Le_Guess_Who?

Le Guess Who?

Le Guess Who?

Dutch music festival

For the Canadian band, see the Guess Who.

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.

Quick Facts Genre, Dates ...

History

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.

Programs

First editions

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]

2007 Black Mountain, Caribou, Hot Hot Heat, Miracle Fortress, MSTRKRFT
2008 Beach House, Clues, Fred Eaglesmith, Melissa Auf Der Maur , Shalabi Effect
2009 A Place To Bury Strangers, Alexander Tucker, Bibio, Crystal Fighters, Patrick Watson & The Wooden Arms, Pitto [nl], Staff Benda Bilili, The Dodos, The Tragically Hip, Wavves, Wild Beasts
2010 Beach House, Black Dice, Broken Social Scene, Caribou, Giant Sand, The Greenhornes, Peter Broderick, Swans, The Tallest Man on Earth, Ty Segall
2011 Bill Callahan, Com Truise, Low, Other Lives, Panda Bear, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Suuns, Zomby
2012 Adrian Sherwood, Allah-Las, AmenRa, Colin Stetson, Deerhoof, Destroyer, DIIV, Grouper, Jerusalem in My Heart, Mac DeMarco, Nick Waterhouse, Prince Rama, Sharon van Etten, Tim Hecker
2013 Connan Mockasin, Damien Jurado, Destroyer, Esmerine, His Clancyness, Mark Lanegan, Mad Professor, Michael Chapman, Oneohtrix Point Never, Ólafur Arnalds, Scout Niblett, Young Fathers, Yo La Tengo
2014 Amen Dunes, Autechre, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Cloud Nothings, Einstürzende Neubauten, Father Murphy, Helado Negro, Jenny Hval, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, St. Vincent, Perfume Genius, Xiu Xiu

2015 program

More information Curated by, Sunn O))) ...

2016 program

More information Curated by, Wilco ...

2017 program

More information Curated by, Basilica Soundscape ...

2018 program

More information Curated by, Shabaka Hutchings ...

2019 program

Aldous Harding performing in TivoliVredenburg during LGW?2019
More information Curated by, Fatoumata Diawara ...

Satellite events

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]

Other projects

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]

References

  1. [1]
    Storhaye, Sarah (13 December 2012). "Le Guess Who? Festival 2012 Recap". QRO Magazine. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  2. [2]
    Frisicano, Andrew (13 November 2019). "Dutch fest Le Guess Who? embraced diversity and the unknown (review, pics)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  3. [3]
    Amour, Cheri. "Lydia Lunch, Neneh Cherry, Tirzah Take The Stage At Le Guess Who? Festival In Utrecht, The Netherlands". Bust. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  4. [4]
    Pearce, Sheldon (25 May 2016). "Wilco, Savages, Julia Holter, Suuns Curate 2016 Le Guess Who? Festival". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  5. [5]
    Leas, Ryan (11 November 2019). "Le Guess Who? 2019 Was One Of The Festival's Most Adventurous Years Yet". Stereogum. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  6. [6]
    "Revealing the guest curators for Le Guess Who? 2019". www.leguesswho.nl. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  7. [7]
    "LGW? archive". Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  8. [8]
    "Le Guess Who? 2015 Line Up".
  9. [9]
    "Le Guess Who? 2016 Line Up".
  10. [10]
    "Le Guess Who? 2017 Line Up".
  11. [11]
    "Le Guess Who? 2018 Line Up".
  12. [12]
    "Le Guess Who? 2019 Line Up".
  13. [13]
    "Lombok Festival - Line-up". Le Guess Who?. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  14. [14]
    Frenken, Emma; ter Schegget, Felix; Wittebrood, Wilke (12 November 2019). "Le Mini Who? 2019: het kleine zusje is groot geworden". 3voor12 Utrecht (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  15. [15]
    Peter van de Vusse (11 October 2019). "Le Guess Who? breidt uit met driedaags filmfestival in Utrecht". De Gelderlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  16. [16]
    "Utrecht vanaf vandaag in het teken van festival Le Guess Who?". De Utrechtse Internet Courant (in Dutch). 7 November 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  17. [17]
    "LGW? Recordings".
  18. [18]
    Reese, Nathan (1 October 2018). "Mount Eerie: (after) Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  19. [19]
    "Circuit des Yeux releases new live album, recorded at Le Guess Who? 2018". Orkest.nl. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
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