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It's Carnival time! And while that means a heaving party on the streets of west London, it's also a boom time (pun intended) for music, with rival sound systems digging out the most explosive new tracks to try and beat their rivals into submission. 1Xtra will naturally be at the heart of the action, and that means you can be too, from the comfort of your own home.

While many of the biggest, baddest tunes of the weekend will be kept under wraps, it's not all about breaking new ground. According to lots of recent grime and reggae hits by , , and will be blasting out. And it's hardly going to be Carnival without a decent helping of soca, calypso and blues, so keep your playlist varied. Check out V Rocket's Carnival mix (around two hours into Mistajam's show) for further clues.

Whatever you're playing the music on, it's probably not big enough and you'll still need to crank up the bass. If you wish to recreate the true battling spirit of the Carnival sound systems - from 4Play to Saxon Sound - what you'll need is a stack of sub-woofers the size of a caravan, and a rival to aim them at. 1Xtra have been investigating the history of these intense musical rivalries for a special documentary, right here:

While you're likely to hear a huge range of different types of music across the weekend, it's those special moments, song drops and guest appearances when things really kick off. 's Party on the Moon stage, for example is playing host to performances from , , , , , and . And 1Xtra's MistaJam is there to see it all happen.

The history of Carnival is one of dressing up in extravagant costumes and poking the constrictions of everyday society in the eye. It comes from an annual need to purge the stresses and strains of life - many of the early carnival costumes were created to lampoon some of the racial tensions the Caribbean communities had to deal with on a daily basis - and dance your cares away.

This Â鶹ԼÅÄ News clip from 1983 shows some of the intense effort that has gone into Carnival costumes over the years (although there are far fewer derelict houses in Notting Hill nowadays).

The point is, at Carnival time everyone is fair game, even Charlie Sloth.

While other festivals are all about youth running wild far from the civlising influence of their parents, Carnival actively seeks to bring together young and old, as this clip from Ace and Vis's visit to Notting Hill in 2011 serves to prove.

At around the 1.49 mark, Ms. Dynamite reminisces about her formative experiences at Carnival, including her brother 's over-the-knee socks and suggestive dancing to 's soca classic Nani Wine back in the day, much to Akala's discomfort. It's a family affair.

Oh and if you are planning something rowdy and wild at home, don't forget to tidy up when you're done...