Category Archives: Blog

Le Guess Who? unveils final line-up

13 September 2017

If you’ve read our previous posts about its tantalizing line up, boasting incredible curators and artists drawn from all corners of the musical spectrum, you could easily think that Le Guess Who? is all set to be the best festival of 2017 in Europe, if not the world. And we would agree with you. Yet today, the Dutch festival that runs between 9th-12th November in Utrecht, announced its full line-up, adding 60 new performers to this year’s edition, and at the same time proving that Le Guess Who? is in a league entirely of its own.

There is a new addition to Perfume Genius’ curated program with acclaimed avant garde vocalist Mary Margaret O’Hara set to make a rare performance at the festival. Joining the extraordinary Le Guess Who? general line-up are American experimental hip hop group Dälek, the trilling and bold compositions of experimental pop supergroup Aquaserge, bewitching and inventive Argentinian artist Juana Molina with new album Halo under her belt, self-taught violinist and vocalist Sudan Archives’ performing in Europe for the first time, singer and guitarist Avey Tare of Animal Collective, the intricate psych-rock of Moon Duo and Stella Chiweshe known as the Mbira Queen in her native Zimbabwe. Also added to the bill are Thurston Moore Group, the expansive folk rock of Kevin Morby, London based Zimbabwean musician and poet Farai, Iranian-Dutch experimental pop songwriter Sevdaliza and US/Syrian multi-disciplinary artist K Á R Y Y N.

Amidst the new thrilling additions to Le Guess Who?’s line-up is a celebration of Alice Coltrane’s music. Transcendental recordings from her final decades composed at her Sai Anantam Ashram in California were released publicly for the first time earlier this year by Luaka Bop. Entitled World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda and released as a compilation, these recordings will have their European premiere at Le Guess Who? performed by the Sai Anantam Ashram Singers.

In other big news, Le Guess Who? will host the 12-hour drone, a full-on immersive experience featuring several artists performing and experimenting within the realm of drone for 12 continuous hours. Some of the artists featured included brilliant and ingenious violinist and composer Jessica Moss, mighty Montreal trio BIG|BRAVE, Suuns’ Ben Shemie, Lea Bertucci, Thisquietarmy, Swedish composer and sound-artist Ellen Arkbro, sitar player Surajit Das and many more.

Here’s the complete list of performers added to the general line-up:

Thurston Moore Group, Kevin Morby, Sevdaliza, Stella Chiweshe, John Maus, Moon Duo, Black Lips, METZ, Sudan Archives, K Á R Y Y N, Avey Tare, Dälek, Juana Molina , Jesca Hoop, Ibaaku, Luka Productions, Essaie Pas, Farai, Aquaserge, Nicole Beutler presents ‘7: Triple Moon’, Big|Brave. Midnight Sister. Nobody (Willis Earl Beal), Love Theme, Kane Strang, Flohio, Sekou Kouyate, Circuit, Yat-Kha, Vampilia, Violent Magic Orchestra, Madensuyu. Den Sorte Skole, Muddersten, Altin Gün, Insecure Men, Brian Case, H. Hawkline, Steven Warwick, Champagne Superchillin.

With such a colossal line-up featuring over 150 artists at this year’s Le Guess Who?, Utrecht is an unmissable destination for musicians and music lovers this November. For more info and to get tickets, check out leguesswho.com.

Watch Darto’s video for ‘No Self’ off album Human Giving

11 September 2017

Seattle’s four-piece Darto have just released their new album Human Giving through Aagoo Records. An exciting and exhilarating album, it draws from influences and genres aplenty, from rock and Americana to pop and psych. The band had this to say about the record:

“We didn’t play shows or hardly go to shows for a year and a half to write and record the album. The album comes from the places within us where hope and love exist. Where the focus is not on the self, and suddenly everything is possible. Humans giving themselves to other humans. The power of listening on all fronts.”

The excellent and enigmatic album track ‘No Self’ is being offered with a video directed by the band’s own Gordon De Los Santos. Check it out below and listen to their previous single ‘I AM’ straight after.

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Buttonhead release first song + video from upcoming second album Never or Forget

08 September 2017

Last week, and coinciding with National Dog Day, London’s Buttonhead released a new song, ‘Coombe Dean’, with a very fitting visual accompaniment. Taken from their upcoming second album Never or Forget,  ‘Coombe Dean’ is described as a “ghostly lament” and serves as the first taste from the record. The band’s own Ross Blake directed the video. Watch it below and watch out for the release of Never or Forget on September 29th through Horse Arm.


Feverkin’s latest monthly offering: ‘August’

06 September 2017

The Calendar Project is the ongoing venture of Feverkin, the moniker of producer and composer Adam Orfale. Since January, Feverkin has released a new song with an accompanying video every month, serving as an audio visual documentary for each month of the year.
The serene and scintillating ‘August’ is the latest offering from the project and you can take a listen below.

Aquaserge premiere video for ‘Si loin, si proche’

05 September 2017

Aquaserge turned our heads with Laisse ça être, which came out earlier this year through Crammed Discs. The album track ‘Si loin, si proche’ has been paired with a fitting video directed by Amic Bedel and Benjamin Glibert. The song title, which translates to ‘so close, so far’, is central to the video. The effort is presented as a split screen with two takes, a close shot and a wide one, performed and shot live and at the same time. Here it is.

In other related good news, Aquaserge are back on the road this Autumn for a string of shows across Europe, including a show at Birthdays in London on September 21st, at Liverpool International Festival Of Psychedelia on September 22nd and at Utrecht’s dream of a festival Le Guess Who? on November 11th. Check the full list of dates and other info here.

New album from Esmerine arrives in October

31 August 2017

We’re over the moon to hear that Esmerine are set to release a new album, following last year’s monumental Lost Voices and the wonderful and glorious Dalmak, which was one of our Album Picks of 2013. Entitled Mechanics Of Dominion, the album blends together elements of Neo-Classical, Minimalist, Modern Contemporary, Folk, Baroque, Jazz and Rock genres “to invoke lamentation, meditation, resolve, resistance and hope”, as the label describes. “It is a requiem for our intractably suffering planet and a paean to the inscrutable, essential dignity of indigenous ethics and the natural world, and to modern human frailty and ingenuity.”

As with Esmerine’s previous albums, Jace Lasek took on production duties, and again contributes as a featured guest, as does Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s violinist Sophie Trudeau, amongst others.

Mechanics Of Dominion marks their sixth album release, and is due out on October 20th through Constellation. Luckily, we can already wrap our ears around two magnificent and compelling tracks from the record, the closing track ‘Piscibus Maris’ and the opener ‘The Space In Between’. Both are laced together in a befitting video made by Brad Todd.