Le Guess Who?’s Who 2022: Kuunatic

20 September 2022

There’s less two months to go before Le Guess Who? takes over Utrecht. With over 150 artists set to perform, how do we make sense of such a monumental line-up? We made a list of the artists we’re most excited to see and asked them for their recommendations.

Kuunatic

Official Website

Performing Sunday 13th November (Curated by Animal Collective)


Formed in Tokyo in 2016, Kuunatic is the tribal-psych trio of Fumie Kikuchi (keys and vocals), Yuko Araki (drums and vocals) and Shoko Yoshida (bass and vocals). Sonically diverse, their unique sound is an amalgamation of each member’s different musical and cultural background. Their transcending debut album, Gate of Klüna, came last year through Glitterbeat Records and we can’t wait to see them performing it live at Le Guess Who?. We’ve asked them what other bands they are looking forward to and Fumie, Yuko and Shoko each picked an artist respectively. Read on to find out!

 

Les Filles de Illighadad

Facebook

Performing Friday 11th November (curated by Animal Collective)

 

Moor Mother & billy woods performing ‘BRASS’

Bandcamp

Performing Saturday 12th November (curated by CURL)

 

Goat

Twitter

Performing Saturday 12th November

 

Le Guess Who? will take place 10-13 November. For the full line-up, tickets and more info visit leguesswho.com. And take a look at other artists we’re excited about picking their own Le Guess Who?’s Who.

Sunda Arc tease second album with new single ‘Distant Siren’

20 September 2022

Photo: Alex Kozobolis

Sunda Arc, the duo of brothers Nick Smart and Jordan Smart, have a new album on the way, following their 2020 debut Tides. Entitled Night Lands, it arrives on November 18th through Gondwana Records. A beautiful record, Night Lands takes cues from techno, electronica, neo-classical and post-rock and it “channels Nick and Jordan’s love of electronic and dance music, without losing any of their deep musicality”, as the press release describes.

Alongside the album announcement, Sunda Arc have released the first single ‘Distant Siren’. They comment:

“This was a track that went through many iterations, as we were playing with different moods to frame the main melody. We ended up settling on more of an urban and dark sound world, with the bass clarinet representing a more hopeful melody struggling to emerge throughout the track in different ways. This track I think feels like taking an early morning journey on a night bus; the thoughts and feelings and sights and sounds that emerge and fall back into the darkness.”

‘Distant Siren’ comes with an accompanying video directed by Daniel Halsall and you can watch it below.

Gala Drop return with third studio album Amizade

16 September 2022

Eight years on from the release of II, Portuguese outfit Gala Drop are back with a new album entitled Amizade, which means friendship. Now a trio comprising Afonso Simões, Nelson Gomes and Rui Dâmaso, Gala Drop crafted the album following a residence at gnration. According to the press release, “never before had the band been so blatantly dubby … or lined up distinct historical moments from the UK’s hardcore continuum – pianola in rave euphoria and cut up vocals”.

Amizade arrives on October 14th through GDRecords and ahead of it they have let loose the first single, ‘Monte do Ouro’. The track is offered with a video made by visual artist Sara Graça. Watch it now.

Masayoshi Fujita, Thiago Nassif, Cate Le Bon, Zs, Watkins/Peacock, Rival Consoles, Fulu Miziki Kolektiv, Estrella Morente, Lido Pimienta, Oumou Sangaré – the full line up of Le Guess Who? 2022 is announced

15 September 2022

The stars will align again this November as Le Guess Who? fires up Utrecht’s musical life with four days of extraordinary music drawn from the widest musical spectrum. With just under two months to go until the 15th anniversary edition of the festival, the organizers announced today the full line-up adding 72 new phenomenal performers who join an already hefty bill co-curated by Animal Collective, clipping. and CURL

 

Le Guess Who? returns for its 15th edition in the quaint and historic city of Utrecht from 10-13 November and the organizers had already announced a stellar and ambitious bill rammed with musical treats for every imaginable taste. A festival rich with possibility, Le Guess Who? builds bridges across genres, generations and regions, delivering beautiful musical experiences.

Newly announced names that have caught our eye in particular include master vibraphonist, multi-percussionist, and composer Masayoshi Fujita, whose album Bird Ambiance topped our 2021 end of year list and many others, phenomenal multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Thiago Nassif with his compositions merging and exploring elements of no-wave, electronic music, tropicalismo, jazz, rock and pop, Welsh musician and producer Cate Le Bon who recently released her sixth studio album Pompeii and Columbian-Canadian musician and Polaris Prize-winning artist Lido Pimienta with her blend of cumbia with electronic music and art pop. This year’s edition will also see newly announced sets from Malian singer Oumou Sangaré, legendary avant-rockers Zs, ambient-folk artist Maria BC, the intimate and enchanting sounds of singer-songwriter and improvisor Joanne Robertson and self-described “eco-friendly-Afro-punk-collective” Fulu Miziki Kolektiv, a Kinshasa based orchestra who make their own instruments, costumes and masks out of trash. Also joining Le Guess Who?’s general festival line-up are high-powered Ghent-based duo Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul, showcasing Topical Dancer, their Soulwax-produced electronic debut album, traditional adungu and nanga harp master and singer Otim Alpha who whips up the dancefloor with Acholitronix, a high tempo dance music fusing traditional music from north Uganda with electronic production, Brooklyn singer-songwriter Yaya Bey, Slovenian acoustic folk avant-garde experimental band Širom and Spanish flamenco singer Estrella Morente performing with the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra. Known for the exhilarating energy of their live performances, Afrofuturistic jazz outfit Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids are returning to Le Guess Who? this November for their 50th Anniversary Celebration, a performance we wouldn’t want to miss. Also appearing are Surya Botofasina & Carlos Niño, fresh off the back of their utterly engrossing debut album Everyone’s Children, which pays tribute to Alice Coltrane, Dutch rockers Personal Trainer, Italian vocalist, composer, keyboardist and multimedia artist Jolanda Moletta, Huerco S., the project of American producer and DJ Brian Leeds with the freshly released Plonk, his first album in six years and french filmmaker and sound explorer Vincent Moon with his unique site-specific Live Cinéma performance.

Amidst the new exciting additions to Le Guess Who?’s 2022 line-up is a new program presented by DJ Fitz, the festival’s resident DJ. Appearing on his bill are entrancing electro-acoustic and kosmiche duo Watkins/Peacock, the unabashedly fun Colombian and Japanese art-rock duo Flash Amazonas with new album uva-uva just out last week, Lisbon’s Funkamente, Anadol, Quesadilla and Istanbul’s beatmaker Grup Ses.

There are new additions to clipping.’s curated program as well, who are hosting KMRU & Aho Ssan performing Limen, Manuka Honey and London-based musician and producer Ryan Lee West aka Rival Consoles, presenting his new album Now Is, set for release in October.

There’s a lot more on offer for the 15th edition of Le Guess Who?, including programs hosted by Batu, Bong-Ra, Moonshine, Kampala-based label Nyege Nyege and a plethora of other unmissable artists bound to hold the attention of curious minds.

Le Guess Who? 2022 takes place from 10-13th November in several venues throughout Utrecht. Festival passes are now sold out but there are still limited day tickets available via leguesswho.com/tickets. Full details of the line-up can be found on leguesswho.com.

Makaya McCraven offers final preview of forthcoming album with video for new single ‘The Fours’

14 September 2022

Photo: Sulyiman

Makaya McCraven‘s much anticipated eighth album, In These Times, arrives next week and the Chicago based beat scientist had already enticied with two singles, ‘Seventh String’ and ‘Dream Another’. Now he’s offering a final preview of his forthcoming album with a third single, The Fours’. The track comes with an accompanying video directed by Ryosuke Tanzawa. Watch it below and grab the album when it drops on September 23rd through International Anthem / Nonesuch / XL Recordings.

Sun Ra Arkestra share new single ‘Chopin’; upcoming album Living Sky out in October

11 September 2022

Sun Ra Arkestra are in it for the long haul, never ceasing to amaze us. With legendary old alto saxophonist Marshall Allen as musical director for more than two decades, the collective continues to spread their interstellar magic, exploring and pushing the boundaries of jazz, both musically and conceptually. Following last year’s Grammy-nominated album Swirling, Sun Ra Arkestra are releasing their new album Living Sky on October 7th through Omni Sound.

Ahead of the album’s release, they have shared new single ‘Chopin’, which marks the first studio recording of Sun Ra’s elaboration of ‘Prelude in A Major’ of the Frédéric Chopin’s “miniature Opus 28 No. 7″.  “‘Chopin’ was one of Sun Ra’s features for the lyrical wizardry of Marshall’s alto, the originator of Avant Garde saxophone, truly a wonder to behold at the age 98,” stated baritone saxophonist Knoel Scott. “This freshened arrangement of this Sun Ra Classic is a testament to the vintaged mastery of Marshall Allen and is truly reflective of his position as a keeper of the Sun Ra Legacy.”

Listen to ‘Chopin’ below and straight after listen to the previously released first single ‘Somebody Else’s Idea’.