Nicolas Mortelmans

Nicolas Mortelmans is a passionate sitar player and multi-instrumentalist from Belgium. Nicolas is a fusion sitarist and student of Indian classical music.
In 2010 he bought his first sitar and left for India. He fell in love with the mystical sounds of the sitar and immersed himself in it.
For the next 7 years he went to India every winter to study in the traditional way with various sitar masters.
Since 2017 he has been trained by the world-famous Anoushka Shankar.

Nicolas sees music as a global language that can melt away the differences between cultures and transcend words, a universal force that transcends all boundaries of rational thinking.
With his music he tries to create a unity that can connect us to the core of existence, an endless search for the deepest sounds of the soul that can expand our consciousness.
Improvisation is an important part of his sitar playing that connects us to the present.

Live, Nicolas plays an electric sitar with which he tries to build a bridge between his recent love for Indian music and his roots in rock, jazz and electronica.
Nicolas has an open mind and literally any musical style or tradition can inspire him. His concerts can be both meditative and explosive.

Nicolas has toured Europe and Asia several times. He has already played at festivals such as Gent Jazz, Ancient Trance Festival and Sfinks. In Belgium he also played at the Sportpaleis, Ancienne Belgique and the Roma. In the past, Nicolas has collaborated with artists such as: Roland Van Campenhout, Condor Gruppe, Leki, Stef Kamil Carlens, Dijf Sanders, Tim Vanhamel, Tikki Masala, Nessi Gomes, Benny Bettane, Merdan Taplak, Dirk Brossé and many others.

His debut album will be released on April 12, 2024 on WERF Records.