The music heard during New Orleans’ Mardi Gras and Brazil’s Carnival makes for some of the most joyous sounds on earth. On 2012’s Carnivale Electricos, the New Orleans–based funk unit Galactic draws on those great traditions and tosses in plenty of other styles too. Several guests join in for this high-octane effort. Galactic gets right down to it on the opener, "Ha Di Ka," which features the fired-up vocals of Big Chief Juan Pardo & The Golden Comanche. "Magalenha" finds Casa Samba bringing tumbling Brazilian drumming to a mix that includes mysterioso keyboards and Spanish-flavored acoustic guitar. On "Voyage Ton Flag," zydeco, heavy guitar, electronic squelches, and a fat beat rub up against each other. Cyril and Ivan Neville sing on "Out in the Street," a nice slice of R&B; rappers Mystikal and Mannie Fresh let loose over the steady chug of "Move Fast." "O Coco da Galinha" features vocalist Moyseis Marques and a sparkling trumpet solo. The album closes with "Ash Wednesday Sunrise," an instrumental that mixes mellow moments with bolder stretches.