Le Guess Who?

Met als ondertitel “A Celebration of Sound” wordt Le Guess Who? beschouwd als een van de meest vooruitstrevende festivals ter wereld. Le Guess Who? staat in het teken van grensverleggende geluiden die je op andere plekken niet of nauwelijks te horen krijgt, maar die nieuwe perspectieven bieden op wat mogelijk is binnen de muziek.

Le Guess Who? keert van 9-12 november 2023 terug naar Utrecht voor de zestiende festivaleditie. Vier dagen lang neemt Le Guess Who? de stad over met shows van meer dan 150 artiesten die optreden in popzalen, theaters, kerken, werfkelders en clubs.

Op zaterdag 11 november vind je in De Helling Fievel Is Glauque, Rose City Band, Bitchin Bajas, Badume’s Band & Selamnesh Zéméné en DJ Fitz

Fievel Is Glauque didn’t mean to blow up, but their sunshine jazz fusion vignettes proved too irresistible. The globe-trotting band (made up of American multi-instrumentalist Zach Phillips, French singer Ma Clément, and a rotating cast of international musical characters) rose to prominence in 2021 thanks to homespun compilation ‘God’s Trashmen Sent to Right the Mess’, which even landed them a slot opening for Stereolab. Now, with ‘Flaming Swords’, their first ‘real’ album, they have refined their product; but the secret recipe remains a secret.

Rose City Band

‘Porch music’, a term coined by acclaimed guitarist and vocalist Ripley Johnson, aptly describes his country psychedelic rock project Rose City Band. At first inspired by warmer months, Johnson has now embarked on a forever summer, asRo his project now lives in tandem as a traveling band populated by pedal steel guitarist Barry Walker, keyboardist Paul Hasenberg, bassist Dewey Mahood (AKA Plankton Wat) and drummer Dustin Dybvig. Driven by the same unbridled spirit as The Grateful Dead, Johnson says his songs (such as the ones on 2023’s ‘Garden Party’) remain unfinished until they are played before an audience.

Bitchin Bajas

Bajas are back! The Chicago pysch trio, headed by Cave’s Cooper Crain, has unleashed yet another one of their kaleidoscopic creations onto the listening world with ‘Bajascillators’ last fall. The record comes nearly five years after their last official full-length, 2017’s ‘Bajas Fresh’. Since, the world has changed, and so has the band. Throughout their new Drag City release, a new line is drawn in the sand, heard via their new gear, different manifesting energies, and a variety of new, unexplored topics. Bitchin Bajas master the difficult art of being at once complete and concise; as Pitchfork wrote in their review, their loops and layers seem to ‘play tricks on time’.

Badume’s Band & Selamnesh Zéméné

Since 2007, Badume’s Band has tasked themselves with the joyous mission of bringing the golden age of Ethiopian music to new eyes and ears. In Selamnesh Zéméné (Debo Band, The Nile Project), considered one of the country’s golden female voices, they find a likely and powerful ally; with the singer contributing her poetic leanings and Azmari origins-marked influences – namely, her knack for improvisation -, they are one of Ethiopia’s prime musical ambassadors. The group, along with the young diva, brings to life their studio repertoire on stage, dazzling audiences across several European venues with their high-energy grooves.

DJ Fitz

Could there ever be an edition of Le Guess Who? without psych maverick DJ Fitz present? Having only missed the festival’s first-ever 2007 edition, the Irish-born groove-master is naturally back once more to play at his Utrecht home. Having been one of the festival’s first curators (even before the concept was set in stone), Fitz has become inextricable with Le Guess Who?. His comprehensive catalog is ever-expanding, incorporating obscure grooves from various corners of the globe, with no end in sight; festival-goers can expect to be treated to the usual psychedelic delicacies Fitz serves behind the booth, with a few surprises in between.