The Utrecht festival announces their four guest curators for the 2023 edition as well as the first artists as part of the general line-up for the outstandingly unique festival.
Le Guess Who? Festival in the city of Utrecht is back. And once again, versatility is in the spotlight with people ranging from electro-experimental, hip hop, jazz, global sound and more. All this takes place on an impressive line-up with more than 100 artists and also features stages curated by artists. It’s a hallmark of the festival that invites each year trailblazing creatives to curate their own dedicated programs, highlighting fellow like-minded artists and those that have inspired them. This year’s curators are Heba Kadry, Nala Sinephro, Jasper Marsalis and Stereolab. Let us give you a short overview of their invitees.
Heba Kadry, a mastering engineer born in Egypt and currently based in Brooklyn, invites (non exhaustive list) Tunisian producer & DJ Deena Abdelwahed presenting her new album Jbal Rrsas, a novel audiovisual performance by Egyptian sound artist ZULI in collaboration with Omar El Sadek; and Kamilya Jubran, one of the most revered artists in the experimental and alternative Arabic music scene.
The Caribbean-Belgian composer, producer, and musician Nala Sinephro presents performances by French multidisciplinary artist and producer Crystallmess; the sonic imaginings of Kenyan composer and sound artist Nyokabi Kariũki, and Nok Cultural Ensemble – the new collective of Nigerian-British musician Edward Wakili- Hick (Sons of Kemet, Steam Down, and Kokoroko).
As for Jasper Marsalis, he invites O Ghettão, the new supergroup of Lisbon label Principe with it’s stars DJ Nigga Fox, DJ Danifox and DJ Firmeza, and multidisciplinary artist Ebun Sodipo, who makes work for those who will come after: the Black trans people of the future.
Anglo-French avant-pop group Stereola invites Nigerien Tuareg musician Bombino and free jazz group Irreversible Entanglements, fronted by former Le Guess Who? curator Moor Mother. And that’s just a brief extract of the curators and the invitees !
The festival also shares a part of the general line-up of the festival. For a total of 84 artists ! This includes pianist, composer, and arranger João Donato, who has had an unparalleled influence on the development of bossa nova and Brazilian jazz, celebrating his 90th birthday at the festival; pioneering psychedelic dub ensemble African Head Charge; and many more. Diversity and ecology will be the key words of this Guess Who?’s edition with a low carbon emission objective.
Find the full line up, and tickets will be available here on Friday 26 May, don’t forget to come with your train, your bike or your glider.
