There’s less than a month 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.
Asher Gamedze
Performing Thursday 10th November
Photo: Lungiswa Gqunta
South African drummer, composer, writer and activist Asher Gamedze is one of the most incredible and impressive musicians of today. Visionary and virtuosic, with a phenomenal adaptability to a wide range of styles, he relishes playing together and has performed and recorded with various artists and ensembles across genres like jazz, pop, rock, hip-hop and soul music. Gamedze first rose to worldwide prominence through his work with Angel Bat Dawid & Tha Brothahood in 2019. The following year he released his debut album as a bandleader, Dialectic Soul, an absolute masterpiece which was one of our Album Picks of the Year, and remains an active favourite. out side work | two duets is his latest musical offering, a conversational record of improvised duets with Xristian Espinoza and Alan Bishop. Needless to say we can’t wait to see Gamedze perform at Le Guess Who? and we asked him what other artists he is looking forward to seeing live. Read on to find out, with a few words from him.
Nancy Mounir
Performing Friday 11th November (as part of Hidden Musics)
“her recent album is one of the most interesting engagements with an archive of music that i’ve ever heard, it’s like a really fresh take on sampling. i really love the layers of history, and the warm and sometimes tense spaces between notes and various voicings that you can hear in the music. Very excited to see how it’s performed live.”
Master Musicians of Jajouka
Performing Thursday 10th & Friday 11th November (as part of Hidden Musics)
“Music from the Maghreb and particularly from Morocco has been very important to my own study of rhythm, music and spiritual practice. This group holds so much knowledge of a tradition that has been continually developing over many years, it will be an absolute privilege to experience them.”
Tumi Mogorosi
Performing Sunday 13th November
“Tumi is a dear friend and one of the most unique voices on the drum kit and as a composer in creative music today. The new album, ‘Group Theory: Black Music’, is fire!”
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.