Drunk Diving by DRAX (drunk_diving.xm)

Overall Impression (9/10)

An upbeat instrumental which takes drunk driving not as a foray into criminal behavior, but as a swashbuckling adventure of the car going in a slight zigzag, something that in the absence of tragic consequences will be remembered as a great night out.

The sound is rich and full, as usual for DRAX, the melodies are memorable and catchy, with a healthy dose of syncopation and jazzy naughtiness.

Technique, Arrangement, Composition (10/10)

Lots to learn here, from the standard but not necessarily obvious ticks per row syncopation, to note cuts for a more funky bass, and the Haas effect on various elements for a wider mix. DRAX is obviously comfortable with these tricks and uses them to his advantage.

Inspecting the lead work, one might notice how the volume envelopes create an illusion of reverb. This does introduce the risk of forgetting to close the instrument, and Thomas seems to make that mistake in a couple of places: the notes are way too quiet to make a difference, but were thus unlikely left playing intentionally.

Development (10/10)

The arrangement is done with a level of technique where it's clear the software does what the musician wants, not the other way around. DRAX's ability to make the lead more interesting by constantly switching between samples makes the piece breathe and hold your attention.

Many samples are from the MAZ collection and are thus of pretty high quality. But even the 8 bit specimens don't offend, and are handled expertly.

Creativity (10/10)

From a melodic point of view, it's interesting to take the catchy theme of patterns 14-3, reminiscent of chiptune refrains, and imagine a much simpler and banal take on it. But Thomas takes this into a compositionally more interesting direction, with a chord progression that is unexpectedly more jazzy than you would assume from the premise.

And may I finally say what probably many people noticed, but kept a secret? DRAX really like chordal refrains.

And that's not a bad thing. Just saying that he does. Someone had to say.

Enjoyment (8/10)

It is not the pinnacle of DRAX's work, just a solid representative. The tune will get a bit old after a while, but it's a delight while it's novelty lasts.