BIOGRAPHY
Arthur Vinzent Clees is a young vibist, composer and producer from Luxembourg. He grew up in the small town of Esch-sur-Alzette and began his musical career early on by taking cello lessons at the local conservatory. He soon decided to switch instruments and started finding interest in percussive instruments. After several years of studying classical percussion and taking multiple theory classes in the conservatoire of Esch-sur-Alzette he started to find his way into Jazz. Through playing drums and, eventually, by picking up the Vibraphone as a main Instrument, he started exploring the endless facets of contemporary improvised music. In 2019 he was a Laureate of the Bourse Michelle and won the first prize during the drummer days in Luxembourg in 2020.
After finishing high school in 2021, he started his bachelors in Jazz Composing in Dresden, where he currently studies.
Over the years Arthur was involved in many different band projects, both as a sideman and as a bandleader. With the band Anima he won the first prize of the Hans & Eugenia Jütting Stiftung in 2022. And with the experimental avantgarde trio Das Vertikal the first jury prize of the Livevertonungs-Wettbewerb at Dresdner Schmalfilmtage. The Kravchenko Clees duo won the first prize at the Jazz Juniors competition in Krakow in 2023, the Chamber Music Prize at the HfMDD Ensemble Competition in 2024 and has recently been granted a full scholarship for a residency program at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada.
In addition to his studies in Composing and Vibraphone, he consistently kept working on his passion for electronic music and music production. Not only has he been making beats and mixes for other artists, including Culture the Kid, but has also released his debut album as a songwriter/producer on the Berlin based Label Macro called stay, temporary home. The latter got nominated for the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik of the first quarter of 2024 in the category Electronic & Experimental.
Arthur is currently active as a performer, composer, arranger and producer in both modern improvised music as well as contemporary classical music.
DISCOGRAPHY
38 Bpm - William Engelen (2019)
percussion
Orchestra recording - Orchestre de la ville d’Esch (2020)
percussion
Between Dissonance & Consonance - Jambal (2021)
vibraphone, keys, composition
General Culture - Culture The Kid (2021)
production, add. mixing on CVMG
Searching Rhymes - Culture The Kid (2022)
percussion, piano, arrangements
Dr. Doubt & Mr. Ego - Culture The Kid (2023)
production, add. mixing
Enterprises of Great Pith and Moment -Jambal & Tristan de Liège (2023)
vibraphone, keys, composition, arrangement
ANIMA - ANIMA (XJazz! 2023)
vibraphone, composition
stay, temporary home - Arthur Clees (Macro 2023)
production, songwriting, performance, mixing
Jan Jelinek & Arthur Clees Live in Luxembourg - Jan Jelinek & Arthur Clees (Faitiche, mint.conception.recordings 2024)
drums
Maria Prymachenko Suite - Kravchenko Clees (2024)
vibraphone, arrangement
Memories for Solo Vibraphone - Tristan de Liège (2024)
vibraphone, arrangement