Far and away (p.1&2) (far_and_away_p_12.xm)

Overall Impression (10/10)

Finally, we're entering a personal territory. Sooner or later, any music connoisseur faces the bit that they are unable to judge with the same objectivity, unable or uninterested to dissect with the same diligence.

Michal Wilczynski is probably one of my favorite tracker composers and one whose music is not getting old, even as I am getting older.

The fact that he is not at all known in the scene hasn't escaped me either, but here we are.

Technique, Arrangement, Composition (10/10)

What makes this piece unique for me is that it's whole power lies in the melody. You could argue that not much is happening in the tune in terms of dynamics: it's bassline drones on, the lead's presence is always the same, it doesn't exhibit any fancy effects.

But here's the thing: it doesn't need to. The fact that the chorus is outlined only by the strings that begin a melancholy duet with the lead sends chills down my spine every time.

The verse-chorus structure is followed by a second part that changes the tempo of the beat. Michal is not lazy here: this is a completely new development, opening up the mood and moving it to a lighter yet somber tone.

Development (8/10)

It's not perfect. Too many mids, too many things happening at the same time. But this creates many happy coincidences. If you open it in a tracker and explore, you'll realize that there are a number of important ghost notes, created by the frequency similarity between the bass, the lead and the strings.

In general, it's very well mixed. And, given the frequency distribution, you would expect major problems. Having said that, I am less objective here and, strictly speaking, the mix could have been better. And might have appealed to more listeners.

Creativity (10/10)

Stylistically, this is very similar to Jarre. The bassline is almost identical to Oxygene part 4. The general choice of sounds alludes to the same era.

Similarities end there, however. Michal's melodies are unique and recognizable. To the point that when I tried searching for his current whereabouts and stumbled upon a musician with the same name, I only needed to listen to a couple of his compositions to realize that it cannot be him.

Far and away shares stylistic similarities with a number of other compositions by Michal, which could comfortable form an album: Evolution (parts 1-3), Microworld, Prayer to Air.

Enjoyment (10/10)

In my opinion, Michal Wilczynski's works could have been classics. It's not clear to me if by the time he wrote these, in the late 90s, this could be a mainstream thing. But then again, Jarre's own Oxygène 7–13 was released in 1997.

This tune in particular is very special to me and connects with me on a level that few tunes do.