I also wasn't your NGAUC judge, but I'm trying to go back to some of the submissions I missed from the previous rounds. I love the cute synths and upbeat melodic style of this piece. The vocal samples added a lot to it IMO, but otherwise it progresses really slowly and used a little too much pizzicato-y content. I think some more prominent pads or legato harmonies would've really helped this piece. I do admire your sense of harmony, though. The instrument at 1:55 comes in a little suddenly. I love those descending arpeggios that pop in at several places, including 2:26. You communicate a very relaxed and easily-happy mood in this piece, though, which I love. It probably needed a better coda, though. Besides that, nice work, Adieuwinter! ^^

== I wasn’t your judge for the NGAUC, but here’s some constructive criticism anyways. ==

Wow, this song reminds me a lot of Space Walk by Lemon Jelly. I mean…A LOT. When that bass comes in…ugh, it feels so nice and happy! It’s such an awesome vibe - I wish you would have explored it more. And then when that trumpet comes in…eh, it’s actually totally out of place and way too loud. The melody on the trumpet, too, could have been a bit more refined - it feels pretty random to me. Still, I really really like the warm, happy vibe of this piece, especially before the trumpet, and the mixing (aside from a few instruments being too quiet) is very good.

Mini-scores (See http://johnfn.newgrounds.com/news/post/936953 for what this means and how to improve)
* Composition: 3/4
* Arrangement: 3/4
* Mixing: 3+/4

It would seem as if the experimentation brought forth some great results. The intro is very effectful, and uses tasty chords and rhythms. I love the minimalistic feel in this track. I mean, sure. There are some things going on. But it never feels as if the track gets heavy. And occasionally, one can really enjoy listening to such a light and happy track :)
I also like that the intruments keep changing. Occasionally there's brass, occasionally there's bass, hehhe...
There's always the synth which helps with the beat though (even if it too changes sound a few times), which is a nice touch.

Nice transition at 2:35!

I can hear that the ending is also experimental, which is my only complaint. I think that you ought to have used a short note as the last one, so that one could really get the full effect or the abrupt ending. At this point, the chords and the structure don't really foreshadow the ending. In some cases, this can have an interesting effect. But in this one, I feel it didn't quite work out. The long note just feels queer to me :/
Not only that, but the sample doesn't sound as good when it holds the note down :P
I'm going to let this slip startwise though, as the rest of the track is so good :3

Keep on experimenting; it worked wonderfully in this case!