Le Guess Who? has revealed its full 2025 line-up, and once again the festival in Utrecht proves why it remains one of the most adventurous and forward-thinking gatherings in the world. Running from November 6th – 9th, the festival continues to champion unclassifiable music and voices from the margins, creating a space for discovery, experimentation, and collective wonder. Back in May, the first announcement already had us buzzing, with eight daring guest curators – Amirtha Kidambi, Asher Gamedze, Edna Martinez, gyrofield, Lonnie Holley, Tianzhuo Chen, Valentina Magaletti and Ziúr – helping to shape stellar programmes that span the globe. Early highlights included Saul Williams & Carlos Niño, SUNN O))), Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force, Lido Pimienta, DJ Haram & Aquiles Navarro, and Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore, amongst many more.

Now, with the full line-up revealed, Le Guess Who? promises even more discoveries. Among the guest-curated programmes, Asher Gamedze brings Cairo-based trio Dwarfs of East Agouza, who have been blowing our minds since their debut Bes dropped in 2016. With their new album Sasquatch Landslide landing this October, the outfit of Sam Shalabi, Maurice Louca, and Alan Bishop are set to mesmerize audiences with their “signature trance-inducing explorative energies”. Gamedze will also host The Vocal Museum by Masello Motana, a recital that journeys through collective memory and township childhoods in South Africa, with Masello’s commanding voice backed by a live band.

Fresh additions to the general lineup include Hania Rani, introducing her alter-ego Chilling Bambino, blending piano, synth, and voice in a quietly mesmerizing mix of classical and contemporary textures, Ata Kak, the Ghanaian artist whose mix of highlife, early hip-hop, and funk turns every track into a dancefloor adventure, Bhajan Bhoy, the project of Lancashire-born, Netherlands-based Ajay Saggar, who brings his meditative organ works, first performed in a 15th century church in Yorkshire, and London-based producer Djrum, who explores piano, harp, and electronic textures in Under Tangled Silence, balancing intimacy with rhythmic energy. From the outskirts of Rio, singer songwriter Caxtrinho brings his debut album Queda Livre, a bold fusion of Brazil’s experimental Vanguarda Paulista tradition, Devendra Banhart returns with a stripped-back solo set that moves through his psychedelic, acoustic, and folk-inspired repertoire, and Daniela Pes and IOSONOUNCANE join forces for a live collaboration that fuses Pes’s ethereal vocals and instrumental fluidity with IOSONOUNCANE’s finely sculpted electronic textures. Vocalists Lamisi, Gavina, and Maria Alice bring Afro-fusion pop, Panamanian folklore-infused grooves, and Cape Verdean mornas and coladeras, respectively, each shaping a vivid and global soundscape. Experimental performances also include Heinali & Andriana-Yaroslava Saienko, whose Гільдеґарда pairs modular synths with Ukrainian vocal techniques, and Tunisian and Dutch composer, audiovisual artist, curator, and science educator Skander Jaïbi, who blends classical composition, choral textures, and ambient soundscapes in his debut album Who Has the Right to Closure?. Gina Birch, co-founder of The Raincoats, brings her solo record Trouble, merging post-punk, dub, and experimental rock into an introspective yet fiery statement, augmenting a lineup that cements Le Guess Who? 2025 as a festival of curiosity, boldness, and musical discovery.
Other electronic and experimental innovators also expand the festival’s palette, from the genre-defying collages of Smerz to Valentina Goncharova’s inventive mix of violin and electronics in Every Growing Tree, alongside Montreal trio Yoo Doo Right, whose krautrock-tinged post-rock grooves hypnotize and pull audiences in. Fresh additions also include tribal-psych trio KUUNATIC, Dutch hardcore punk band Forbidden Wizards, and British post-hardcore band Mclusky.

Among the highlights in this year line-up is Sounds of Places: Cremisan Valley, an immersive residency-based project that transforms one of the last green spaces near the city of Bethlehem in Palestine into a living soundscape. Over several days, artists, designers, and local participants collaborated to create site-specific sound sculptures that respond to wind, rain, and movement, blending composed pieces with the natural environment. The resulting performance captures the valley’s layered history, its ecological and cultural struggles, and its resilience, turning listening into an act of reflection and connection with a place shaped by both memory and resistance.

Beyond concerts, Le Guess Who? remains a meeting place for communities and ideas. On Friday, November 7th, BATEKOO x Los Angles presents a club night at De Helling celebrating queer communities, with performances by Brazilian singer, actress, and presenter Linn da Quebrada,  trans-femme DJ and founder of Club Stamina Mina Galán, along with Miranda, Juju ZL, and smother b2b YoungWoman, collectively creating a vibrant, joyful space for marginalized voices.

With the full programme now unveiled, Le Guess Who? reaffirms its status as a festival like no other: a gathering where boundaries blur, traditions are honoured and reshaped, and discovery is paramount. From November 6th –9th, Utrecht will transform into a privileged playground of sound. Festival passes are now sold out but day passes are still available at leguesswho.com/tickets so be quick to catch this monumental lineup, and countless other names waiting to be discovered across the city.

Le Guess Who? is back this November 6 – 9th for its 18th edition, and the first major announcement for 2025 has just landed. The revered Dutch festival affirms once again its unparalleled commitment to sonic exploration, inclusivity, and radical artistic vision, uniting artists and audiences from around the world through the transformative power of music. The festival has always championed a groundbreaking and genre-defying programme, and 2025 will be no different, offering a platform for both emerging and established artists.

One of the standout features of Le Guess Who? is its curated programs, where incredible artists handpick their favorite musicians and collaborators to showcase their musical influences and vision, in addition to also performing themselves. This year’s constellation of guest curators is as daring as it is eclectic, with eight singular voices from across disciplines and continents shaping bespoke programmes. Among them is visionary and virtuosic South African drummer, composer, writer and activist Asher Gamedze whose work navigates jazz, Afro-futurism, and experimental sounds. Digging into the musical language of resistance and liberation, his curation promises a powerful mix of experimental and political sounds. Highlights from his selection include a performance by himself, alongside his new jazz ensemble A Semblance, DEAD SYMBOLS, and Dirar Kalash’s Sonic Front. Also on his bill is Usta/Olgun/Ekincioglu, a collaborative project who explore Turkish and electronic music, creating a dynamic space for new ideas to emerge through sound.

Another exciting guest curator who will help enrich the festival is drummer, composer and experimentalist Valentina Magaletti, who invited a mix of avant-garde, electronic, and noise artists. Magaletti’s curation will be a thrilling exploration of rhythm, sound, and the unexpected. Among her selections are Al Wootton & Youmna Saba, Klein, and Ancient Indigenous Africans. Her programme also includes Able Noise, Voice Actor and Alpha Maid, as well as Kat Válastur – Dive Into You, and PRAM. She will also perform in collaboration with PHEW and in a duo with upsammy.

Singer, composer, bandleader and community organizer Amirtha Kidambi conjures a borderless sonic world under her Outernational banner, an exploration of global soundscapes and cross-cultural experimentation, combining influences from jazz, noise, Middle Eastern music, and beyond. Kidambi’s curated programme brings together an international roster of performers, including her own band, Elder Ones, along with the experimental group Ghadr غدر, who explore themes of resistance and identity, and One Leg One Eye. Saint Abdullah & Jason Nazary will also be part of this exciting lineup, pushing boundaries in the world of contemporary avant-garde and improvisation.

Celebrated improvisational artist Lonnie Holley brings a fascinating curation to Le Guess Who? 2025, drawing on a rich blend of soul, improvisation, storytelling and spiritual exploration. Artists on his bill include ingenious and thought-provoking spoken word artist, bandleader, composer, saxophonist and activist Alabaster DePlume, Assiko Golden Band de Grand Yoff, and Kankawa Nagarra, as well as a powerful collaboration from Lonnie Holley & Friends. Holley is also bringing Saul Williams & Carlos Niño, The Cosmic Tones Research Trio, Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore and the deeply moving The Space Lady.

Berlin-based Colombian DJ, producer, and curator Edna Martinez, known for her deep ties to Caribbean sound systems, brings the rhythms and soul of PICÓ, a genre deeply rooted in Caribbean music traditions, to the festival. Martinez has invited a vibrant range of artists like electronic music producer BCLIP and Wilfred Guerrero, who will undoubtedly bring the dancefloor to life with intoxicating rhythms and sounds that cross borders and genres. Her curated bill will also feature the infectious La Saramuya Soundsystem, and Nayi Lokura.

Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-based artist gyrofield curates an immersive, electronic-driven programme that combines deep techno, dub, and bass-driven atmospheres. Their curated bill will include performances from heavyweights like Calibre, Ciel, and Objekt.

Chinese contemporary artist Tianzhuo Chen, known for his multidisciplinary works that blend performance art, electronics, and immersive visuals, brings an adventurous programme to the festival. Highlights include the collaborations of 333EMYBW & Joey Holder, DIEMAJIN present 陰陽 (Yin and Yang), and performances by GOTH-TRAD, ZAÄAR, and Moyang 先祖 & Seaman 漁師. With this curation, lucky attendees will be immersed in mind-bending, visually stunning, and sonically experimental performances.

Experimental producer/musician Ziúr will bring a curatorial programme steeped in experimental sounds, hyperreal aesthetics, and boundary-pushing sonic ideas. With artists like Attila Csihar & Iggor Cavalera, Luisa Almaguer, Lady Lykez, and DJ Marcelle, her curation promises to delve into the darker, more experimental side of electronic music and sound art, showcasing a variety of genres from industrial to avant-garde and everything in between.

Beyond the curated programs, the general lineup is stacked with a stunning array of artists. Returning to the festival is the monumental drone outfit SUNN O))), legendary Jamaican reggae group The Congos, Columbian-Canadian musician and Polaris Prize-winning artist Lido Pimienta and the heavy and beautiful music of drone metal band Divide and Dissolve performing their new album Insatiable. Also newly announced is composer and producer Adrian Younge, known for his work in soul and hip-hop, Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali, the Pakistani qawwali ensemble led by Rizwan and Muazzam, nephews of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who will perform across three nights, Nicolás Jaar & Ali Sethi, Attila Csihar & Iggor Cavalera, KeiyaA, mighty Montreal trio BIG|BRAVE, Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force, the project of techno pioneer Mark Ernestus with a revolving cast of Senegalese sabar musicians, and the cosmic rhythms of Gary Bartz and NTU Troop. Other standout performances will come from performer, teacher and researcher of traditional Galician oral music Carme López, DJ Haram & Aquiles Navarro, electronic music duo emptyset, the fast, quirky, driving, and catchy synth punk sounds of Goblin Daycare, young Kurdish Iranian tanbur player Mohammad Mostafa Heydarian, Katokye, known as the master of Banyankole traditional songs from Western Uganda, and Dublin based post-punk feminist four-piece M(h)aol. The collaborative project of Peruvian artist and researcher Alejandra Cárdenas aka Ale Hop & Congolese guitarist Titi Bakorta, are also added to the bill today, as is Índio da Cuíca, the Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and dancer active for more than 50 years, award-winning Native American composer and artist Raven Chacon, Oakland-based experimental electronic folk artist Kathryn Moh, legendary Peruvian cumbia band Los Wembler’s de Iquitos, Tanzanian music ensemble The Zawose Queens, whose music incorporates traditional Wagogo styles and electronic production, and Palestinian musician and composer Maya Al Khaldi & Palestinian qanun player Sarouna featuring visual artist and filmmaker Dina Mimi. Kikagaku Moyo frontman Tomo Katsurada, multi-instrumentalist, producer and artist Tomoki Sanders, child of the late saxophone legend Pharoah Sanders, and South African drummer and composer Tumi Mogorosi are also amongst some of the thrilling additions unveiled today.

Le Guess Who? remains an invitation to listen deeply to art, to each other and to the world. This year’s edition builds on the festival’s mission to centre voices from the margins and create transformative collective experiences. The COSMOS platform returns too, continuing to spotlight global music communities, this time with contributions from Istanbul’s IDGK, Iceland’s Seyðisfjörður Community Radio, Malaysia’s Align.Online, Panama City’s River Down Records, and Berlin’s Refuge Worldwide.

As we’ve come to expect, Le Guess Who? is setting the bar for festivals around the world with its ambitious and diverse programming. A gathering where borders blur and traditions reshape, Le Guess Who? continues to offer one of the most compelling global stages for unclassifiable music. The full list of names and curated programmes already announced is vast and essential reading and listening, so head over to leguesswho.com for more details, including ticket information and full lineup so far. A very limited number of 4-Day festival passes and individual day tickets will go on sale Tuesday May 27th, so stay tuned.

Returning to the charming city of Utrecht from November 7th – 10th to celebrate its 17th edition, Le Guess Who? is on course to reach beyond the stars with a sprawling and stellar line-up that each year continues to grow ever more adventurous and majestic. Today the organizers announced their full programme for this year’s edition, and adding to an already hefty bill are artists and bands like Maurice Louca, Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly, Nadah El Shazly, Merope, Kayhan Kalhor & Erdal Erzincan and Creation Rebel feat Adrian Sherwood.

Le Guess Who? unveiled today its final batch of bands and artists to join previously announced guest curators Mabe Fratti, Bo Ningen, Arooj Aftab, Crystallmess, DARKSIDE, and Touching Bass as well as FYEAR, Patrick Shiroishi, Fuensanta, Nancy Mounir, Rafael Toral and Asher Gamedze, amongst many more.

Egyptian composer, producer and vocalist Nadah El Shazly; the exhilarating rhythms of Iranian kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor & Anatolian bağlama master Erdal Erzincan; LA-based rapper and producer Chuck Strangers; and keyboardist, flautist, composer and arranger Brian Jackson, known for his collaborations with Gil Scott-Heron in the 1970s, are amidst the new thrilling names added to Le Guess Who?’s general programme. The line up for this year also includes a collaboration between producer Abul Mogard (AKA Guido Zen) and record producer, composer, and mastering engineer Rafael Anton Irisarri, who earlier this year released their album Impossibly Distant, Impossibly Close; as well as the likes of Brooklyn noise rockers Couch Slut presenting their latest record You Could Do It Tonight; Montreal-based songwriter, guitarist and singer Myriam Gendron, the eccentric and pulsating rhythms of Kabeaushé, and the collision of improvisation and electronics brought to life by Oceanic & Greetje Bijma, the project that brings together leftfield techno and ambient producer Oceanic and award-winning jazz vocalist Greetje Bijma.

Earlier this year, Bolivian-born singer and multi-medium performer Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Puerto Rican drummer, composer and sound designer Frank Rosaly, released their incredible debut album, MESTIZX, a journey through their culture and identity, intersecting their heritage from Bolivia, Brazil, and Puerto Rico. Their performance in one of the many idyllic venues across Utrecht will be an unmissable one as will the premiere of Hadra Immersive, the musical ritual ceremony of Sufis in North Africa, presented by Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra and visual artist Arion de Munck. Le Guess Who? will also present the throbbing and hypnotic rhythms of Peruvian sound artist Ale Hop with Congolese guitarist Titi Bakorta; Egyptian singer and rapper Abyusif; the soulful harmonies of Annie & The Caldwells, the gospel singing outfit of Annie Caldwell along with her husband and their children; Turkish noise rock trio Haossaa; Merope, the duo of Lithuanian singer and kanklės player Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė and guitarist and producer Bert Cools, who will have their new album, Vėjula, also out in early November; American folk artist Tucker Zimmerman and the incendiary live show of Party Dozen, the Sydney noise duo of saxophonist Kirsty Tickle and percussionist Jonathan Boulet, whose fourth album Crime in Australia came out a few days ago.

Appearing on the bill is the legendary Creation Rebel with live mix by producer Adrian Sherwood; London-based vocalist, producer, performer and visual artist GAIKA, who performs with poet and musician James Massiah, and Scientist, the project of Jamaican electronics wizard Hopeton Overton Brown. Following DNA? AND?’s compelling, powerful and heartfelt performance at Le Guess Who? 2019 edition, the festival invited the Oslo-based improv-band collective back, as well as experimental trio Ex-Easter Island Head and Sex Swing who are set to showcase their fierceness on the back of their third studio album, Golden Triangle, releasing next month.

Over the years Le Guess Who? has been nurturing an open space for rare and unique performances and collaborations and this year is no different. Hannah Elsisi presents Chromesthesia is one of the special projects newly unveiled not to be missed. A social and intellectual historian of the Modern Middle East, the British-Egyptian activist will host a monumental 13-hour performance on Saturday November 9th. Her curation includes the immeasurably talented and adventurous composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Maurice Louca, who has enthralled us long ago with his solo works and numerous collaborations; the choreography of multidisciplinary Afrocentric dancer and artist Natisa Exocé Kasongo with audiovisual design by Berlin based Dutch audiovisual composer and software developer Tarik Barri; Sierra Leone-born, New York-based artist and musician Lamin Fofana, who founded the Sci-Fi & Fantasy and Black Studies labels; Amsterdam based, Brazilian-born producer and vocalist LYZZA; South Florida electronic and hip hop producer Nick León, and Sonic Interventions, a futuristic Jazz collective “who unites diverse languages, instruments, rhythms and dance for collective meditation and healing, improvisation and groove”. The Chromesthesia curation further includes musical polyglot, composer, educator and storyteller Jowee Omicil, whose performances are always different, immersive and transformative; Afro-Portuguese electronic producer and DJ Nídia, Ghanaian/French producer and vocalist PÖ, South African rapper, singer, songwriter, and actress Sho Madjozi and Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Yaya Bey.

Le Guess Who? will also be hosting Sounds of Places, a residency program from Radio Alhara, commissioned by Wonder Cabinet, which “seeks to create sonic analogies beyond the spatial limit every sound emerges from.” Following its first edition this year in the occupied Cremisan Valley in Palestine, the artists involved there will present their works at the festival, including Lebanese multi-instrumentalist, video artist and puppeteer Yara Asmar, who next month will release her new album synth waltzes & accordion laments; Christmas in Mourning, a special radio piece commissioned by Radio Al-Hara and co-composed by Sary Moussa and Abed Kobeissy, which was streamed simultaneously by 18 community stations worldwide last Christmas, and Sasha Shadid x Julmud.

There’s plenty more goodness to head to Utrecht for, head over to leguesswho.com for the full details of the line-up, tickets and other info. 4-Day Passes and Friday tickets are sold out but you can still grab tickets for Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Le Guess Who? returns to Utrecht from November 7th – 10th for its 17th edition and the first big announcement of 2024 is here. Today’s announcement attests to the organisers’ unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of musical conventions. A sonic odyssey that transcends genres and geography, the festival continues to champion artists and sounds that are often overlooked and provides a platform for fresh perspectives in music. There’s very good reasons to be excited for this year’s edition with the guest curators and first names on the general line up announced today, including a lot of bands that we absolutely love like FYEAR, Patrick Shiroishi, Fuensanta, Nancy Mounir, Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble and Asher Gamedze.

Le Guess Who? has been a beacon of artistic exploration, transforming the city of Utrecht into a privileged global stage for unparalleled musical discoveries and experiences. Part of what makes Le Guess Who? so unique is the diversity brought in by its guest curators, and this year Mabe Fratti, Bo Ningen, Arooj Aftab, Crystallmess, DARKSIDE, and Touching Bass will help shape and enrich the festival with hand picked selections of their favourite and like-minded artists, in addition to also performing themselves.

Guatemala-born, Mexico City-based cellist and composer Mabe Fratti curates a stunning programme highlighting the rich cultural diversity and spirit of Latin American music. She invited South American artists who have inspired her like Mexican saxophonist and composer Germán Bringas; Amsterdam based Mexican singer, double bassist, composer, improviser and multidisciplinary artist Fuensanta; Colombian traditional folkloric cumbia group Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, who have been active since 1940, London-based experimental vocal ensemble Shards; Luz luz luz!; and, amongst others, Argentine experimental band Blanco Teta, known for their infectious and energetic performances.

Following a blistering show at Le Guess Who? in 2018, London-based Japanese post-punk quartet Bo Ningen are returning as curators, focusing on audiovisual performances. They will present their alternate live score to Alejandro Jodorowsky’s cult classic The Holy Mountain. Their curated programme will also include the likes of experimental saxophonist and electronic musician Helen Papaioannou and visual artist Noriko Okaku, who mix live collaged visuals with accompanying music; experimental soprano Olivia Salvadori, drummer Akihide Monna, and multi-instrumentalist Coby Sey in their new collaborative project GAISTER; the audiovisual collaboration by musicians Klara Lewis and Nik Colk Void with visual artist Pedro Maia; Lunch Money Life, and a performance by London post-rock trio Still House Plants, with a brand new album, If I don’t make it, I love u, released last month.

Arooj Aftab returns to Le Guess Who? after her memorable performance in 2021. As the first Pakistani woman to win a Grammy Award, Aftab has captured global attention with her unique musical vision. Her upcoming album, Night Reign, is highly anticipated, and her curated programme reflects her diverse influences. Her bill will included a special filmed performance by her father, Aftab Sr., delivering meaningful love poetry from Lahore, Pakistan. Aftab’s bill will also host the powerful and hypnotic chanting and danceable rhythms of Mauritania’s Noura Mint Seymali; Los Angeles based contemporary poet, writer, lyricist, and activist aja monet, known for her work on Black resistance, love and joy; the sould-stirring compositions of singer, composer and music producer Dina El Wedidi, who’s a star in her native Egypt, and multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer Meshell Ndegeocello, whose latest Grammy-awarded album, The Omnichord Real Book, is a testament to her deep musical roots.

French multidisciplinary artist and producer Crystallmess will bring her interdisciplinary approach to the festival, combining elements of film, music, performance, and visual art. Her curated programme features pop polymath Lafawndah; footwork originator RP Boo; Detroit ghetto-tech group HiTech; experimental musician and choreographer Blackhaine, whose cathartic performances evoke intense physical and sonic energy, LustSickPuppy; Nazar and American singer and Sonic Youth co-founder Kim Gordon, also with a recent second solo album, The Collective, under her belt.

DARKSIDE, the electronic duo of Dave Harrington and Nicolás Jaar, who now count drummer Tlacael Esparza as a new member, present a programme boasting everything from electronic music and disco to prog rock and funk. Their curated lineup includes Japanese American saxophonist and composer Patrick Shiroishi; innovative trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith; Phantom Orchard, the project of two visionaries, harpist and composer Zeena Parkins and electronic music composer and visual artist Ikue Mori; Iranian artist Cinna Peyghamy; percussionist and composer Eli Keszler and transdisciplinary scholar and vocalist and double-bassist ganavya presenting her brand new album, like the sky I’ve been too quiet.

Touching Bass, a South London community-come-club night, record label and NTS Radio show, founded and run by Errol and Alex Rita, have two distinct evenings in store for the festival. Calm Roots, taking place in a church, will focus on meditative performances and the second night, INNA, will celebrate Jamaican soundsystem culture with performances intended for the dancefloor.

There’s a lot more on offer for the 17th edition of Utrecht’s Le Guess Who?, with the first performing artists within the general line-up now also unveiled. Appearing on the bill is prodigious and adventurous musician, composer and producer-in-demand Radwan Ghazi Moumneh; Palestinian producer and rapper duo Al Nather & Shabjdeed; Portuguese musician and sound engineer Rafael Toral and FYEAR, the Montréal-based supergroup led by electroacoustic composer Jason Sharp and poet/writer Kaie Kellough, hot on the heels of a mesmerizing eponymous debut album fusing spoken word, out-jazz, post-classical, drone, ambient metal, avant-rock and modular synthesis. Freshly added to the line-up today is talented and versatile multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and composer Nancy Mounir, whose performance at the festival in 2022 was one of our highlights. Melbourne band Tropical Fuck Storm, who put on a mighty and blistering show in 2019, are also returning to the festival as is visionary and virtuosic South African drummer, composer, writer and activist Asher Gamedze performing with his Another Time Ensemble, the quintet he assembled in Cairo with some of the city’s finest improvisers. Also added is Bolivian singer, songwriter, composer and actress of Quechuan origin Luzmila Carpio, who’s been spreading ancestral Andean knowledge and music since the late 1960s. Other incredible additions include Montréal based Swedish singer/composer Erika Angell presenting the first album under her own name, and Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble on the same year they celebrate their milestone 50th anniversary.

With each passing year, Le Guess Who? cements its reputation as a festival that embraces the full spectrum of musical diversity. This year’s edition promises to be no exception, with an extraordinary lineup that will dazzle and inspire. A myriad of unmissable performances will take place at festival’s idyllic venues across Utrecht, from churches and art galleries to landmark theatres and warehouses.

Head over to leguesswho.com to gaze at the full list of stellar names announced today. For those who have yet to secure their tickets, a very limited number of 4-Day Festival Passes and individual Day Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, May 28th.

Less than two months to go before Le Guess Who? returns on 9-12th November, following their superb sell-out 2022 edition, the organizers announced today the full festival programme, attesting to their exceptional sonic tailoring. With boundary-pushing new additions including the likes of The Necks, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Bala Desejo, Lost Girls, as well as new programmes hosted by AMPFEMININE, re:ni and Cami Layé Okún, the one-of-a-kind festival shows it never ceases to stroll the path of boldness, diversity and adventure, and is again bound to make Utrecht burst into life for a triumphant celebration of music.

The Dutch festival had previously announced programmes curated by Stereolab, Heba Kadry, Nala Sinephro and Slauson Malone 1, as well as three special projects and the initial general line-up with Tom Skinner, Colleen, Bitchin Bajas, Holy Tongue, Baskot Lel Baltageyya, black midi and Nok Cultural Ensemble among the many acts set to play.

Newly announced today is Brazilian quartet Bala Desejo bringing their high energy performance to Le Guess Who? with their vibrant and effervescent mix of MPB, reggae, chula, salsa, rock and frevo. One of the bands at the helm of Brazil’s new musical generation, their 2022 debut album, Sim Sim Sim, was awarded the Latin Grammy. With an outstanding double LP, Travel, released earlier this year, the improvisatory excursions of Australian cult trio The Necks will also grace one of the many idyllic stages at the festival, as will South Bronx influential no wave act ESG, sure to keep the dancefloor rocking in what promises to be a special performance marking their last European show. There’s also the hypnotic Celtic melodies of Scottish smallpipes innovative player Brìghde Chaimbeul, whose music is rooted in her language and culture but expands beyond genre, and who earlier this year released a striking collaborative album with Colin Stetson. Also just announced and joining her is Alan Sparhawk (of Low), now performing solo following the passing of his musical and life partner Mimi Parker last November. New York City singer-songwriter Joanna Sternberg crafts songs that tug at the heartstrings, and she will bring her arresting and acclaimed new album, I’ve Got Me, which saw her write every song and play all instruments on it.

Also amongst the final wave of names newly added to the general line-up is the electronic and ritualistic avant rock of Ndox Electrique, the project of François R. Cambuzat and Gianna Greco, promoting their debut album, Tëd Ak Mame Coumba Lamba Ak Mame Coumba Mbang, on the heels of its release, and Lost Girls, the Norwegian duo of Jenny Hval (LGW19 curator) and Håvard Volden who also have a new album, Selvutsletter, dropping in October. Formed in Zambia in the 1970s, Zamrock pioneers W.I.T.C.H., which is an acronym for WE INTEND TO CAUSE HAVOC, are back to perform their first new album in nearly four decades, alongside Dutch musicians Jacco Gardner and Nic Mauskoviç.

Setting the stage for rare performances, Le Guess Who? will also host the premiere of a special and surprising collaboration between Berlin-based Italian composer Caterina Barbieri and Manchester-born electronic duo Space Afrika, with the visual artistry of Marcel Weber aka MFO.

Ustad Noor Bakhsh, who hails from Pakistan’s Balochistan region, will also perform at Le Guess Who? as part of Hidden Musics, the programme that celebrates musical traditions and artists from secluded regions of the world. A master of the Balochi benju, a unique stringed instrument with keys, Ustad Noor Bakhsh will bring his transcending compositions to the festival.

Another fresh addition includes a programme presented by Rotterdam-based DJ collective AMPFEMININE who aim to create opportunities for women and non-binary DJs and performers. They’ll host an evening with the likes of Argentinian DJ and producer based in Mexico City Tayhana, who’s been firing up dancefloors in South and Central-America, Rotterdam-based DJ and multidisciplinary designer Soft Break, DJ and producer Coffintexts and Amsterdam based South African multi-disciplinary artist DIORA.

In addition to performing at the festival, Birmingham-born¸ South London based artist re:ni will also host her programme including UK rising star DJ SHERELLE, British musician, composer, producer, and label-head Lee Gamble with his blend of experimental, techno, and jungle music and a new album out next month, and Berlin-based Detroit legend DJ Stingray 313, a major force in the world of electro and techno for more than two decades, who isn’t going to let anyone stand still.

An inveterate cratedigger and radio host, Cuban selector Cami Layé Okún will also host an ‘Insolar Night’ at Le Guess Who?, playing her very own vinyl collection handpicked all over the world and spanning all sort of funky, tribal and tropical rhythms. She has also invited El Volcán and Roger Damawuzan, a legend of Togolese funk music.

U? is joining forces with Le Guess Who? again with a cluster of freely accessible performances from Netherlands-based artists, like six-piece psychedelic outfit Nusantara Beat, bringing their take on traditional Indonesian music, post-punk/noise pop band Burning Neighbours, post-punk outfit Library Card, the exotic and colourful sounds of Arp Frique & Family and much more.

These and a dizzying array of unmissable wonders await in Utrecht from 9-12th November. A very limited number of extra tickets for Friday and Saturday, as well as Night Tickets for re:ni presents (Saturday 11 November at WAS.) and AMPFEMININE presents (Saturday 11 November at BASIS), will go on sale this Friday 15th September, at 11am CEST. In the meantime, for full details of the line-up and tickets, visit leguesswho.com.

Le Guess Who? Festival is celebrating 16 years this November with a wealth of sonic offerings that has us looking forward to autumn with bated breath. Back in May the organisers announced the initial line-up and programmes curated by Stereolab, Heba Kadry, Nala Sinephro and Slauson Malone 1 and now they’ve unleashed three special projects: Hidden Musics, COSMOS and The Anonymous Project.

With a focus on celebrating musical traditions and artists from secluded regions of the world, Hidden Musics is an inspiring and ambitious program that gives audiences a unique chance to experience rare performances. Returning to Le Guess Who? for the fourth time in 2023, the project is the fruit of a collaboration between Le Guess Who?, Grammy-award winning music producer, activist and author Ian Brennan, and Ljubljana based American musician, record producer and Glitterbeat Records founder Chris Eckman. Hidden Musics will host Pankisi Ensemble, an all-female female traditional music group from the Pankisi Gorge in northeast Georgia, who’ve been vital in perpetuating Georgian and Chechen secular musical traditions that are unique to Pankisi. Also appearing on Hidden Musics is Sophia Nzayisenga, the first female master of the Inanga, a traditional Rwandan stringed music instrument which she learnt from her father at a very young age and Rwandan folk trio The Good Ones, a band that was formed as an act of healing following the country’s 1994 genocide, bringing together members from Rwanda’s Tutsi, Hutu, and Abatwa tribes. Known as “the man with singing fingers”, Azerbaijan’s Rəhman Məmmədli, an emblematic figure of the country’s gitara music, will also be part of Hidden Musics’s programme.

COSMOS will put the spotlight into local scenes from around the world through films, interviews, artist residencies, and for the first time it will present live performances. Performing as part of COSMOS is YL Hooi, the project of Melbourne-based producer Valya Ying-Li Hooi exploring the realms of dub, minimal synth, post-punk and dream-pop, Vietnamese experimental trio Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective, Ruhail Qaisar, a self-taught artist from Ladakh, India, whose music incorporates and preserves memories of growing up in Ladakh, the traditional Javanese trance explorations of The Phantasmagoria of Jathilan and Bengal Chemicals, the project of Pritam Das, who’s been making waves in the experimental electronic music scene in Kolkata, India.

The third project newly announced, The Anonymous Project, is a match made in heaven for Le Guess Who?. Taking place on the opening night, various artists will perform in a white cube on stage with specially commissioned scenography to keep them anonymous throughout it. As the organizers describe, with The Anonymous Project they “want to create a space to experiment freely with new sounds and in new directions, without any judgment or expectations based on the artist’s previous work or their public profile”.

Le Guess Who? 2023 takes place from 9-12th November in several venues throughout Utrecht. With a monumental programme wholly embracing musical diversity, Le Guess Who? will be a wonderland for musical explorers of all kinds, and there is still a lot more to be unveiled for its 16th edition. Head over to leguesswho.com to see a list of currently confirmed artists and more info. Festival passes are now sold out but Thursday and Saturday tickets are still available so if you don’t have tickets yet, get these quick.