Search: samba

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

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...

Revolt comes in all shapes and sizes for São Paolo-guitarist, producer and songsmith Kiko Dinucci. He cut his teeth in various punk and hardcore bands, filtered that subversive spirit through t...

Op donderdag 19 september onthult Le Guess Who? de volledige line-up voor de komende festivaleditie in EKKO, met optredens van Ben Shemie (SUUNS), Conjunto Papa Upa, Lechuga Zafiro en een speciale editie van Stranded FM x The Current. Conjunto Papa Upa is de band van Amsterdamse Venezolaan Alex Figueira. De muziek kun je omschrijven als...

Born Ana Lucia in Mexico, Coco María grew up surrounded by music. She soon set out on a mission to share it with others - which she continues to do on 'Club Coco', her show at WorldwideFM, and...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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

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...

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...

Brazil's Samba Queen Elza Soares returns to The Netherlands after her grandiose performance at Le Guess Who? 2016. Catch her live at the Rotterdamse Schouwburg, Tuesday, June 27.  Relive Elza So...

São Paolo-guitarist, producer and songsmith Kiko Dinucci has been exploring myriad sounds throughout his career. His latest solo album 'Rastilho' is built around his rhythmically fierce acoustic guitar playing. Bandcamp has published a feature exploring Dinucci's affinity with both post-punk and samba. The article d...

After receiving the NME Award for Best Producer earlier this year, and being featured as "the red-hot jungle producer taking over the UK's dancefloors", prodigious UK raver Nia Archives is back with new single 'Baianá'. Watch the video for 'Baianá' below. The samples the traditional Brazilian choir Barbatuques, Nia Archives...

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

Le Guess Who? is proud to welcome both artists and visitors of many different nationalities to Utrecht each year. In collaboration with SPEAK, we started a new video series in which Utrechters with foreign roots introduce an artist on the Le Guess Who? 2021 line-up from their country. SPEAK connects locals, newcomers and migra...

Conjunto Papa Upa, the so-called Afro-Caribbean retro psychedelic rhythm machine of Venezuelan, Amsterdam-based musician Alex Figueira, has released a new video for 'Todo Parao'. His music, a quirky combination of lo-fi surf rock, funk, psychedelica and samba, resounds the street scenes of Figueira's salad days in Caracas. You can w...

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

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...

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

Ana Frango Elétrico has been hailed as an indie wunderkind and "the most effervescent and innovative voice to surge up from Brazil’s new wave". Their 2019 album, Little Electric Chicken Heart, garnered plural accolades and even a Latin Grammy nomination; now, they releases their third and most confident album to date: Me Cham...

Following the release of his album Curyman II in November 2024, Brazilian singer-songwriter Rogê and his band are touring around the globe to perform his joyous, celebratory samba music. In anticipation of his show at Le Guess Who? 2025, watch their performance live at Jazz Sous Les Pommier 2025 in Coutances, France.  W...

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,...

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...

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 orientation and class. At Le Guess Who? 2016, Soares gave a powerful performance, presenting work from her 34th album, 'The Woman at the End of...