“I Saw You in the Wind” is a single by Arema Arega released as part of The Soundtracks, an ongoing project she describes as a score for an imaginary film. The track sharpens her minimalist approach, drawing on Cuban trova while weaving in the harmonic language of Brazilian guitar music and the looseness of ’70s spiritual jazz. Built around voice and nylon-string guitar, the arrangement is deliberately pared down. There’s no elaborate production: just voice, guitar, and subtle layers that suggest rhythm and harmony without ever dominating the space. The result is a quiet, reflective piece that unfolds slowly, leaving plenty of room for pauses and repetition.

The song ties into Arega’s broader body of work, where she treats music as part of a larger visual and cinematic framework. “I Saw You in the Wind” loops back on itself, creating a sense of continuity rather than progression. Arega’s vocal delivery is restrained and closely recorded, blending with the instrumental bed. The lyrics are open-ended, dealing loosely with memory and absence, avoiding literal storytelling in favour of atmosphere and tone.

Arega was born in Voronezh, Russia, to a Cuban mother and Ethiopian father, and is now based in Barcelona. Her music draws on a wide range of traditions, from Cuban bolero and bossa nova to funk, jazz and folk, as raw material for something more personal. She’s also active as a visual artist and filmmaker, and that influence runs through her music: spare, textural, and focused on mood and framing as much as melody or form.

More on her work can be found on her official website