

Utrecht’s CARISTA is a DJ, producer and curator, NTS Radio resident and founder of music label United Identities. Known for her intuitive, shapeshifting DJ sets, she usually moves through house,...

Former U? curator Raziyah Heath, performing as Chinnamasta, uncovers and showcases the significant impact and influence of Caribbean music worldwide. Embodying the Hindu goddess of death, rebirth, and...

Afrofuturist DJ and producer Introspekt aims to recontextualize the roots of dubstep with bass-driven experimentation. Drawing from the kinetic pulse of Baltimore club, the raw minimalism Croydon dubs...

Even though Le Guess Who? visitors might be familiar with multi-faceted artist Kelman Duran, it’s impossible to know what to expect from the multi-disciplinary artist, especially during his part...

Celebrated for her passion for music that bridges global club scenes, Tash LC blends traditional Afro-diasporic sounds such as Soukous and Merengue with Kuduro, Soca, and cutting-edge percussive club...

Heavily influenced by dub reggae, Holy Tongue share a deep appreciation for experimental dub, improvised music and post-punk. Originally conceived as a studio collaboration between maverick percussion...

Sounds created for no reason. Sounds that come and go. They disappear into the air like a scent, as soon as they materialize, moving freely between rhythm and non-rhythm, noise and silence. Founded in...

Experimental rock collective Water Damage return to Le Guess Who? with their ritual repetition therapy of psychedelia and kraut rock. Guided by the motto “Maximal Repetition Minimal Deviation&rd...

During Le Guess Who? 2025, many visitors left Cloud Nine at the end of a show with a feeling of ecstasy and the desire to get more of exhilarating free jazz quartet أحمد [Ahmed]. We have good news: th...

Complex yet simple, mechanical yet sensual, goat (JP) perform in a near trance-like state, as their minimalist compositions are an exercise in persistent repetition. Formed in 2013 by Koshiro Hino as...

Captured on the live recording Reality Is Not A Theory, this project unites two major figures in British experimental music, each having developed rigorous practices from radically different backgroun...

Post-apocalyptic acid punk disco scuzzheads Tropical Fuck Storm return to Le Guess Who? for a guest curation that feels like a homecoming. Alongside solo shows and inviting musicians they collaborate...

Bandleader, multi-instrumentalist and producer Shabaka Hutchings has reshaped global perceptions of jazz and experimental music through a practice that moves fluidly between jazz, electronic, spiritua...

Short film AFRICA IS THE FUTURE is a four-part ritual: a true immersion into the mysteries of the universe, guided by the recurring appearance of the Kongo cosmogram. Director Nicolas Premier retraces...

Traveling musical family TENGGER, consisting of a couple and their son, creates a singular body of work that blurs the boundaries between psychedelic music, drone, New Age and ritual performance. Usin...

Tabanka Records is a project founded in Amadora, Portugal, in mid-2019 by Mama Demba (River Ramos) and Henrique Silva. Originally conceived as a vinyl record shop, it quickly evolved into a platform f...

Tabanka Records is a project founded in Amadora, Portugal, in mid-2019 by Mama Demba (River Ramos) and Henrique Silva. Originally conceived as a vinyl record shop, it quickly evolved into a platform f...

Lebanese legend Abdel Karim Shaar is the last of his generation still performing classical ‘Tarab’ repertoire: a musical form that expresses a state of emotional transition. Shaar develope...

Libya’s Ahmed Fakroun is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and pioneer in modern Arabic music. As a rhymist (based on a form of Algerian folk music dating back to the 1920s), he is one of the...

Ben Frost’s interests are as vast as his output is, creating music for dance companies and films, and collaborating with visual artists and poets. Frost’s music is influenced by classical...

Phil Elverum's latest Mount Eerie album ‘A Crow Looked At Me’ opens with the words "Death is real/someone's there and then they're not". The album is a deeply personal document of grief, h...

Sonic tinkerer Paddy Steer dives into the realms of lo-fi pop, new age, acid jazz and cosmic funk like a kid with a new box of crayons. With a multitude of instruments at his disposal, this Manchester...

Born and raised in China and currently residing in Berlin, Pan Daijing is a groundbreaking artist, composer and storyteller who creates a raw and rare mixture of noise music, performance art, dance an...

Gaining reputation as an ‘all-round musical badass’ and self-proclaimed Synth Queen, SASAMI (Ashworth) is a prolific contributor to the L.A. music scene. On top of that, she’s a musi...

Experimental rapper and producer JPEGMAFIA vouches for a stunning and destructive performance, delivering a thorough reminder that in a dangerous world, sometimes nowhere is safe. Earlier this year, t...

Fela Gucci and Desire Marea are on a mission. As performance art duo, FAKA could just as easily be labeled as a cultural movement. With a combination of sound, live performance, literature, video and...

Kelman Duran presents‘To The North II’ is an experimental documentary by Dominican producer, multimedia artist and filmmaker Kelman Duran. It is the follow-up to ‘To The North I&rsqu...

Hidden Musics Grammy-winning producer and author Ian Brennan has accumulated a resume that would make anyone in his fields blush. Brennan’s most pertinent and important work, however, isn&rsquo...

Every week, we’ll bring you a must-hear track from the Le Guess Who? 2018 line-up. This week, it's 'Corner Shops' by Tim Presley (White Fence) and Cate Le Bon, who together form the pleasan...

Presented by Le Guess Who? & Springhaver In this genre-defying film, Zerzura follows a young man from a small village in Niger who leaves home in search of an enchanted oasis. His journey leads h...

With roots in both Venezuela and L.A., Devendra Banhart has been making highly singular music for a long time. Over the decades, he has shown us that he is an eclectic artist capable of both reinventi...

Jazz musician and poet Alabaster dePlume is Le Guess Who? 2021’s Artist in Residence. DePlume can be described as many things: a cleric of the written word, a maverick of sound, a conductor of c...

Every week, we bring you a must-hear track from the Le Guess Who? 2018 line-up. This week, we zoom in on an old-school-esque hip-hop track from LA-based producer, musician and vocalist Georgia Anne Mu...

It has been speculated how the current environmental crisis we face will inspire musicians, the same way warfare and social justice have. Perhaps no current artist embodies this prediction as heartily...

Despite being a relative newcomer, South London artist Lucinda Chua is blessed with a singular sensibility for music and artistry. Chua utilizes little more than her voice, a cello and an array of eff...

The guitar has always occupied a special place in Spanish music - namely in flamenco, where players often perform with complicated and acrobatic techniques. But Madrid-born Víctor Herrero rose...

A sort of Japanese Clark Kent, Shinji Masuko is a journalist by day and a rockstar by night. He unleashes his otherworldly persona on stage on not one, but two projects; iconic Osaka experimental rock...

When Alogte Oho was a boy, all he ever dreamt of was to join the church choir. When he turned thirteen, he did so and quickly ascended to stardom as a Frafra-Gospel artist. But in his twenties, a seri...

At the center of this neo-soul joint’s music lies one sentiment above all others; perseverance. With their latest record, ‘Love and Hate in a Different Time’, Gabriels – v...

Daniel Romano has always been a free and restless spirit, as well as a gifted and masterful musician. His new brainchild is Ancient Shapes: a fast and rebellious punk poetry outfit. Now, the...

Automatic is a fairly recent Stones Throw export, and the positive attention captured by their debut, 2019’s ‘Signals’, prove they are a successful gamble for the left-field label. T...

Before coming together more recently, Eddie Chacon and John Carroll Kirby may have seemed completely different characters in music. Chacon had experienced proper fame in the mid-nineties, as part of t...

According to the band itself, it was a ‘common misinterpretation of psychosis’ that led Ice Balloons to start making music. The Brooklyn-based noise/rock band features Sean Kennerly (Samia...

Italian sonic shamans San Leo deliver a swarming, uncompromised blend of heavy music and minimalism, with a particular taste for epic, cathartic live shows. Thanks to constant touring and through...

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...

Be it through stumbling, decaying melodies, or menacing flurries of percussion, Mexican singer and sound artist Camille Mandoki explores the wildest shores of catharsis. Her voice may very well be her...

Jenny Hval’s first novel 'Paradise Rot', which was released in Norway in 2009, has recently been translated into English by publishing company Verso Books. In an interview with Huck Magazine, she explains that the book is "an opportunity to understand my lyrics in a different way, and my music in a context where words have a higher...

Le Guess Who? 2018

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: 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...

King Hannah are Hannah Merrick and Craig Whittle, a dynamic, creative duo hailing from Liverpool. “If we hadn’t found each other, we don’t know where we would be”, says Craig o...

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...

Program & Other Guides Dive into our 2016 Program Guide with artists biographies; info on Satellite Events like Le Mini Who?, Le Gig Poster and Le Bazarre; and Juri Hiensch's Photo Exhibition on 10 Years of Le Guess Who?. You can also read our 2016 Treasure Guide: our festival newspaper with background stories on arti...

As part of her curation at Le Guess Who? 2018, Philly-based noise artist, activist and wordsmith Moor Mother invited flutist, composer, poet and educator Nicole Mitchell for a performance at the festival. It ended up not being a solo performance though, but an exclusive and improvised collaboration between herself and Moor Mother. No...

Nearly a hundred years after the birth of surrealism in Europe, folk artist Anastasia Coope is keeping it alive and well in upstate New York. Both disruptive and whimsical, this nineteen-year-old pain...

Tuareg guitarist Ahmed Ag Kaedy has released a new single called 'Tenere' in collaboration with Finnish musician Marjo Smolander. Marjo plays the Finnish traditional instrument Kantele and together with Kaedy's enchanting guitar playing, the sounds blend together as one. Even if you can't understand the words they're both singin...

Damon Locks' Black Monument Ensemble performed live at Le Guess Who? 2021. Curated by Matana Roberts for the festival, it marked the group's European live premiere. Now can now relive the performance with this video of the ensemble performing 'The Body Is Electric' from their latest & acclaimed album 'NOW'.  AboutThe past and...

The Master Musicians of Jajouka, led by Bachir Attar, performed live at the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of the Hidden Musics project following the release of their new album 'Dancing Under The Moon', released earlier in 2022 via Glitterbeat Records. You can listen to and relive the full performance below.  About B...

Asher Gamedze is a cultural worker based in Cape Town, working mainly as a musician, writer, organizer and an educator. With his band, he performed live during the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2022.  You can now listen to three tracks that the group performed live from their 'Dialectic Soul' album (2020): 'Eternality', 'Siyabulela...

Sarathy Korwar performed live at Le Guess Who? 2022 on the night preceding the release of his new album 'KALAK'. You can now relive the full performance below, which includes tracks from that album, as well as 'Coolie', performed live together with Alabaster dePlume.  AboutBorn in the US, Sarathy Korwar grew up in Ahmedabad and Ch...

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.

Panda Bear & Sonic Boom performed at Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of Animal Collective's curation, following the release of their latest album 'Reset'. Relive the performance below with our concert film, which features the songs Everyday, Edge of the Edge, Danger, and Livin’ in the After.  AboutSix years ago, Peter Kember,...

Renowned rai singer Cheikha Rabia & Esraa Warda, a prolific dancer expert in traditional North African dance forms, performed live at Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of the Hidden Musics project. Relive the mesmerizing performance at TivoliVredenburg's Pandora via our concert film below: AboutCheikha Rabia and Esraa Warda both hail from...

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...

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...

7 & 8 November 2026Utrecht, The Netherlands U? celebrates local and creative communities across the Netherlands, with a strong focus on Utrecht. Through public programs, U? brings people together and creates space for exchange.

3voor12 Live Sessions At Club Nine on the top floor of TivoliVredenburg, the main location and hub of Le Guess Who?, Dutch broadcaster VPRO 3voor12 recorded live sessions with artists from LGW21. Watch live sessions featuring Bendik Giske, Automatic, Mario Batkovic, and Vanishing Twin. WATCH 3voor12 LIVE SESSIONS

Dutch-Surinamese artist Pink Oculus premiered her new project 'Before Wisdom' live at TivoliVredenburg during Le Guess Who? 2021. 'Before Wisdom' is a special collaboration with audiovisual artist Boris Acket, spatial designer and scenographer Dennis Vanderbroeck, and writer Vincent van Velsen.  The newest video to appear online now...

Catalan artist Marina Herlop performed live at Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of the program curated by Animal Collective, following the release of her latest album 'Pripyat'. Relive the mesmerizing performance with our concert film below, featuring the songs miu, doiloi, abans abans and shaolin mantis.  *Update: following the release...

General info about U?Algemene informatie over U?

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...

Six years ago, Peter Kember, or Sonic Boom, traded his England home for Portugal. Partly, his move was to be closer to Animal Collective’s Panda Bear, with whom the Spacemen 3 founder had forged...

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...

Under his EDWVN moniker, Edwin produces thoughtful, otherworldly music that genuinely pushes against the African grain. His music taste and production style aim at expanding the existing boundaries 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...

In partnership with Santuri East Africa Santuri East Africa is a community-focused music innovation hub based in Nairobi, Kenya.Their goal is to bring about a more equitable, authentic, and diverse music industry. For a full decade, the Santuri organization has been supporting, highlighting, and releasing a mix of contemporary and tradit...

In partnership with Underground Music Academy  “KNOW THE PAST. CHANGE THE FUTURE.” Operating under this slogan, Detroit’s Underground Music Academy is a place to learn about the history, creation and business behind electronic music. A utopian space for the city's aspiring musicians, created by a team of idealists...

East Side Radio is an online radio platform streaming from Lisbon’s East Side, Portugal. It’s designed to be a hub connecting widely recognised domestic and international talent. This COSMOS Embassy was the first happening by East Side Radio after a long pause, during which a new broadcast studio was designed and constructed,...

U? is Le Guess Who? participatory and freely accessible day program created for and with the city of Utrecht. During U?, programs are made with, or even fully by, local initiatives, entrepreneurs, social institutions and community centers. With U?, Le Guess Who? further promotes its festival mission throughout the city of Utrecht: present...

Salutingrome started as the aperture for the evocative solo-experiments of Zamity Mitelembe, and has recently transformed towards a poetic and transgressive live-format. Stepping up as a band, with a...

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...

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...

WUDU SJON is like a horror B movie: a minimal budget, full of shock value, and best to watch around midnight. Mixing together a number of various styles, such as progressive rock, synth-punk, and Ethi...

“Unfamiliar” sounds, from “unknown” parts of the world. Exoticizing entire cultures from a global North perspective, such are the traditional descriptors attached to so much of...

There is a thread binding London and Johannesburg, of which internationally-acclaimed ensemble The Brother Moves On is part. Founded by artist Nkululeko Mthembu and his brother Siyabonga Mthembu, the...

As part of the soul duo Charles & Eddie, Eddie Chacon experienced proper fame in the nineties. After two decades of silence, he returned to the spotlight in 2020, releasing ‘Pleasure, Joy and Happiness’, the collaborative album he recorded with Solange and Frank Ocean collaborator John Carroll Kirby. In November, they...

In partnership with Mentha Project & BIE MusicThe project curated and produced by the Beijing-based BIE Music showcases the originality and creativity of China’s diverse indie music scenes with live sessions of Howie Lee, Hualun, Gong Gong Gong, Otay:onii, and Naja Naja. These globally established Chinese acts, who are asso...

Backxwash is a rapper and producer born in Lusaka, Zambia. The music she makes is cathartic, expressive and based on her lived experiences. Her latest album ‘HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN...

South Carolina-based artist Khari is a multifaceted creator. Making music as Contour is only one of his many artistic exploits, among which he includes film scoring (Half-Day, One Magenta Afternoon),...

‘PERFORMANCE RAGE’ is the latest entry into percussionist, sound manipulator, and visual artist NAH’s explosive sound catalog. The release’s name drives at the Philadelphia-bor...

Born in Maryland, the artist known as MHYSA was enamored with singing from an early age, performing at church and school. In 2015, she debuted with ‘Power Cuts’, a strong indicator of what...

Upon hearing the richness in their tracks, you’d be surprised to discover MEMORIALS is not a 5-piece band, but, rather, a duo made up of Verity Susman (frontwoman of Electrelane), and Matthew Si...

Brooklyn-based composer, musician, and producer Faten Kanaan uses counterpoint as a narrative tool to create music that is mysterious, smudgy, and deeply melodic. From the repetitive structures of mod...

(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...

Join us for a short video about the trials and tribulations of a non-profit record archiving initiative, Irama Nusantara, and its employees during the pandemic. Irama Nusantara is a non-profit foundat...

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...

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....

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...

Music has always been missed in Amman… Or at least this is what we thought to be true. Amman is not a musically loud city; it's not Cairo and definitely not Beirut. The music scene changed afte...

Ruhail Qaisar’s debut album, ‘Fatima’ which The Quietus dubbed ‘haunting’, is a ‘requiem for a dead future’. On the record, released earlier this year via Swi...

Alejandra Cárdenas, or Ale Hop, and Laura Robles grew up houses apart in Lima, Peru, without ever meeting each other; now, the two musicians, currently based in Berlin, are presenting ‘Ag...

‘Porch music’, a term coined by acclaimed guitarist and vocalist Ripley Johnson, aptly describes his country psychedelic rock project Rose City Band. At first inspired by warmer months, Jo...

At the time of Dutch colonial rule, trance was a lifeline for the Javanese people, pulsating with fervor as an expression of their yearning for freedom. Now, Indonesian duo Yennu Ariendra and J. Mo'on...

From 5-8 November 2026, Le Guess Who? celebrates its 20th Anniversary Edition in Utrecht, The Netherlands. As part of this landmark edition, we present several special programs, including 24 HOUR DUB: a 24-hour session of continuous dub sounds from 4PM on Saturday 7, November, through 4PM on Sunday 8, November, at KABUL à GoGo. Th...

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...

Tampa's They Hate Change is a project born out of the duo's more-than-encyclopedic sonic knowledge. In between East Coast hip-hop influences and hyperlocal bass-music leanings, Dre and Vonne bond over their omnivorous appreciation of everything from grime to emo. The duo recently released their new album 'Finally, New' via Jagjaguwar to...

Listening to musician collective Maya Ongaku’s ‘Something In Morning Rain’, off their 2023 debut ‘Approach to Anima’, the listener is immediately transported, without kno...

Ana Faria Fainguelernt is Ana Frango Elétrico, the Brazilian indie wunderkind whose 2019 album, ‘Little Electric Chicken Heart’, garnered plural accolades and even a Latin Grammy no...

With ‘Flowers At Your Feet’, Iranian-American multidisciplinary artist Rahill reveals her deeply personal artistry. Released on Ninja Tune imprint Big Dada, the artist’s new label ho...

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...

There aren't many music performances that can be described as frightening, but Wolf Eyes' intense and bizarre live shows have garnered the band a truly creepy reputation. Formed in Michigan in 1998, t...

Bill Orcutt and Zoh Amba are both musicians with an inkling for imagination. The first is the former guitarist and founder of Harry Pussy; his sound, a stuttered transformation of the blues guitar. Th...

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...

AZEEMA is a print magazine, online platform, community, and creative agency exploring the strength and creativity of women and non-binary folk of the Global Majority with a focus on WANA+SA.A grassroo...

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...

Many creatively inclined Indians are moving to Goa, united by a desire to find out if the reasons are personal or reflective of a broader shift in what it means to make things in this country. ...

AZEEMA is a print magazine, online platform, community, and creative agency exploring the strength and creativity of women and non-binary folk of the Global Majority with a focus on WANA+SA.A grassroo...

Today, the Beirut-based free-rock post-folk sextet SANAM releases their debut album, 'Aykathani Malakon ص​ن​م - أ​ي​ق​ظ​ن​ي م​ل​ا​ك​ٌ'. The album is mixed by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem in My Heart), who was one of the guest curators for Le Guess Who? 2017, and mastered by Heba Kadry, who is one of the guest curators for Le Guess...

Last month, Baskot Lel Baltageyya (meaning 'cookies for thugs'), a Cairo-based project headed by musician Adham Zidan and poet Anwar Dabbour, released their self-titled debut album. An album that serves as an extension of their phantasmagoric live show. Baskot Lel Baltageyya by Baskot Baskot Lel Baltageyya started as...

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...

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...

Every first Monday of the month, COSMOS broadcasts episodes of their radio show on Refuge Worldwide, highlighting their deep-running network of partners from around the world. On Monday, 2 September, from 4-6 PM, COSMOS returns with two new episodes. Buh Records The first hour is curated by Peruvian avant-garde stalwarts Buh Records who...

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...

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...

Amsterdam-based six-piece Nusantara Beat has quickly amassed a cult following, largely due to their exciting new take on Indonesian tradition. By infusing the sounds of traditional Indonesian songs fr...

This São Paulo-based horn driven instrumental group’s music draws a link between the past and the present; as written by PopMatters, the band balances a sense of modernity with musical in...

New York City singer-songwriter Joanna Sternberg has made a delightful splash this year, with the release of their second album ‘I’ve Got Me’, which music critics were quick to showe...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

After performing across Europe over the last years, Mark Ernestus' Ndagga Rhythm Force returns to Le Guess Who? 2025 with the exciting new album Khadim, an explosive and contagious mix of dub techno and mbalax drumming. Led by by percussionist Bada Seck and singer Mbene Diatta Seck, the ensemble - joined by an extensive cast of character...

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...

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...

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...

After an unforgettable closing set at Le Guess Who? last year, Paris-based artist and producer/DJ Crystallmess returned to the festival both as a performer and as a curator, presenting her very own program. Crystallmess combines elements of film, music, performance and visual art in her radically interdisciplinary work. In doing so, she...

This year, Japanese psych-rock outfit Bo Ningen are one of the guest curators of Le Guess Who?, with their curation is dedicated to “representing the Bo Ningen community, with lots of collaborative projects and with a strong focus on audiovisual performances.” As an introduction to their program, Taigen Kawabe, lead singer a...

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...

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...

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...

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...

(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...

Le Feast invites you to enjoy a feast together with people you don't know (yet). Would you like to join the potluck, invite people to your home in Utrecht as a home-chef or want to be a 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.&rdq...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Video Recordings Relive the festival; watch live performances by Mazaher and Suuns. The upcoming time, we'll be sharing more performances on this website and our social media. VISIT VIDEO ARCHIVE

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...

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...

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...

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, 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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

In 2019, the concert series Hidden Musics originated between Le Guess Who?, Chris Eckman of Glitterbeat Records and GRAMMY Award-winning producer and writer Ian Brennan, from the shared belief that it is important to platform underrepresented artists, and magnify music produced far from the mainstream. In 2022, we are proud the present th...

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...

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...

Over the last months, Black Country, New Road have become a steadfast live sensation with their mixture of post-punk, ashen Slint-like minimalism and pastoral dark folk leanings. Following the release of their debut album earlier this year, the group now already announce the follow-up: 'Ants From Up There' will be released February 4 via...

From the minute when flamenco innovator Lole Montoya stepped onto the stage at the Jacobikerk during Le Guess Who? 2022, we knew we were in for a magical moment in time. Together with guitarist Juan Carmona, she gave a rare and very touching performance as part of the Hidden Musics project. Luckily, you can relive it now with our concert...

Ahead of the release of her new album ‘Broken Politics’ this Friday, Pitchfork has interviewed Neneh Cherry, stating that “even by pop vanguard standards, it’s fair to say Nene...

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...

Seattle-based hip hop voyagers Shabazz Palaces produce transcendental albums from an intuitive frame of mind. Following the release of their two new 'Quazarz'-albums, Ishmael Butler, Tendai Marai...

Eclectic songwriter Devendra Banhart hosts his very own program at Le Guess Who?, inviting a selection of (surprising) inspirations and interests. Now, he has put together a personal playlist wit...

As Nihiloxica, musician Spooky-J and producer pq harness the full force of the Nilotika Cultural Ensemble's ancient Bugandan drumming tradition of Uganda and focus it on the contemporary dance floor through a dark lens of techno sensibility. Their new album, Source of Denial, which serves as a follow-up of their 2020 debut album Kaloli,...

Phantom Wizard is an artist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist of Surinamese descent who is born and raised in the Dutch capital. He embarks on a deeply personal yet profoundly universal journey, punctuated by experimentation and improvisation. Nature, afrofuturism, jazz, and hip-hop have come together to form his ethereal work. He use...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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-...

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...

Iconic independent venue OCCII is the eccentric-looking wooden building facing the southern entrance of Vondelpark in Amsterdam. Since 1984—when it was squatted, then legalized in 1992—it has been a venue for subversive sounds, underground music, film screenings and workshops, all rooted in DIY ethics. A home to all kinds of...

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...

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...

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...

The vibrant force behind Le Guess Who?'s visual identity of 2025 & 2026 is none other than Sophie Douala, an artist, designer and creative director whose signature trademark is an almost palpable command of color, and a refined use of pattern that is at once playful and sophisticated. Born in Cameroon, raised in France and now based i...

Sandy Chamoun is a singer, performer, actor and sound artist based in Beirut. Her work draws from Arabic folk traditions and explores social and political themes. Following her performance with SANAM at Le Guess Who? 2023, she returns to the festival in 2025, presenting two special projects. Ghadrغدر (curated by Amirtha Kidambi) sees Ch...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

When DJ and artist Coco María moved from Mexico to Europe, she brought the hidden gems of Latin American musical culture with her. Growing up surrounded by music, Coco María not only grew fond of the sounds of her childhood but also developed a love for sharing them with the rest of the world. Born out of this passion of he...

COSMOS: Behind the Scenes in Khartoum, Sudan We discuss LGW Embassy: Khartoum, Sudan with Hassan Kamil: a talk about portraying another image of the continent, the country, and the city; how music in Khartoum grew to be ‘a form of resistance’; and how it is home to a rich array of meaningful, beautiful, and unique sounds; dif...

Forget Detroit, Chicago, and Berlin for a minute. Some of the most exciting electronic music records are being cut in the capital of Uganda, Kampala, and many are coming out of label Nyege Nyege Tapes. The collective is committed to shedding light on some of the best outsider music made in Kampala and all around East Africa. This Novembe...

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 7 & 8 November to Utrecht for its sixth edition. In 2026, U? onc...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

Le Guess Who? returns 5-8 November to Utrecht, The Netherlands, for its 20th anniversary edition. We now reveal the guest curators and the initial line-up for the 2026 festival edition. For the past 20 years, the festival has built one of the most vital platforms for artists from around the world, championing sounds that transcend border...

On Thursday 19 March, U? collaborates with music platform Subbacultcha for Centraal Laat, an event at Utrecht's Centraal Museum. During Centraal Laat, the museum transforms into a vibrant place for meeting, reflection and inspiration—an event that ties in with the exhibition Move You Fool in the museum. Thursday, 19 March | 6 - 10:...

Behind the Scenes is the new series by COSMOS, Le Guess Who?’s hybrid platform, in which we dive into local stories from across the world together with our global partners. Here, we talk to the people behind the video content that was created for the latest COSMOS installment to learn more about their local cultural scenes; their c...

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...

COSMOS: Behind the Scenes in Palestine Following their broadcast during Le Guess Who? 2022 as part of COSMOS, we talk to brothers Elias and Youssef Anatas, the people behind Radio Alhara, about creating a new form of public space and bringing people from different parts of the world together. Words by Beatriz Negreiros During the time...

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,...

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...

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...

Dive deep into the mystical trails and the long, weary road that made Vashti Bunyan's career even more mythical. After a hiatus lasting over thirty years, her musical career finally got back on t...

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...

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...

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...

February is Kilele time: Nairobi, Kenya’s electronic music summit returns for its third edition. That’s why COSMOS and Santuri East Africa invited two artists performing at this year’s summit, Mina (UK) and R_R_ (Latvia), to showcase what they’re brewing up for the festivities. Tune in via Refuge Worldwide on Mond...

Thank you for supporting Le Guess Who?. We look forward to welcome you to our 14th festival edition, 11-14 November 2021 in lovely Utrecht.

Le Guess Who? and COSMOS are excited to announce the continuation of their partnership with Berlin-based community radio Refuge Worldwide in 2025. Together, we will once again present sounds and stories from around the world, hand-picked by local artists. Since 2021, Refuge Worldwide has become an important community radio and cultural h...

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...

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...

Since 2022, Le Guess Who? partners with the Nature and Environment Federation Utrecht to offset CO2 emissions from international air travel by artists and visitors. Thanks to the collaboration in 2024, we're able to support five Repair Cafés in Utrecht. These cafés are places where people can work together with volunteers t...

As an international festival, Le Guess Who? has always worked with a borderless and boundary-crossing ethos. Now, we further enhance this focus with the launch of COSMOS: a new, hybrid platform that connects the local, physical festival environment with exclusive content that is available for worldwide, online streaming, via cosmos.legues...

COSMOS is Le Guess Who?’s hybrid platform that highlights independent music scenes from around the world. Here we invite vibrant music communities from every corner of the map to become COSMOS Embassies, and to share their stories–both online and offline–through mixtapes, film, live radio, conversations and performances....

Ahmed Fakroun is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, raï singer (based on a form of Algerian folk music from the 20's) and pioneer in modern Arabic music. As a kid, Fakroun already developed a f...

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

Kuala Lumpur-Cambodia-based producer rEmPiT g0dDe$$, aka Victoria Yam, performs live at Le Guess Who? 2025. Relive the performance via our festival recording: Victoria Yam's work is a bold exploration of industrial club, deconstructed sound and the intricate layers of Southeast Asian tunings Operating at the forefront of Southeast Asi...

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...

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...

(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...

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...

For U? 2023, Utrecht-based collective ZENITH and independent, Palestinian sound platform Zilzal join forces at the former Pieter Baan Centrum that serves as a powerful channel for 00970, gbw9, RAGASA, and Noise Diva to express their “current mental situation.” Photographer Rogier Boogaard documented a part of the artists ZENIT...

With just one week left until Le Guess Who?, we are now publishing our official 2018 program guide, where you'll find all artist biographies, plus sections for Le Mini Who?, Lombok Festival, and our new satellite event 'Untitled', as well as a Utrecht Treasure Guide (with 40+ special offers for festival visitors) and several Illustra...

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...

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...

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 hybrid platform that highlights independent music scenes from around the world. Vibrant music communities from every corner of the map become COSMOS Embassies and share their stories—both online and offline—through mixtapes, films, live radio, conversations and performances. Each year, the emba...

Each year, Le Guess Who? cooperates with a different illustrator to design the festival's main graphics and images (the layout and typography are done each year by Loudmouth). In 2016, the festival il...

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...

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...

Le Guess Who? returns 6-9 November to Utrecht, The Netherlands, taking place across different venues in and around the city. We now reveal the guest curators and the initial line-up for the 2025 festival edition. More than ever, the program creates a space where the margins become the center, where the overlooked are elevated and where t...

Le Guess Who? and COSMOS, our worldwide music community, are excited to announce a new partnership with Berlin-based community radio Refuge Worldwide. Beaming out of Oona Bar in Berlin’s Weserstraße Kiez since 2021, Refuge Worldwide has grown into an important community radio and cultural hub, spreading cutting-edge music wit...

With just two weeks left until Le Guess Who? 2019, we now present you our official 2019 program guide, where you'll find all the info you need to know about this year's festival. You can discover all the artist biographies, plus explore sections for Untitled, Le Mini Who? and Lombok Festival. While you're browsing through the...

(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...

Les Amazones d'Afrique are a gathering of some of the most powerful female voices of West-Africa. These performers use their music as a weapon to address the disempowerment of women across Africa and...

VPRO Vrije Geluiden were present at Le Guess Who? 2022 to capture several sessions with festival artists in TivoliVredenburg. Over the next couple of weeks, these will go online every Sunday. The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar Jajouka is the name of a hidden village in the Jebala foothills of northern Morocco. Here, The...

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

This week, Red Hot releases Outer Spaceways Incorporated: a Sun Ra tribute compilation album lead by Kronos Quartet with many guest contributions. Leading up to the release, the track Blood Running High is now shared: a collaboration between Le Guess Who? 2024 artists RP Boo and ELUCID (who is one half of LGW23 artist Armand Hammer). ...

At Le Guess Who? 2025, residential photographer Tengbeh Kamara captured a stunning series of artist portraits. The series highlights the clothing of the artists, which is an important part of their art and/or (sub)culture. With this series, we visually highlight the diversity of identities and cultures that form the festival program. I...

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.

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...

For the October episodes of COSMOS' monthly show on Refuge Worldwide, we’re exploring Utrecht’s FLINTA* punk scene, and immerse ourselves in traditional Amazigh music and contemporary electronica from Morocco.

The First 5 Years Dive into our Five Years publication with pictures, reports and all the details about the first five editions of the festival.

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...

Sounds of Places, a residency-based sound gathering that focuses on the sonic aesthetics of place, celebrated its world premiere at Le Guess Who? 2024 with the presentation of Christmas in Mourning and Faster than light, always. The first edition of the residency, initiated by Radio Alhara and commissioned by Wonder Cabinet, took place i...

Hand-painted sound systems, often adorned with dazzling colours and striking imagery, each with its own name and sonic identity: for decades, the Picó mobile discos have become the heart of neighbourhood bailes on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The sounds of genres like champeta, highlife, soukous, mbaqanga, zouk, soca, and cumb...

Khorshid Dadbeh is an Iranian instrumentalist, improviser and composer based in Rotterdam. She presents her music by performing Tanbour, Tar, and Setar. Tanbour music belongs to the category of mystic and Sufi music that has more than five thousand years of history behind it. She learned this music from the masters who formed a bridge bet...

COSMOS returns to the Refuge Worldwide booth. This month we're emerging ourselves in a Moroccan film music special, and a re-run of Tabideee’s primer to Sudanese electronic music.  Tune in via Refuge Worldwide on Monday, 13 April, starting at 5PM CET.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

The Getdowns are a young hardrock & punkband from Utrecht. Influenced by bands like Pearl Jam and The Beatles, the four boys produce a massive amount of noise characterised by distortion pedals and raw vocals.

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...

For the June episodes of COSMOS' monthly show on Refuge Worldwide, we’re exploring the sounds of Iceland and Ireland with two of Europe’s finest independent community radios. Brought to us via our 2024 Embassy ICRN, both Seyðisfjörður Community Radio and Dublin Digital Radio present two distinctive hours of music...

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...

FACT, one of the long-term collaborators of Le Guess Who?, will host a program across three nights during the festival this year at BASIS: a nightclub located in a wharf cellar in the city center of Utrecht. BASIS has been a part of the festival since last year and is a perfect location to discover some of groundbreaking and forward-think...

Ever since 1982, The Wire stands out as one of the best independent, in-depth print and online music magazines. The Wire celebrates and interrogates the most visionary and inspiring, subversive and radical, marginalized and undervalued musicians on the planet, past and present.  Leading up to Le Guess Who? 2024 we're very honored to...

Multi-disciplinary artist Yara Asmar shares her new album everyone I love is sleeping and I love them so so much, released as a special deluxe boxed vinyl version made in collaboration with Time Released Sound. everyone I love is sleeping and I love them so so much by Yara Asmar The new album presents 11 pieces recorded over the pa...

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...

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...

Sydney Lowell is a creative spirit, human, artist and entrepreneur from Amsterdam. She mainly operates as a poet, but recently started incorporating music and movement into her creative practice. Next to that, she’s a teacher, voice actor, host, and co-founder/producer of creative platforms We The People and 2PHRASE. Sydney sees...

From 5-8 November 2026, Le Guess Who? celebrates its 20th Anniversary Edition in Utrecht, The Netherlands. As part of this landmark edition, we present several special programs, including 24 HOUR DUB: a 24-hour session of continuous dub sounds from 4PM on Saturday 7, November, through 4PM on Sunday 8, November, at KABUL à GoGo. Th...

Every first Monday of the month, COSMOS broadcasts episodes of their radio show on Refuge Worldwide, highlighting their deep-running network of partners from around the world. On Monday, 7 October, from 2-4 PM, COSMOS returns with two new episodes. LE 18 For the first hour, we tapped our 2024 Embassy partners LE 18 for a guided tour thr...

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...

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...

“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...

Protect our independence and help Le Guess Who? thrive and grow For 20 years, Le Guess Who? has been a sanctuary for adventurous music from all over the world; a place where the transformative power of sound is celebrated. What makes LGW so special isn't only the music we present, it's also our independence. This independence forms the...

Chanting songs and playing hypnotic polyrhythms, Egyptian ensemble Mazaher gave a rare performance at Le Guess Who? 2021. It was their first European show in over 15 years. Mazaher is an Egyptian ensemble, a small group of mostly women musicians and singers who play Zãr music: a combination of chanted songs and hypnotic polyrhythm...

This year, Le Guess Who? presents the fourth edition of Hidden Musics, a project that focuses on deeply localized music and features artists embedded in rich, often centuries-old musical traditions that have been developed with little or no outside influences. The first series was initiated in 2019 by Le Guess Who? in collaboration with C...

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...

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,...

In 2025, Le Guess Who? guest curator Amirtha Kidambi launched her Outernational podcast: a series of conversations that explore the relationship between music and revolution, featuring artists who are using their music and platforms to grapple with the intersecting global crises of our times.  During Le Guess Who? 2025, Kidambi...

For almost 20 years, Le Guess Who? has been a sanctuary for adventurous music from all over the world, bringing people together through the power of sound. Now, we face one of our biggest challenges yet—and we need your support to ensure the next 20 years.

(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...

Born in Beirut and based in Montreal, Liliane Chlela is a producer, DJ and performer whose progressive sound experiments brought her to the forefront of the electronic and experimental music scene, both in Lebanon and far beyond. At Le Guess Who? 2024, Liliane Chlela will present the live premiere of I, the hybrid and the antidote. &ldqu...

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...

With the performances Moyang 先祖 & Seaman 漁師, director and visual artist Tianzhuo Chen crafts a minimal yet strikingly powerful setting, centering the dancer & choreographer Siko Setyanto as the protagonist in two episodes, based on their work Ocean Cage. Chen and Setyanto explore the intersection of ancient traditions with t...

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...

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...

Ever since their performance at Le Guess Who? 2018 has been confirmed, Alabaster DePlume's latest record 'The Corner of a Sphere' has been on high rotation in our office. We'd now like to introduce yo...

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...

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...

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...

In this new breakdown-series we analyse and extract the groundbreaking work of pioneers in their line of musical duty. In this article, we explore Colin Stetson’s unconventional approach to the...

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...

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...

We're thrilled to let you know that the great Kapitaal, Utrecht's independent print workshop, together with online radio station Stranded FM, will once again host official Le Guess Who? 2023 Hangout on Friday, Saturday & Sunday during the festival.  Find Kapitaal at Paardenveld 5B (behind the palmtree!), where they host live per...

As one of the special projects of Le Guess Who? 2023, the festival celebrated the legacy of spiritual jazz icon Pharoah Sanders and his seminal composition, Harvest Time (1977). During the closing day of the festival, The Harvest Time Project: A Tribute to Pharoah Sanders brought together Irreversible Entanglements, Domenico Lancellotti,...

Le Guess Who? stands for unity through music. The global violence unfolding against innocent people at the moment is truly heartbreaking, and our hearts go out to those affected, whether in Palestine, Ukraine, Israel, Sudan, or anywhere else. As an organization, we condemn violence against civilians and stand in solidarity with those liv...

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...

COSMOS jumps back on the Refuge Worldwide signal. This time with an hour devoted to punk from the SWANA region, courtesy of Turkey’s Antipode magazine, and a primer to Sudanese electronic music by Tabideee.  Tune in via Refuge Worldwide on Monday, 9 February, starting at 5PM CET. 

This week, COSMOS and Refuge Worldwide are bringing their ongoing partnership to life during Le Guess Who? 2024. Taking over the Pandora Foyer in TivoliVredenburg, this collaborative 4-day broadcast will be full of in-depth interviews, deep listening and dancefloor-ready DJ sets. Hosted by Refuge Worldwide’s own Richard Akingbehin,...

LGW ON TV Guide For the broadcasting times of all programs, have a look at the TV Guide or download and print your own PDF version. BROWSE THROUGH THE TV GUIDE

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. The guest curators of Le Guess Who? 2026 are surrelist blues poet aja monet, sound artist KMRU, Los Thuthanaka, founded by si...

We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...

We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...

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...

U? celebrates local and creative communities across the Netherlands, with a strong focus on Utrecht. Through public programs, U? brings people together and creates space for exchange.

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...

New Age & Folk Jazz pioneer Beverly Glenn-Copeland gave a very rare performance on the closing day of Le Guess Who? 2018 together with five-piece ensemble Indigo Rising. The performance was curated by both Devendra Banhart and Moor Mother. Beverly Glenn-Copeland - 'Sunset Village', live at Le Guess Who? 2018: About: After a twent...

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...

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. In this feature, we introduce you to the pop-up nightclub of WAS.; a place where many electronic music freaks are assured t...

Formed by Kenya-born musician Ajay Saggar in 2013, King Champion Sounds are an impetuous, eight-headed band from The Netherlands and England. Fronted by the inimitable G.W. Sok (former singer of...

Le Guess Who? presents ON/OFF

Avant-rock group Suuns have always surprised us with their releases and their newest, ‘The Witness’, on Joyful Noise, is yet another impressive step of their sonic universe. Following the release of the album, Suuns performed at Le Guess Who? 2021, and we're happy to now share the concert film of this performance as well as th...

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...

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...

As a hallmark of Le Guess Who?, the festival each year invites trailblazing creatives to curate their own dedicated programs, highlighting fellow like-minded artists and those that have inspired them. Heba Kadry, a mastering engineer born in Egypt and currently based in Brooklyn, has curated a program for Le Guess Who? 2023 that she now...

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...

Le Guess Who? 2024 will host a rare and exclusive extended vinyl set by Theo Parrish. The acclaimed DJ now releases his new 2 track EP Traffic Jams, "a response to stagnation and nonmovement", via his Detroit based label Sound Signature. The first ever-flowing song Positive Mental Attitude Solves All is a tribute to the eternal elder and...

Le Guess Who? presents a three day residency of Pakistani legends Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali during the 2025 edition of the festival. The vocalist duo, nephews of qawwali master Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, together with their ensemble will present three different performances at different locations during the festival.  Rizwan and Muazzam Mu...

For U? 2024, Hof van Cartesius presents a diverse program created together with the artists that are located in this unique circular workspace for creative entrepreneurs. Photographer Rogier Boogaard documented two artists who will be part of this year's festival program. Last week we highlighted Sophie Wantia, today we present artist an...

Modulation is Utrecht’s own accessible night of live performances and concerts centered around modular synthesizers and other hardware electronic instruments. A place for newcomers as well as veterans, from ambient to noisemakers, explosive beats, cinematic soundscapes – and everything in between. All performers will be playin...

Le Guess Who? needs your support For almost 20 years, Le Guess Who? has been a sanctuary for adventurous music from all over the world, bringing people together through the power of sound. Now, we face one of our biggest challenges yet—and we need your support to ensure the next 20 years. The current financial challenges we’...

Every week, we’ll bring you a must-hear track from the Le Guess Who? 2018 line-up. This week, we pick Ancient Shapes, a new project fronted by songwriter Daniel Romano. Always having been a...

With a wonderful blend of African folk, flamenco, bossa nova and jazz, Sibusile Xaba is slowly conquering the hearts of audiences outside of his home country South-Africa. His sound - both playful and...

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...

Last year, Lyra Pramuk, a Berlin-based futurist folk musician, released her debut album 'Fountain'. The album was arranged entirely from the sound of her own voice, inspired by the collective ecstasy found in Berlin raves.  Now, Pramuk releases an equally impressive work. 'Delta' is a new take on a traditional remix album and a...

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 Hague innovative music Ensemble Klang, known for their dynamic approach to contemporary music and sonic adventure, were invited by this year's LGW curator Midori Takada to perform at the festival. They will present 'Thrift Hybrids' by composer and producer Matthew Wright and soprano Claron McFadden, which already exists as a video ins...

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...

This year's Le Guess Who? features a project which is like nothing we ever brought to you before. Choreographer Nicole Beutler directed '7: Triple Moon': an interdisciplinary project with a combinatio...

(Artwork by Raimund Wong) Playing live following ‘The Inheritors’ was a complete new experience for James Holden; improvising with live drums, sax and synths opened a new world for Holden...

2017 marks our biggest Drone yet, as our series also expands to Salford, UK, and Malmö, Sweden. An immersive event and all-encompassing experience, 24-Hour Drone is a roving, international serie...

(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...

Drummer, composer, and bandleader Asher Gamedze formed a new 10-piece ensemble: The Black Lungs. Together they announce the new album Consitution, to be released on the 30th of August via International Anthem. The expansive double album - recorded in a one-day-session in Cape Town – is an elaboration of the possibilities of autonomo...

After busy years of activity with Armand Hammer and various collaborations alongside RP Boo, Shabaka Hutchings and others, rapper and producer ELUCID releases his third solo album REVELATOR, out on 11 October via Fat Possum Records. REVELATOR by E L U C I D "The New Yorker’s at the peak of his powers on his stormy new album, a mix...

From Rio to Cairo, Miami to Kampala, Chromesthesia tracks Afro-diasporic rhythms and explores the history that undergirds Afro-descendant electronic music. At Le Guess Who? 2024, British-Egyptian award-winning social and intellectual historian Hannah Elsisi presented the 13-hour durational performance of Chromesthesia. Our residential ph...

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. Touching Bass, a London-based musical movement founded by Errol and Alex Rita, was one of the guest curators for Le Gu...

A genre-defying force in the world of rap and electronic music, producer DJ Haram is equally celebrated for her bass and club music heavy DJ sets, detail oriented analogue sound design, electronic-folk Middle Eastern production and abrasive rap collaborations. The DJ and producer now shares her debut album Beside Myself via Kode9's Hype...

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...

Nusantara Beat are a psych-groove sextet from Amsterdam. The group has quickly amassed a cult following, largely due to the deep connection to their Indonesian roots and a passion for honoring their cultural heritage. Photography by Juri Hiensch

With the ethos of Listening is the Way Forward, Le Guess Who? is widely considered to be one of the most forward-thinking festivals around. 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...

U?, the freely accessible city program of Le Guess Who?, celebrates local and creative communities. The festival presents Utrecht's cultural and creative diversity through live performances, exhibitions, communal dinners, talks, participatory formats and educational activities that foster social connection. On 7 and 8 November, U? return...

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...

Every week, we bring you a must-hear track from the Le Guess Who? 2018 line-up. This time, we highlight a bubbly, crisp pop tune by American singer-songwriter Madeline Kenney. 'Cut Me Off' is taken f...

In partnership with Touching Bass  Touching Bass is the London-based musical movement, founded by Errol and Alex Rita. A community-come-club night, celebrated record label, staple NTS Radio show, concert series and curatorial studio. Founded in 2016, it has steadily established itself as one of London’s most important musical...

Turkish independent magazine Bant Mag. created a series of Illustrated Stories about artists that are performing at Le Guess Who? 2021, giving an introduction to their life and career and what to expect from their festival performances. Bant Mag. has been bringing together new and exciting tendencies about music, film, arts and culture s...

We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...

We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...

U? takes place across several locations in the Cartesius area and we present events throughout the city; ranging from cafes and galleries to music venue and clubs. Most are within walking distance from each other. U? Venues

The musical trademark of Danish trio Efterklang is a tapestry of acoustic and electronic elements. The group will release their new album 'Altid Sammen' on September 20th via 4AD; now, they share the third single from the album, titled 'Uden Ansigt'. 'Altid Sammen's songs are about belief and togetherness,' frontman Casper Clausen s...

During Le Guess Who? 2018, VPRO Vrije Geluiden recorded a two-part television special featuring studio sessions with festival artists. The first part featured performances by Sibusile Xaba, Vera Sola and Ill Considered, as well as live recordings from the festival shows of Anoushka Shankar and Neneh Cherry. You can rewatch the complete ep...

Last year, Circuit des Yeux released her fifth studio album 'Reaching For Indigo'; a deeply personal record and probably Haley Fohr's most fulfilled full-length to date. Now, Circuit des Yeux has...

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...

Utrecht's beloved independent print workshop, Kapitaal, collaborates with Stranded FM and Julian Brimmers to host the official Le Guess Who? 2022 Hangout through all things print and sound. The program includes radio and DJ sets, artist interviews, live sessions, art exhibitions, film screenings, and print-making from Friday 11 November -...

This year, Le Guess Who? presents the fourth edition of Hidden Musics, a project that focuses on deeply localized music and features artists embedded in rich, often centuries-old musical traditions that have been developed with little or no outside influences. The first series was initiated in 2019 by Le Guess Who? in collaboration w...

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...

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...

Debuted by BBC Radio 6 Music with Mary Anne Hobbs, Le Guess Who? 2024 artists Rafael Anton Irisarri and KMRU reveal their new, collaborative track Red Moon Tide. The track is part of veteran composer and Ghostly International alumnus Irisarri's new album FAÇADISMS, to be released on 8 November. FAÇADISMS by Rafael Anton Irisarri...

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...

Montreal-based artist Quinton Barnes releases his new ambitious album Black Noise. Released via Watch That Ends The Night Records, the record takes an assuredly different approach to radically innovate his methods of expression. It presents a bold sonic evolution and showcases the talents and efforts of a diverse collective of Montreal-ba...

Le Guess Who? 2025 guest curator Amirtha Kidambi launches a new podcast: Outernational. The podcast explores the relationship between music and revolution, featuring discussions with musicians who are using their music and platforms to grapple with the intersecting global crises of our times.  Hosted by Amirtha Kidambi, a vocalist,...

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) 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...

For the August episodes of COSMOS' monthly show on Refuge Worldwide, we’re exploring fresh new sounds from Georgia and return to Iceland for another dispatch from Seyðisfjörður.

(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...

Started out as a social gathering in their native township of Soweto, BCUC (Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness) is an South African alliance of guitarists, djembe players, flute artists, and spoken wo...

Every week, we bring you a must-hear track from the Le Guess Who? 2018 line-up. This week, we dive into the psychedelic, fleeting world of the Brazilian psych rockers Boogarins.  Exploring their...

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...

On November 9, 2019, the Greek polyphonic vocal ensemble Isokratisses gave a rare performance at the Jacobikerk during Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Founded by Anna Katsi, the group dedicates itself to the polyphonic singing of Poliçan, an ethnic Greek village in southern Albania. All the members are...

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.

We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...

We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...

Every week, we bring you a must-hear track from the Le Guess Who? 2018 line-up. Last week, we highlighted a classical and timeless hip hop track of Georgia Anne Muldrow. This week, we shift phase...

Every year, Le Feast invites you into a living room in Utrecht, to enjoy a feast together with people you don't know (yet). On Sunday November 12, many Utrechtian home-chefs will transform their livin...

Presented by Basilica Hudson and Le Guess Who? in collaboration with Sarah Van Buren, 24-HOUR DRONE is set to return to Basilica Hudson Saturday, May 18th – Sunday, May 19th, 2024 (noon to noon) in Hudson, New York. Tickets are available here.  24-HOUR DRONE features an international roster of musicians and sonic artists acros...

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...

On the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2024, attendees will be treated to a performance by Oslo-based improvisation project DNA? AND?. Going strong for over a decade, the collective has traveled the world, played with N.U. Unruh and Hamid Drake, and gathered praise from international outlets such as The Quietus and more. For the upcoming...

Le Guess Who? announces a new ticketing strategy in collaboration with CM.com (formerly Yourticketprovider) and resale platform TicketSwap. From now on, we are implementing Ticketlock. It’s a feature that prevents fraud and increases reliability, and also means that it’s no longer possible to profit from the reselling of festi...

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...

Le Guess Who? 2025 guest-curator Valentina Magaletti is a trailblazing percussionist and composer. Her versatile technique can incorporate anything from vibes and marimba to contact microphones and found objects, resulting in a style that is forever evolving. In November, she will perform on multiple occasions: with her project V/Z, with...

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...

Singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist keiyaA synthesizes her jazz training, R&B sensibilities, and hip-hop upbringing to create new soul sounds inundated with her powerful, sultry voice and dense lyricism.  In anticipation to her show at Le Guess Who? 2025, curated by Lonnie Holley, keiyaA now releases her new al...

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...

Le Guess Who? has always worked with a borderless and boundary-crossing ethos. It led the organization to create COSMOS: a hybrid (both online and offline) platform that promotes international collaboration. Via this platform, organizations and initiatives from around the world give an insight into their local cultural scenes through film...

The initial line-up for 2026 has now been revealed.Read more about the curations & special projects here.

COSMOS was born out of Le Guess Who?’s mission to platform adventurous sounds that have the power to enrich lives. It’s a hub for experimentation and inspiration, and an ever-expanding network of creative minds. Through films, interviews, performances, and artist residencies, COSMOS connects international music communities and...

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...

Whether it’s the early, more electronic-driven beginnings or excavating field recordings at an abandoned settlement in the Arctic Circle, Danish pop adventurers Efterklang express boundless enthusiasm with each radical new undertaking. The band performed on the opening night of Le Guess Who? 2019, following the release of their new...

Responsible for some of dubstep’s most iconic cuts, DJ, producer and label owner Mala is now part of a select group of producers taking it to thrilling forward-thinking pastures. His newest track is a collaboration with Joe-Armon Jones and Nubya Garcia. 'Scratch & Erase' is part of the compilation album 'Unti...

In partnership with Honiunhoni Honiunhoni, meaning "Impossible Possibilities," is an independent music production collective and record label founded in 2022 by musician and anthropologist Daniyal Ahmed. Rooted in the ethos of ethnographic research, Honiunhoni celebrates Pakistan's cultural richness and diversity through meticulous curat...

We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...

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...

We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...

We're very excited that this year, Le Guess Who? will coincide again (for the first time since 2018) with the Mega Record & CD Fair (November 13 & 14 in Utrecht), which is Europe’s biggest record fair. As a preview for both the festival as well as the fair, we're collaborating with The Quietus on a new series where we...

As an international festival, Le Guess Who? has always worked with a borderless and boundary-crossing ethos. With COSMOS, we amplify local scenes from around the world to an international audience.

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...

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...

Starting off with a deep, sludgy bass line, 'Dig A Hole' is a new, bold track from the 'BC35' album, which celebrates the 35-year Anniversary of the BC Studio (the legendary recording studio founded b...

(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...

Crack Cloud is not what you should consider a regular band. A self-described ‘mixed media collective’, they take shape as a fluid collective of numerous individuals from Alberta, Canada wi...

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...

Over the last couple of years, COLORSxSTUDIOS has become an important music platform aimed at showcasing exceptional new talent from around the globe. In their own words: "All COLORS shows seek to provide clear, minimalistic stage that shines a spotlight on the artists, giving them the opportunity to present their music without distractio...

Kenya's Duma, figureheads of the flourishing Nairobi underground metal scene, performed live at Le Guess Who? 2021 as part of the program curated by Phil Elverum (The Microphones/Mount Eerie).  Martin "Lord Spike Heart" Khanja and Sam Karugo released their self-titled album in 2020 through Uganda’s Nyege Nyege Tapes and were i...

Press Archive Our press archive includes press previews, reports and interviews for LGW24.

We're happy to announce that, after four years, 24-HOUR DRONE returns to Basilica Hudson in 2023 on May 27 & 28, to coincide with Drone Day. 24-HOUR DRONE is presented by Basilica Hudson and Le Guess Who? in collaboration with Sarah Van Buren, happening in-person for the first time since 2019. Tickets are available here. An immersive...

The Quietus have premiered an intimate session with OKI captured live in Utrecht by Vincent Moon during Le Guess Who? 2022, along with a Q&A with the artist. OKI performs 'Muysoka hanene' and 'Tonkori Monimahpo-Yaykatekar (Medley)' in the garden of Grand Hotel Karel V in Utrecht. Watch the session and read the Q&A here via The Qui...

Following the release of our initial line-up for 2023, and our Special Projects, we now announces the world premiere of The Harvest Time Project: A Tribute to Pharoah Sanders, which celebrates the legacy of Pharoah Sanders and his seminal composition, Harvest Time (1977). The Harvest Time Project is an ever-evolving concert which will ha...

This year, Le Guess Who? presents the fourth edition of Hidden Musics, a project that focuses on deeply localized music and features artists embedded in rich, often centuries-old musical traditions that have been developed with little or no outside influences. The first series was initiated in 2019 by Le Guess Who? in collaboration w...

Following a mutually respectful relationship, initially held in Instagram DMs and reciprocal admiration for each other’s work, we should be thankful for the invitation sent by Kevin Richard Martin (The Bug) to Joseph Kamaru (KMRU) to collaborate on a new album. Today, the results of that collaboration are released in the form o...