BRAT Christmas Mix

Clarence Carter & Run D.M.C. vs Jimi Hendrix
"Back Door Santa" (BRAT Christmas Mix)
The BRAT E-Christmas Card for 2020

CAUTION: VIDEO HAS FLASHING LIGHTS.

The last official Holiday Mix CD I sent out to people was in 2012. After over twenty years. I stopped making the CDs because, emotionally, my heart just wasn't in it anymore. I did these holiday mixes initially to make my Mom happy during Christmas. After she passed in 2006, I tried to keep on with the mixes for a few years, but it was just too difficult. The CDs just made me miss my Mom too much.

So why do this now?

Simple.

I am absolutely fucking tired of all the shit. 2020. The violence toward people. The ignorance of trump supporters. The global stupidity of people treating a virus as if it is something political. Seeing friends lose their jobs and their businesses. Watching in amazement at people who wear masks, but without covering their noses (ARGH!). And, I know it's mathematically impossible, but how has the year 2020 been 37 months long?!?

I needed to do something creative. Something that could help to put people in a better mood. Something that could help preserve my sanity.

I needed to do a new Christmas Mix.

One of my all-time favo(u)rite holiday songs is "Back Door Santa" by Clarence Carter, which was sampled by Run D.M.C. in another favo(u)rite holiday song, "Christmas In Hollis".

I've always wanted to do something with these two songs, but technology limitations kept me from doing a mix. Now, thanks to some amazing software (RX8 Advanced, by Izotope), I was able to create "usable" acapella tracks of both Run D.M.C. and Clarence Carter, to mix together with the instrumental of "Spanish Castle Magic" from Jimi Hendrix.

I'm under no illusions that one little mashup can change the world, but if it will make you smile for a few minutes, that's a win. That's why I made a new Holiday Mix. To help you escape our crushing global reality, even if only for a few minutes. String up some lights, pour a cup of "holiday cheer", and blast the hell out of this mix. This is three minutes and 44 seconds of ROCK.

If "Die Hard" can be a Christmas movie (and it so is!), "Back Door Santa" can be a true Christmas song. Still, "sensitive" ears of kids might not be appropriate for this song, unless you want to explain what Santa is really doing in this song.

This specific page is only being sent to friends. You can share it with people if you want, but my intention for this page was to be a digital version of my infamous Holiday CD. With that said, if you want to hear this mix on something other than a computer or smart device, you can download this mix by right-clicking (option-clicking on a Mac) either the MP3 link or the AIFF (true uncompressed CD quality) link. From there, use whatever tech you prefer to play the mix on a better device than a computer or iPad.

The Tracks:
CLARENCE CARTER - "Back Door Santa" (DIY acapella)
RUN D.M.C. - "Christmas In Hollis" (DIY acapella)
JIMI HENDRIX - "Spanish Castle Magic" (Instrumental)

My wish for you is to have a virus-free holiday, and a much better 2021.

Daniel

PS: Mom, I hope you like the mix.