‘Musiques de mon monde, vol. 4‘ is his fourth instalment in this particular series, a twelve instrumental pieces that collectively deliver a journey across the world, Brazil, the Middle East, Celts, Africa, fused with jazz, flamenco, and classical influences, all of which is held together by a guitarist whose technical ability is matched only by his extraordinary gift for making instruments sing in place of words.

And that is perhaps the most remarkable thing about this album. There are no lyrics here, no vocal hooks to anchor you, no chorus to return to. What Arnito gives you instead is something much more rare, the full, unfiltered emotional weight of music that has absolutely nothing to hide behind. Melody, arrangement, and intention are everything, and they are certainly more than enough.

I found myself doing something while listening that I hadn’t done before; deliberately avoiding the track titles, testing whether what I was hearing matched what the music seemed to be telling me. And track after track, it did. ‘Pont des amours’ felt romantic and jaunty, with a little cheeky wink before I’d read the title. ‘Danse de flammes’ conjured fire and movement and something almost dangerous before I knew what it was called. That is the mark of a composer who is not just technically gifted but genuinely, deeply fluent in the language of musical emotion.

Bulles de soleil opens things beautifully; soft jazz and Latin American warmth, a delicate melody carried throughout with percussion adding emphasis in all the right places, almost flamenco in its accents towards the close. It is cinematic and intimate at once, the kind of track that makes you lean back but also lean in to be absorbed.

L’évidence follows with a hypnotic counter-melody that lets the guitar “voice” sing out fully, Spanish / European in feel, the lead strings doing the work you might ordinarily expect from the human ‘instrument’.

Farandole arrives as a genuine surprise, darker, more Celtic in its overlay, with a folk warmth underneath that conjures images of community, clapping, celebration,  with staccato closes punctuating sections. The ending is abrupt, and in the silence that follows, you can almost hear the echo of applause. It absolutely could carry words, but it doesn’t need them.

Trégastel is where the EP first truly slows to breathe. Romantic and cinematic, it moves through something almost historical; castle walls, horseback, wind in long hair, a feeling of escape and new beginnings. An unexpected eerie mid-section adds depth without disrupting the flow, creeping strings building drama behind the melody before releasing back into open air. It is a tale of history told in under seven minutes, closing with a final guitar strum that brings the ear gently back to earth.

Pèlerinage is one of my personal favourites from the twelve; funky, layered, full of unexpected corners and turns. The heavier drum accents land with real intention, the juxtaposition of melody in parts is clever, and the smooth crescendo toward its abrupt end feels perfectly curated.

Saveur vanille, well, there is absolutely nothing vanilla about it! This is a carnival in four minutes and sixteen seconds. Brazilian festival, foot-tapping, hip-swaying, pure sunshine. The mid-section jazzy saxophone brings even more funk and celebration; the bongo drum section is a complete delight. Somehow, in the time available, Arnito gives every instrument its spotlight without once disrupting the overall carnival feel. The ending is cute, almost show-like, and you can’t help but smile.

Fête au faré takes you to the circus; snake charmers, clowns, jugglers, dancers, Middle Eastern and South Asian influences threading through with even a hint of Cossack in places. The brass section has its moment here, and the track moves brilliantly from fun and frolics to something more wistful, the sad clown behind the makeup, before gathering back up into a frenzied, joyful close.

Danse de flammes is the breath of fire. An exquisite clock-ticking build, leaning fully into flamenco; cinematic and provocative. The guitar agility in the mid-section is breathtaking, the whole piece slithering, evocative, like watching a snake move through firelight. Brass accents in the Latin American sections add weight, and the ending is as dramatic as the track deserves.

Sensolas is sparky and jazz-inflected, the guitar work here reminding me of Juan Martin, with a brass counter-melody adding lightness. There are experimental sounds woven in that make you lean forward to listen a little harder. It could have been twice the length, and I would not have objected.

L’envol opens as what sounds like a slow number before settling into a salsa beat that gets the feet moving again. A hypnotic, snake-charmer saxophone section anchors the middle, Middle Eastern and South Asian in feel, with Afro beats threading through an upbeat and irresistible close.

Pont des amours is exactly as the title implies; light-hearted, romantic, jaunty, with a dramatic build that has a Germanic flash running through it alongside the flamenco guitar styling. It winks at you. You wink back.

And Les oubliés closes things with the quiet tenderness of two people tentatively moving toward each other; gentle, suspenseful, a jazzy double bass line giving warmth beneath the melody, unexpected strings arriving as yet another layer of beauty. It is a gentle, considered end to a remarkable collection of music, and, on finish, I found myself immediately wanting to press play again.

‘Musiques de mon monde, vol. 4‘ is the work of a musician who has spent a lifetime learning how to make the guitar and complementing instruments speak human experience and emotion across its breadth and complexity. It crosses continents, cultures and centuries without effort because Arnito has not assembled these influences, but lived them and breathed them.

21st June 2026