Le Guess Who? presents the Sound & Culture Summitwith Theater Utrecht

Le Guess Who? | Sound & Culture Summit

Le Guess Who? is a leading international festival, celebrated for presenting groundbreaking music in inspiring ways. The festival is a celebration of cultural exchange where traditional forms are reimagined, bold new experiments in sound find international audiences, and artists are invited not just to perform, but to reshape the conversation.

On Friday, 6 November, Le Guess Who? hosts its freely accessible Sound & Culture Summit at Theater Utrecht.

Featuring workshops, panels, performances and listening sessions, the Sound & Culture Summit takes a deep dive into stories and experiences from the global cultural field on community organizing, decolonial practices, music curation, sonic heritage and how sound shapes our identities.

The Art of Dissent: Political Expression in the Music Industry explores how artists navigate the complexities of political expression in art. Interdisciplinary artist, poet and curator Rohan Ayinde hosts this conversation with activist and co-founder of the BDS movement Omar Barghouti, poetLillian Allenand Palestinian MC, singer and producer Shadia Mansour.

Journalist and co-founder of Hearing Things Dylan Greenhosts a conversation with musician and writerMelvin Gibbsabout his recent book How Black Music Took Over the World, which traces how Black musical innovations traveled, transformed and ultimately reshaped global sound.

Diasporic Soundscapes: The Urgency of Intangible Cultural Heritage discusses the role of diasporas in preserving, shaping and promoting traditional music across countries and cultural contexts. CuratorRaziyah Heathfacilitates this conversation with Tabanka Records co-founderHenrique SilvaandDJ Galecta.

Palestinian Sound Archive founder Mo'min Swaitatpresents My beautiful side of the archive: a program to introduce the archive with a short documentary, talk and DJ set, exploring how archival practices can act as a decolonial methodology and an act of resistance.

Right Relations: Bridging The Gap Between Communities and Institutionsexplores how can institutions and grassroots collectives collaborate in truly meaningful, community-centered ways. Sociologist and educator Ebru Aydin hosts this conversation with Anne Breure, director of Theater Utrecht director, Andre Damian, founder of the Utrecht Ballroom Scene, and Sandra Maat, business coordinator at OCCII.

Legacies of Resistance: The Evolution of Dubdives into the politics, context and history behind dub music. Refuge Worldwide co-founder Richard Akingbehinhosts this talk with performer and activistBlack Omoloand pioneering producerGavsborg, tracing its roots in sound system culture, its ties to colonial and postcolonial realities, and how it became a powerful language of resistance, identity and community.

LGW presents a series of practical 'How To'-sessions, hosted by DJ & Advisor in culture & music Vanity Roxane, featuring:

• How To Curate a Line-Up (featuring booking agent, artist manager and event promoter Yuko Asanuma & performance artist and U? curator Fai Aldhukair);
• How To Run a Label (with Roger Dorresteijn, managing director of Epitaph);
• How To Set Up an Online Radio Station (featuring sound artist and representative of Tīrkultūra Radio Reinis Semēvics & DJ and Refuge Worldwide resident Leona Ojake);
• How To Dub (with artist and DJ CARISTA and a soon-to-be-announced LGW performer)

Full program for the Sound & Culture Summit

The Art of Dissent: Political Expression in the Music Industry

Facilitated by Rohan Ayinde, featuring Omar Barghouti, Lillian Allen, Shadia Mansour

Diasporic Soundscapes: The Urgency of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Facilitated by Raziyah Heath, featuring Henrique Silva, Cherish Menzo, Galecta

The Politics of Culture: Responsibility in the Cultural Sector

Facilitated by Branislav Jovančević, curated by Reset! Live Podcast

Right Relations: Bridging The Gap Between Communities and Institutions

Facilitated by Ebru Aydin, featuring Andre Damian, Anne Breure, Sandra Maat

How Black Music Took Over the World: A Book Discussion with Melvin Gibbs

Facilitated by Dylan Green

Sound, Power: Sounds Systems and Dub

Facilitated by Julian Henriques

Legacies of Resistance: The Evolution of Dub

Facilitated by Richard Akingbehin, featuring Black Omolo, Gavsbourg

VOICES

Facilitated by Aliyah Niambi DeVaughn, featuring Simone Zeefuik, Noleca Radway
Presented in collaboration with V-Day

Palestinian Sound Archive: My beautiful side of the archive

Facilitated by Mo'min Swaitat

How To Curate a Line-Up

Facilitated by Vanity Roxane, featuring Fai Aldhukair, Yuko Asanuma

How To Run a Label

Facilitated by Vanity Roxane, featuring Roger Dorresteijn, TBA

How To Dub

Facilitated by Vanity Roxane, featuring CARISTA, TBA

How To Set Up an Online Radio Station

Facilitated by Vanity Roxane, featuring Reinis Semēvics, Leona Ojake

Workshop: The Challenges of the Artist Visa

Facilitated by Ezgi Aktug, Aden Mete - RSVP only

Workshop: ęmí: freedomsong | The Humming Score

Facilitated by Rohan Ayinde and Tayo Rapoport - RSVP only

Workshop: Decode & Deconstruct with Ableton

Facilitated by Ableton - RSVP only

Workshop: Black Sound School

Facilitated by Raziyah Heath - RSVP only

TIMES Documentaries: WILDTRACKS, A Forbidden Distance, The Talk

Directed by Andrzej Załęski,Crema Video

The Sound & Culture Summit takes place on Friday 6 November at Theater Utrecht and is freely accessible. Some workshops are accessible via RSVP only; register vialeguesswho.com.

This program is created in collaboration with Reset!, V-Day and Ableton. The Sound & Culture Summit is supported by TIMES (The Independent Movement for Electronic Scenes) and co-financed by the EU.

The full program for Le Guess Who? 2026 can be found vialeguesswho.com/lineup.