“It is well known that baritone guitarist Buleshkaj possesses a merciless virtuosisty..."   

 - Bart Cornand, Knack

Artan Buleshkaj, born in Istog (Kosovo) in 1993, is a guitarist and composer based in Ghent (Belgium). He is active in a myriad of projects in and outside of the bubbling music scene of the city, in a broad musical spectrum ranging from pop to (freely) improvised music.

Artan studied at the conservatories of Ghent (with Hans van Oost) and Amsterdam (Martijn van Iterson).  

" The fascinating guitar playing of the extraordinarily talented Buleshkaj...."        

 -Dick Hovenga, Written in Music

Artan 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 was also featured in The Future is Now, a concert series by the acclaimed Brussels Jazz Orchestra, featuring young solists.  

Besides regular concerts in Belgium (in venues ranging from small jazz clubs to festivals),  Artan also regularly plays/tours abroad. His music has already brought him to Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, The Netherlands, Germany and France.

"The guitarist, Artan Buleshkaj, transgresses the limitations set by genres such as folk, jazz, electronic music, ...." 

-Jean-Claude Vantroyen, Le Soir

In addition to his work and ample discography as a sideman, Artan is currently focussing on his projects as leader: 

• His quartet Anemic Cinema (released self-titled EP in 2021 on El Negocito Records and album Iconoclasts in 2023 on Ramble Records), a volatile unit combining the hard-hitting intensity of metal riffage with the unpredictability of (free) improvisation. 
• A duo with guitarist Thomas Decock, with which he released Plain Songs in september of 2024. The album was included in the top 10 jazz releases of 2024 by Focus Knack. Thomas and Artan are currently working on a follow-up album for this project.

An other project as a leader was BRAIN//CHILD, with which he released a self-titled album in 2017.

Click here for a long form/more detailed version of this biography (in English).

Klik hier voor een gedetailleerdere versie van deze biografie (Nederlands).