Le Guess Who? 2019 Announces Initial Lineup
Each year, the Utrecht-based festival Le Guess Who? offers one of the most eclectic, adventurous lineups out there. In any given iteration of the fest, it’s not uncommon to see some of the more avant-garde or fringe artists of the indie world as the more mainstream names on Le Guess Who?’s list. We already knew there would be a customarily diverse installment in 2019 when Le Guess Who? announced its curators would be Jenny Hval, the Bug, Moon Duo, Patrick Higgins, Iris Van Herpen and Salvador Breed, and Fatoumata Diawara. And today, the festival is back with more news, including some of those curations as well as the first wave of the general lineup.
You’ll see some familiar names there: sets from Jenny Hval and Moon Duo in addition to their curations, bbymutha, Mary Lattimore, Nivhek, Sonic Boom, the Raincoats, Deerhunter, Cate Le Bon, and Yves Jarvis. But beyond that, Le Guess Who? 2019 presents a whole lot of opportunities to see stuff you would absolutely never see at another festival of this size. Amongst those are a handful of rare performances, akin to those the Le Guess Who? has booked in the past, that seek to highlight traditions from around the world. This year, there’ll be Pakistani singer Ustad Saami performing a dying form of Islamic devotional music, the convergence of traditional Indian music and Western pop in the songs of Asha Puthil, and the ’70s Ethio-groove artist Ayalew Mesfin with the Debo Band.
There is a lot of intriguing stuff to check out, from boundary-demolishing electronic to acts that fuse traditions from across the globe. Check out the initial lineup below.
Curated By Jenny Hval:
DNA? AND?
Felicia Atkinson
Haco
Jenny Hval’s The Practice Of Love
Lasse Marhaug
Lolina
Lone Taxidermist presents BodyVice
Moon Relay
Oorutaichi
Richard Youngs
Sarah Davachi
Sofia Jernberg
Vilde Tuv
Vivian Wang
Zia Anger’s My First Film
Curated By Moon Duo:
Bbymutha
Bridget Hayden
Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids
Mary Lattimore
Michele Mercure
Moon Duo
Nivhek
Prana Crafter
Sonic Boom
TENGGER
Träd, Gräs och Stenar (Träden)
Curated By Patrick Higgins:
Conrad Tao
Leila Bordreuil
LEYA
Mariel Roberts
Miranda Cuckson
Stine Janvin
Tyondai Braxton
Vicky Chow
Curated By The Bug:
Caspar Brötzmann Massaker
Drew McDowall’s Time Machines
Earth
Godflesh
Jah Shaka Sound System
JK Flesh & Goth-Trad
Kevin Richard Martin & Hatis Noit
King Midas Sound
LOTTO
Mala
Mark Ernestus’s Ndagga Rhythm
Force
Rabih Beaini
Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe
Slikback
ZONAL feat. Moor Mother
General Lineup:
Acid Mothers Temple
Ahmed ag Kaedy
Angel Bat Dawid
Arp Frique presents IMPROVISED SUITES FOR ANALOG MACHINES
Asha Puthli
Ayalew Mesfin & Debo Band
Cate Le Bon
Deerhunter
DJINN
Doug Hream Blunt
Dur-Dur Band
Eiko Ishibashi
Faten Kanaan
Föllakzoid
Gruff Rhys
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley & His Sekondi Band
Joseph Shabason
Khana Bierbood
La Bruja de Texcoco
Lakha Khan
Lalalar
Los Pirañas
Makaya McCraven
Melissa Laveaux
Minyo Crusaders
Mohamed Lamouri
Mythic Sunship
Negativland
NÃdia
Oiseaux-Tempête & Friends
Petbrick
Prison Religion
Surfbort
The Raincoats
Ustad Saami
Visible Cloaks, Yoshio Ojima & Satsuki Shibano
YĪN YĪN
Yves Jarvis
Ticket info is available on the festival’s official website.