Chance are, you’re either at work, hung over, sporting some ash on your forehead, or some combination of the three right now. Carnival is over, today is an Ash Wednesday, and to some, it seems that the music has stopped.
But not us! When you live and breathe mixtapes, you do not simply stop celebrating Carnival. Around the office, we discussed a Carnival mixtape roundup, something along the lines of a Top Five list. This posed a serious problem, because the only thing that our preliminary list of contenders had in common with the number five was that it was a multiple of it.
But this is a champagne problem, friends. We just played all of the mixes in succession, and whichever moved our bodies made the list. And so it is our pleasure to present you with the official 2014 Carnival Mixtape Roundup!
1. Bootie Rio, The Edge of Lepo-lepo, Carnaval 2014
Bootie Rio might have put together the ultimate Cool Kids Carnival mix, pitting the Strokes against Beto Jamaice, Gaby Amarantos against Britney Spears, Jackson do Pandeiro vs. Barry Manilow, and our personal favorite, Ivete Sangalo feat. Shakira vs. Shakira vs. Shakira feat. Rihanna. Boss.
Ironically, there was only one bummer in the whole collection: the inclusion of Pharrel’s “Happy”...
2. So Shifty, Soca Run Town (2014 Carnival Mix)
Certainly the smoothest mix of the bunch, perfect for a more romantic interpretation of the celebrations.
3. DJ Dolores, Fogo na Shanah
This is the Big Daddy of spacey Carnival sounds. Think tecno brega at maybe 60%.
4. Jimmy Valencia, Brasil Carnival '14
The freshest of Brazil’s Carnival songs: 100% Brazilian, 100% new, 100% dance. Curated by the ever-globetrotting Jimmy Valencia.
5. The Heatwave, Soca Season 2013
Opens with a Busta Rhymes guest, try to imagine a world where this doesn’t rate in our book.
