- Bart Cornand, Knack
" The fascinating guitar playing of the extraordinarily talented Buleshkaj...."
- Dick Hovenga, Written in Music
"The guitarist, Artan Buleshkaj, transgresses the limitations set by genres such as folk, jazz, electronic music, ...."
-Jean-Claude Vantroyen, Le Soir
Artan Buleshkaj, born in Istog (Kosovo) in 1993, is a guitarist and composer based in Ghent. He is active in projects in and outside of the bubbling music scene of the city, in a broad musical spectrum ranging from pop to (freely) improvised music.
A selection of his current/active projects:
● Anemic Cinema: Artan’s own quartet featuring original compositions for Rob Banken (alto saxophone, clarinet), Steven Delannoye (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet) and Matthias De Waele (drums). Released debut-EP on el NEGOCITO Records (eNR 103, 2/04/2021). First full album “ICONOCLASTS” (Ramble Records) released on the 24th of February, 2023.
● Mos Ensemble (group led by bass player Kobe Boon): released CD/LP Limbs (Smeraldina/Rima) in January 2019, CD/LP Behind the Marble (W.E.R.F Records) in february 2022 and CD/LP Pets & Therapy (W.E.R.F. Records) in march 2024.
● DRIFTWD: band led by Sam de Bock and Patricia Vanneste. Artan joined the band in august of 2023 as the live guitarist. The band did a tour in 2024 with 3 American special guests: Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Tedeschi-Trucks band, …), Donny McCaslin (David Bowie, Maria Schneider, …) and Joey Waronker (Atoms for Peace, Beck, R.E.M., Roger Waters, …). In september of 2024, the band released the LP In Need of Music, on which Artan makes a small appearance on the track Erase.
● Camera Obscura: trio led by Pierre Vaiana (soprano sax, compositions) with, in addition to Artan on guitar, also Lode Vercampt on cello. EP Sur la Route de Valledolmo (IGLOO Records) was released in april of 2024. Full album “Camera Obscura” was released in autumn '24, on IGLOO Records.
● Motian Love: group led by Nico Chkifi (drums), centered around the music of Paul Motian. Vitja Pauwels and Artan on guitar, Erwin Vann and Nicolas Kummert on tenor saxes. Album Dance was released on Ramble Records in october of 2024.
● Duo Decock-Buleshkaj: released album Plain Songs on vinyl (own management) in September of 2024. The album was included in the top 10 best jazz releases of 2024 by Focus Knack. Thomas and Artan are currently working on a follow-up album for this project, this time in quintet with Werend van den Bossche (alto and tenor sax), Yannick Peeters (double bass) and Lionel Beuvens (drums).
● Margitte: Dreampop-band led by singer-songwriter Margot de Ridder. Album release planned in fall 2025 on W.E.R.F. Records.
● Songs to Aging Children: A tribute project centered around the music of Joni Mitchell. With Frie Mechele (vocals) and Zjef van Steenbergen (double bass).
A selection of his past/inactive projects:
● Marta Rosa (dreampop-group led by Italian singer Marta del Grandi): released their debut record Invertebrates in 2016 and won the Concourioso Pop Contest in the same year.
● BRAIN//CHILD (jazzrock/noise-group, with members from Belgium and Italy): semi-finalist in the Keep an Eye International Jazz Contest Amsterdam. Released a CD in 2017 with Honolulu Records.
● Madame Blavatsky (electro/glitchhop-trio led by drummer Marius Couvreur): released debut EP Gallium in march 2017 and the single Steak in the Neck in 2018 (on compilation album Jazz Cats, Sdban Records). Released debut full album Rocket Science in 2020 (own management).
● Kids in the Waiting Room (pop group led by actor Thomas van Caeneghem): released first EP in april 2019.
● LAS (trio with cellist Lode Vercampt and tenor saxophonist Steven Delannoye): released album titled Homonculus in January of 2020.
● Amuri e Spiranza (quintet led by soprano saxophonist Pierre Vaiana): released album in april of 2020 with Home records.
● H A S T (jazz-rock group led by alto saxophonist Rob Banken): laureate of Theater aan Zee (2016) and kunstencentrum Kaap’s “STORM!”-contest (2018), winner of the JazzTract-prize (Ghent Jazz 2017), released debut album Elegy (december 2018) + follow-up EP Ubi Sunt (february 2021) with N.E.W.S Distribution/Solidude Records.
Other recordings/sessions featuring Artan:
● Avia, Guest appearance for the artist Rosa Butsi (from her EP Circle One, released in september of 2020).
● Stay, Single by the artist Marta Del Grandi (recorded July 2021, released November 2022 on Fire Records).
● Selva, album by Marta del Grandi, recorded at Studio Ledeberg in February 2022, released on October 20th of 2023 on Fire Records.
Buleshkaj was nominated in 2016 for the SABAM Young Jazz Talent Award and was a finalist of the B-Jazz International Jazz Contest (ed. 2015) with his jazz trio Ruis. He also was a jury member in the finals of aforementioned contest (ed. 2019 and 2022) In 2022, he was nominated for the Young Jazz Talent Ghent-prize with his quartet Code Poems. In 2018, he won the Arts in Society Award for a participatory art project he helped set up in WZC Het Heiveld in Ghent. He was also invited to play with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra, for “The Future is Now”, a concert series featuring young solists. He studied with Hans van Oost (conservatory of Ghent) and Martijn van Interson (conservatory of Amsterdam) and also took private lessons with internationally renowned guitarists Lage Lund, Nir Felder and Gilad Hekselman. He is currently also teaching guitar and improvisation classes in the APK in Ghent. Since 2022, Artan is also part of the artistic committee of the Ham Sessions in Ghent. He helps the festival with programming artists and outlining the artistic direction of the organization.
A selection of venues/festivals where Buleshkaj has had the honor of playing:
● Vooruit (Ghent) w/ Madame Blavatsky
● Minardschouwburg (Ghent) w/ H A S T and Mos Ensemble
● Bimhuis (Amsterdam) w/ BRAIN//CHILD
● Podium Sint-Jacobs (Gentse Feesten) w/ Mos Ensemble
● Gent Jazz Festival w/ H A S T and BRAIN//CHILD
● Schouwburg 30CC (Leuven) w/ Ruis
● Brugge Jazz w/ Peter Nolder
● Roeselare Jazz w/ Madame Blavatsky and H A S T
● Marni (Brussels) w/ Tuur Florizoone’s PSÜL
● Handelsbeurs (Ghent) w/ H A S T, Mos Ensemble and Kids in the Waiting Room.
● Bijloke (Ghent) w/ Mos Ensemble
● Jazz in ’t Park w/ H A S T
● CC De Ververij w/ Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Mos Ensemble and BRAIN//CHILD
● KC Nona w/ Mos Ensemble
● AB Concertzaal w/H A S T
● Citadelic Festival w/ LAS
● Rataplan w/ H A S T
● Dommelhof (Neerpelt) w/ H A S T
● Wintercircus Gent w/ DRIFTWD
● …
Besides concerts in Belgium, Buleshkaj also regularly plays/tours abroad. His music has already brought him to Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, The Netherlands, Germany and France.
Website (music, videos, press articles, …):
www.artanb.com
