I'm thinking of attending in Rio in the World Cup year and it reminds me of many carnivals in Notting Hill and Trinidad I've been involved with in various capacities.

My question is how integrated we all are as a result of music and its effect on society.

Do tunes like this bring us together through music and does it last beyond the spirit of the day or simply highlight our cultural differences?

I've never seen a stadium full of Thais singing along to this kind of thing.....maybe I'm missing something....

Why don't try new orlean's first_if it is not too much of a drag, step up to carnival.

Why don't try new orlean's first_if it is not too much of a drag, step up to carnival.

The US is a no no given my convictions mate. I'd have thought you'd recognise that.

In fact I just don't like having to queue for more than fifteen minutes at immigration. And fast track it was too. Disgraceful.

oh,...I don't unnerstannd...carnival is an event that happens in roman catholic countries and is an excuse to have a party prior to lent and easter which are significant christian holy days and ye gotta behave and observe all of the associated rituals...where I usetalive in Bolivia there was organised dancing in the street sorta like in Rio with dancing clubs but it all usually degenerated in to drunken licenciousness...rival clubs brawling in the street and people throwing water - I got nailed with a full tub on the back of a motorbike from a balcony above, never saw it coming...and I was in the mid - andes...further up on the altiplano the campesinos get dressed up in devil costumes and run riot to remind people of their mortality thusly encouraging folks to drink more...

down in the tropical low lands they have the best music and the best organised dancing and they have the prettiest girls in Bolivia...

26 years ago I was in Cochabamba disposing my recently deceased mother's assets (she died brutally in an accident in front of the biggest church in town; Compania de Jesus) and in the evenings I saw groups of youths with music attempting to organise themselves...I asked an the reply was: 'estan entrenando...'...carnival was coming and I hadn't realised...

so, one could say that it would not be likely that a western religious event would be widely celebrated in SEAsia...

It seems I've been confused by the rituals of the Trinidad carnival with its African and Indian influence. As shown in the following article. Not much Catholic influence remaining in this one!

http://www.nalis.gov.tt/carnival/carnival.htm

Interesting stuff there....but does the carnival bring people together and integrate them? I'm thinking of the music mostly here.

Top tune - The atmosphere looks fantastic. If there's one thing I missed about the UK during my early days here it was the dance music culture...

I've never seen a stadium full of Thais singing along to this kind of thing.....maybe I'm missing something....

Reckon you are. I'd love to see either of these two live in Thailand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC3F5AR76k4

Although the lyrics for both songs are your typical romantic gash the Bodyslam tune has some interesting cross-cultural elements (Isaan vs mainstream Thai rock). You'll be hard-pushed to find somebody who isn't singing along when these anthems come on in a Thai nightclub.

Thailand could do with some established carnivals though. The main hurdle is the law here.

On the occasions when I've been to 'local' Thai nightclubs - the ones where there's lino on the floor, formica tables and no dance floor there's always a bit of desultory 'table dancing' until one of the same few tunes starts to play. Some of these places have had five or six hundred people in them. I can't tell you what the tunes are but they all sound quite a few years old and none of them appear to have any western influence at all. As soon as the first few notes are heard everyone is up and dancing. It's something that happened every time I've been to one of these places.

On the occasions when I've been to 'local' Thai nightclubs - the ones where there's lino on the floor, formica tables and no dance floor there's always a bit of desultory 'table dancing' until one of the same few tunes starts to play. Some of these places have had five or six hundred people in them. I can't tell you what the tunes are but they all sound quite a few years old and none of them appear to have any western influence at all. As soon as the first few notes are heard everyone is up and dancing. It's something that happened every time I've been to one of these places.

Your description reminds me of a German beer festival. Oompah bands and great beer.....works well. In the meantime here's some light relief....

Been to Rio, but not for carnival. Did Mardi Gras a couple of times. Once when I was flast broke and once when I was relatively rich. Had a blast both times. Did Carnival in Venice one year. Not that enjoyable really. Decided to catch a flight to Prague instead.

As for the music. I like the reggaeish parts but i absolutely hate that keyboard synthesizer dance music .

Been to Rio, but not for carnival. Did Mardi Gras a couple of times. Once when I was flast broke and once when I was relatively rich. Had a blast both times. Did Carnival in Venice one year. Not that enjoyable really. Decided to catch a flight to Prague instead.

As for the music. I like the reggaeish parts but i absolutely hate that keyboard synthesizer dance music .

in Bolivia they use them brass band units as were featured in the Godfather scenes in Sicily...adds to the raucous drunken atmosphere...

They have a brass band in Telford....................

have to give it a bit more thought smokie, but here is something i would like your opinion on as-well as everyone else's.

i thought Robbie Williams was bad enough some years back ! Beyonce headlining on the last night at the Glastonbury festival though.

have to give it a bit more thought smokie, but here is something i would like your opinion on as-well as everyone else's.

i thought Robbie Williams was bad enough some years back ! Beyonce headlining on the last night at the Glastonbury festival though.

I'll be honest. She has bigger tits..................

Why don't try new orlean's first_if it is not too much of a drag, step up to carnival.

"... too much of a drag..."

We all enjoy a bit of camping.

We have just started a job in Brazil, and given that we can't manage our way out of a wet paper bag in our own back yard, anything could happen in the next 42 months.

SC

They have a brass band in Telford....................

oh yeah?...betcha they don't speak quechua

They have a brass band in Telford....................

oh yeah?...betcha they don't speak quechua

Eh, they don't even speak bloody English, lad !!