| Music Festival Name: | Le Guess Who? |
| Years Active: | 2007–present |
| Dates: | November |
| Genre: | Various |
Le Guess Who? is a Dutch music festival featuring different music genres: from avant-garde, jazz, hip hop, electronic, experimental, noise rock, indie rock, world music and others. This festival was founded by Bob van Heur and Johan Gijsen. It has been hosted in the city of Utrecht since 2007.
During four days in mid November, Le Guess Who? takes over the city center of Utrecht with over 200 performances in pop venues, theaters, churches, galleries and warehouses. Satellite events with music, film, visual art, photography and markets appear at cafés, hotels, restaurants, wharf cellars, the central square and the hidden corners of the city. Stages are the music venues of Utrecht (TivoliVredenburg, De Helling, EKKO, dB's, etc.), but also theaters, clubs and the main churches of the city (like for example the Dom Church and Jacobikerk).The line-up consists of more than hundred acts that rarely perform in the Netherlands or acts that have their first show there. The first edition in 2007 only featured Canadian acts but nowadays the festival has many international acts that make an appearance.[1] Le Guess Who? celebrates diversity and inclusivity,[2] focusing on artists that feel the urge to explore and expand the boundaries of certain genres and it features non-western sounds, jazz, folk, ambient, drone, avant-garde, modern composed, as well as contemporary pop and rock culture, and many blended forms of these genres.
Since 2015, one or more guest curators present a part of the festival program. Previous curators include Devendra Banhart, Shabaka Hutchings and Moor Mother (2018);[3] Perfume Genius, James Holden, Grouper, Shabazz Palaces, Jerusalem in My Heart and Han Bennink (2017); Wilco, Savages, Julia Holter and Suuns (2016);[4] Sunn O))) (2015). The last edition of the festival took place November 7–10, 2019[5] and the curators were Fatoumata Diawara, Iris van Herpen & Salvador Breed, Jenny Hval, The Bug, Patrick Higgins and Moon Duo.[6]
The 14th edition of the festival took place on November 11–14, 2021, in the city of Utrecht (Netherlands). It featured Phil Elverum (Mount Eerie), Matana Roberts, John Dwyer (Thee Oh Sees), Midori Takada and Lucrecia Dalt as curators; the initial line-up included SPAZA, Bohren & der Club of Gore, Black Country, New Road, Low, The Necks and Alabaster DePlume.
Initially, the festival focused exclusively on bands from Canada. With the line-up of the third edition (2009) this tradition became less strict and bands from other countries also performed. In 2010, at the fourth edition, the premise of only Canadian avant-garde music was completely abandoned and the programmers began to focus on music from all over the world. In 2007 the festival lasted two days, three in 2008, four in 2009, five in 2010, again three days in 2011 and four days in the following years. The line-ups included:[7]
| Curated by[8] | |
|---|---|
| Sunn O))) | Annette Peacock, Julia Holter, Keiji Haino, Hildur Guðnadóttir, OM |
| Between Two Crescents | Dirar Kalash, Sahar Taha, Elie Maalouf |
| Jacco Gardner | Os Mutantes, Dungen, Nick Garrie, Michael Rault, Eerie Wanda |
| Levitation | Total Control, Lightning Bolt, Suuns & Jerusalem in My Heart, Bo Ningen, Deradoorian, Ringo Deathstarr. |
| Constellation Records (Canada) | Ought, Saltland, Last Ex, Avec le Soleil Sortant de sa Bouche |
| Fluister Nights | Lubomyr Melnyk, Loscil, Christina Vantzou, Otto A. Totland |
| Le Guess Who? | Deerhunter, Kamasi Washington, Destroyer, The Notwist, Faust, Ariel Pink, Swervedriver, Atlas Sound, A Place To Bury Strangers, Wavves, Kaki King, Protomartyr, Car Seat Headrest, Hop Along, Torii |
| Curated by[9] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wilco | 75 Dollar Bill, Deerhoof, Kyoka, Lee Ranaldo & El Rayo, Let's Eat Grandma, PITA Peter Rehberg, Steve Gunn, William Tyler | |
| Savages | Beak, Bo Ningen, Duke Garwood, Tim Hecker | |
| Julia Holter | Jessica Moss, Laurel Halo, Lucrecia Dalt, Tashi Wada & Yoshi Wada | |
| Suuns | Alessandro Cortini, Brian Case, Jerusalem in My Heart, Jlin, Patrick Higgins | |
| The Ex Festival | Andy Moor, Han Bennink, John Butcher, Ken Vandermark, Melaku Belay, | |
| Le Guess Who? | Black Mountain, Cate Le Bon, Dinosaur Jr., Gilla Band, Jonny Greenwood & The Rajasthan Express, Nadja, Patty Waters, Peter Broderick, Ryley Walker, The Comet is Coming, The Ex, Ufomammut, Weyes Blood, Whitney |
| Curated by[11] | |
|---|---|
| Shabaka Hutchings | Kadri Gopalnath, The Comet Is Coming, Kojey Radical, King Ayisoba, Bo Ningen |
| Moor Mother | Nicole Mitchell, Emel Mathlouthi, Islam Chipsy & EEK, Maria Chavez |
| Devendra Banhart | Vashti Bunyan, Rodrigo Amarante, Roger Eno, Gigi Masin, Jessica Pratt, Katey Red |
| Le Guess Who? | The Breeders, Swamp Dogg, Neneh Cherry, Colin Stetson, Cass McCombs, Anoushka Shankar & Manu Delago with MO Strings, The Heliocentrics, Mudhoney, Yves Tumor, Kelsey Lu, JPEGMAFIA, Tirzah, Lydia Lunch’s Big Sexy Noise, Vera Sola, Cindy Lee, Black Midi |
| Curated by[12] | |
|---|---|
| Fatoumata Diawara | |
| Iris van Herpen and Salvador Breed | Mykki Blanco, Efterklang, Amnesia Scanner, Holly Herndon |
| Jenny Hval | DNA? AND?, Félicia Atkinson, Lolina, Moon Relay, Oorutaichi, Sofia Jernberg, Vivian Wang |
| Moon Duo | Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids, Mary Lattimore, Moon Duo, Nivhek, Sonic Boom (Peter Kember) |
| Patrick Higgins | Conrad Tao, Leila Bordreuil, LEYA, Mariel Roberts, Miranda Cuckson, Stine Janvin, Tyondai Braxton, Vicky Chow |
| The Bug | Drew McDowall’s Time Machines, Earth, Godflesh, King Midas Sound, Mala, Mark Ernestus's Ndagga Rhythm, ZONAL feat. Moor Mother |
| Le Guess Who? | Acid Mothers Temple, Aldous Harding, Asha Puthli, Cate Le Bon, Deerhunter, The Raincoats, Visible Cloaks, Yves Jarvis |
Le Guess Who? includes several satellite events which take place around the festival in Utrecht, during the main program.
Lombok Festival: a freely accessible festival that celebrates the cultural diversity of the Lombok district, initiated in collaboration with various locations, musicians, key figures and residents of this part of Utrecht. During Lombok Festival, various performances and cultural activities are organized; besides music performances, there are exhibitions, poetry readings, lectures, dance performances and special collaborations.[13]
Le Mini Who?: a spin-off festival of Le Guess Who?. It turns studios, cafes and art spaces of Utrecht into improvised venues for (mainly) Dutch underground acts to play.[14]
Untitled: this satellite event explores the many artistic expressions and perspectives of the artists performing at Le Guess Who?, as well as the exhibitions curated by art and design organizations in Utrecht.[15]
In addition to the regular program, Le Guess Who? organizes various free accessible satellite events and education projects. The project Le Feast creates a connection between the city of Utrecht and national and international festival visitors, who are guests for a brunch in several local living rooms.[16] The festival recently started an education program with schools, in and around Utrecht, where students immerse themselves in the background of a festival artist and create a visual work, then exhibited during the festival in TivoliVredenburg. In recent years the festival also became a productions unit that releases music records, live videos and more.[17] Examples are Mount Eerie's live album "After" (recorded during the artist's live show at Le Guess Who?[18]) the audiovisual project of Jerusalem in My Heart with a fifteen-piece ensemble from Beirut, or the collaboration between Circuit des Yeux and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra.[19]