It’s Mardi Gras Today!

So I am totally cheating now because we are someway into the afternoon hours of Ash Wednesday even out here on the Pacific coast. I’ve been distracted with thinking about the Rate thyself as a dj - are you better now than ever? topic, which is a bit gnarly from my personal point of view of answering that question.

Anyway, even an antique such as I admits that a lot of that old NO r’n’b style music, wonderful as it is, is a bit tame by today’s standards of sonic mayhem. Even Little Richard for all his pioneering qualities wouldn’t stand out today.

So the answer was to switch to something almost contemporary, Galactic’s Carnivale Electricos, which came out in 2012. I’d not liked it much at first, but a few months ago in an enhanced state I happened to play it from mp3 on my phone. I could not believe my ears. Sonic mayhem galore! Actually, I thought the files must have got corrupted and so sent off for a CD. My ears were not mistaken. This is wild music, a mashup of NO with some Brazilian input. And even some old Clifton Chenier sampled in from an Arhoolie recording, which always impresses me 'cos for awhile I worked in Arhoolie’s retail store, Down Home Music, and I have very warm feelings for Chris Strachwitz, who is a total character and a good guy to work for. Although he is very strict in his musical tastes! No mouse music! That’s Mickey Mouse, nothing to do with a computer mouse.

I’m not going to post up every track, but you’ll get the idea — and no doubt if you’re sufficiently excited will be able to find the whole thing somewhere.

and so on to the end, which appropriately enough is Ash Wednesday Sunrise: