For those still seeking a festival itch to scratch before the festive season, Le Guess Who? arrives at the perfect time. Spread across the unpredictable spaces of Utrecht, the festival is famous for scouring the globe and inviting an eclectic mix of experimental electronic, noise rock, jazz and hip hop performers.
If the festival’s approach to programming is celebrated, so too is its approach to guest curation. With a new roster introduced each year, KMRU, Los Thuthanaka, aja monet and more take the reins next month, programming artists to fit their chosen themes.
It feels personal and truly distinctive to Le Guess Who?, where you’ll witness one-off performances and remarkable collaborations. In the hope of catching some of those magical moments, we’ve put together this guide to help catch the festival’s must-see acts.
We first came across DJ K emerging from the dizzying baile funk scene in São Paulo. Since then, he’s carved out a riotously singular vision; a crunching sound summoned from the depths of the most twisted ghost train. Despite the menacing snarls and devious shrieks that underpin his tracks, the final destination always remains the dancefloor.
Continuing to crank out collaborative singles at great speed like his contemporaries, it’s his albums on Nyege Nyege Tapes that stand out the most. Summoning a gleeful hellscape across an extended running time allows K to fully submerge listeners and spit them back out, much like his set at Le Guess Who? is primed to do. This is one for the ‘dress to sweat’ crew.
Taking up a significantly quieter corner of the programme is Grouper. But just because Grouper’s acclaimed back catalogue is often made up of sparse soundscapes and barely-there whispers doesn’t mean a live set is going to resemble anything remotely pedestrian.
Her interpretation of ambient is otherworldly; shards of folk and dream pop occasionally lurk beneath the haze but, for the most part, Grouper’s beauty exists between the fractures of guitar lilts and haunting piano keys. Expect her to be interpreting sounds from another galaxy, one where optimism may be possible.
Are you open to transcendence? Consider us sceptical too, but we reckon Water Damage’s grip on psychedelia could transport us to something pretty close. Their motto of “Maximal Repetition Minimal Deviation” should offer a clue as to why. Their lineup of several drummers and a vast array of stringed instruments collide to create something hypnotic and repetitive with euphoric results.
The sprawling collective return to Le Guess Who? under the umbrella of Static Ecstatic, promising special guests across an extended set which could contort and confuse in all sorts of ways.
Any DJ Plead release is reason to celebrate but a new album, titled ‘Please’, carries more gravitas than most. Released earlier this year, its title perhaps fitting due to the amount of polite requests for a new full length project.
It carried on the lineage of Plead’s taut, percussive jams and expanded his mutated forays into the crowded dancefloor. A DJ set at Le Guess Who? offers a tantalising glimpse into the influences that make up ‘Please’; expect a hypnotic voyage into Plead’s Lebanese background, melding obscure cuts with propulsive dub and broken beat.
Chuquimamani-Condori presents DJ E
To welcome Los Thuthanaka as curators is a significant coup for the festival and another high point in their esteemed list of collaborators. Even better is that it means the siblings play across the lineup in various guises, revealing kaleidoscopic sounds connected to their Indigenous Andean culture.
A fascinating glimpse into a vibrant heritage colliding with club music, these soundscapes manage to be overpowering and radiant at the same time. And if that doesn’t convince you, an opportunity to catch a duo set to pull the strings of underground music for years to come should not be passed up.
If we’re honest, you had us at Arthur Russell collaborator. A connection like that is sure to pique the interest of any fan. But if we’re curious by association, we stay on the strength of Steel’s output in his own right, particularly this year’s ‘MY SKYSCRAPER’. It’s an album 40 years in the making, which makes it even more remarkable to catch him on the festival circuit now.
That collection of lo-fi disco jams, indebted to the spirit of Balearic, has catapulted him into one of live music’s must-see figures and a highlight for any Le Guess Who? attendee. Who doesn’t want to hear the slinky guitar licks of ‘ENGLISH PARTY’ and ‘MY NAME IS NIGHT’ amongst a devoted crowd?
‘Going like the clappers’ is a phrase which means to move or work extremely fast. Its origin is unclear; some claim it refers to the clapper, the hanging metal piece inside a bell, striking the sides rapidly when rung with urgency; But maybe BBBBBBB could tell us. After all, their self-coined genre of ‘Victory Hardcore’ fits the brief perfectly.
With every blast of digital devastation, the duo unleash a snarling beast of hardcore, warped techno and industrial, pushing their live sets to breaking point. A punishing workout beckons but a blistering BBBBBBB set must be experienced at least once. We’ll see you on the barrier, going like the clappers of course.
Le Guess Who? runs between November 5th – 8th. Tickets are on sale here.