The first details for this year’s Le Guess Who? have been announced with Grouper, Perfume Genius, Shabazz Palaces and Han Bennink all lined up to curate part of this year’s programme.
Grouper has invited William Basinski, GAS, Keiji Haino and more to be announced; Perfume Genius will be welcoming along Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Mount Eerie, Aldous Harding, Weyes Blood and Pharmakon; Shabazz Palaces will be joined by Pharoah Sanders, OCnotes and Natasha Kmeto; and finally to mark drummer Han Bennink’s 75th birthday in 2017, he invites the ICP Orchestra, Peter Brötzmann and Han Bennink Trio.
Basilica Soundscape will also host their own stage, including Jenny Hval, Protomartyr and a poetry reading by Meredith Graves of Perfect Pussy. Elsewhere within the stacked line-up, there are confirmed appearances from a number of African-American and Middle Eastern performers with a programme put together alongside Jerusalem In My Heart, taking in Linda Sharrock, Moor Mother, Matana Roberts, filmmaker and songwriter Alanis Obomsawin (performing her 1988 album Bush Lady for the first time), Farida & The Iraqi Maqam Ensemble and Abdel Karim Shaar.
Dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson is also lined up to perform, while James Holden, Oumou Sangaré, Ben Frost, Ahmed Fakroun, Altin Gün, Les Amazones d’Afrique, tUnE-yArDs, Sun Kil Moon, Shabaka & The Ancestors, Liars, The Bug vs Dylan Carlson of Earth, Julie Byrne, Kelly Lee Owens, The Como Mamas, Zeal & Ardor and the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra performing Lili Boulanger’s 1917 composition ‘Du fond de l’abîme (De Profundis)’ are also scheduled to play.
It’s an already impressive line-up and there are more to be confirmed in the coming months ahead of the festival, which takes place in Utrecht from November 9-12. For more information and to get your hands on tickets, head here.
