Music is perhaps widely known to serve as a means of collective and individual healing. But to what extent do we take sound seriously, beyond the auditory experience? What thoughts come to mind when we consider sound as its own sovereign being, containing substance and functioning as an actual medicine—a means that can influence physical and mental well-being?

In this podcast, the second in a series of conversations recorded at Le Guess Who?’s Sound & Culture Summit, four artists and musical practitioners with Quechua, Coptic, Diné and Maasai origins engage in open conversation about their own perceptions and experiences with sound. Together, they reflect on their earliest sonic environments and the elements which inform their musical vocabularies.

‘On Sound as Substance: Indigenous Approaches to Sound / Sound as Medicine’ features sound and multimedia artist Raven Chacon, turntablist and producer Giulia Loli (also known as Mutamassik) and vocalist and narrator Lengai Loita (who together form Ancient Indigenous Africans). The conversation is moderated by multidisciplinary artist, activist and organizer Chihiro Geuzebroek.

Audio recording by Marc Broer
Editing by Margaret Munchheimer
Photography by Noah Schielen

Artistic freedom is too often reduced to “freedom of expression”, but for artists and independent cultural organizers, the ground is much more complex.

It’s not only what someone can say, but where someone can go, how someone can live, who someone can reach, and whether someone can sustain the work without fear.

In this podcast, the first in a series of conversations recorded at Le Guess Who?’s Sound & Culture Summit, three music and arts practitioners from Syria, Georgia and Malaysia join us to offer their perspectives, based on the experiences in their home cultures as well as the place they now call home.

‘Artistic Freedom Under Threat: Mobility, Censorship & the Right to Create’ features U? curator Al-Shaheen Falcon, Nino Davadze of Mutant Radio Tbilisi and Victoria Yam, co-founder of ALIGN.ONLINE and also known as rEmPiT g0dDe$$. The conversation is moderated by Manon Moulin and curated by Reset! network.

Audio recording by Marc Broer
Editing by Margaret Munchheimer
Photography by 36framez

On the closing day of Le Guess Who? 2023, the festival features the first international performance of Ndox Electrique, whose music is inspired by an ancient ritual of the spirit-world originating from Senegal’s n’döep ceremonies. 

Here, Atiyyah Khan, an arts journalist, researcher and DJ from Johannesburg, introduces the group and provides context to the origins of this healing ritual that connects so strongly to their sound. 

Words & audio by Atiyyah Khan
Photography by Gianna Greco & François R. Cambuzat

Born in Palestine and currently based in Paris, Kamilya Jubran is one of the most revered figures in the experimental and alternative Arabic music scenes.

Through her multi-disciplinary work, Jubran continues to inspire a new generation of both musicians and audiences. One of those musicians is Sandy Chamoun, part of the Lebanese group SANAM who are also performing at Le Guess Who? 2023. We asked Sandy Chamoun to share a personal introduction to Kamilya Jubran’s life and work.

Words & audio by Sandy Chamoun
Photography by Alexia Fiasco

Having been born to seven consecutive generations of qawwals (those who perform the ancient form of religious Sufi music from Pakistan and Northern India - Punjab - known as qawwali), Faiz Ali Faiz was raised on the practice.

After having performed at Le Guess Who? in 2021, we asked Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab, whose work is inspired by Sufi poets and musicians that came before her, to interview Faiz Ali Faiz. They talked about his background story, what music means to him, and about pushing the boundaries of what qawwali can be.

Words & audio by Arooj Aftab
Photography by Lucien Lung

Rotterdam based-DJ collective AMPFEMININE scours its diverse database to bring an evening of fresh feminine energy to this year’s Le Guess Who? proving that female and non-binary DJs are out there, they just need the space - and community - to flourish .

Words & audio by Cheri Percy
Photography by Tengbeh Kamara

For 16 years and counting, Le Guess Who? has strived to create a space for generations of music lovers and makers to come together. A podium, where icons of their trade not just pass the baton to those that carve out a new path – but where they engage on eye-level.

This year, the Le Guess Who? line-up once again boasts an array of young artists and newer acts that, all in their own way, recalibrate their musical and cultural heritage, and create a whole new thing on top of it. Their contribution to the world of music may come in different forms: be it field recordings and experimental composition, intricate raps, club-ready Egyptian street sounds, or celestial Harp&B. What they all share is an infallible sensibility for their roots, and a clear vision for where they’re headed.

Words by Julian Brimmers
Audio by Cheri Percy

Ahead of its 15th Anniversary Edition, Cheri Percy speaks to the co-founders of forward-thinking festival Le Guess Who? about its evolution from a two-man team to an award-winning movement. Boundary-breaking artists and former guest curators Camae Ayewa (Moor Mother) and Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem In My Heart) also weigh in alongside local figureheads Margriet van Kraats and Marlies Timmermans to explain why Utrecht's annual music event has since become home to music fans across the globe.

Words & audio: Cheri Percy
Music (live at Le Guess Who?): Minyo Crusaders, Suuns, Makaya McCraven, Beverly Copeland, Alabaster dePlume, Selda Bağcan
Photography: Jelmer de Haas
Thanks to Camae Ayewa, Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, Margriet van Kraats and Marlies Timmermans