Another traditionalist stance in the “Soca is dead” - debate.
As I said earlier, soca started as a crossover of different elements (calypso, indian music and new studio technology of the 70s). What’s wrong now with soca getting new elements from other sounds? As long as it keeps its soul (and has some brass 
). Maximus Dan for example is using reggae elements - but his music has pure soca spirit.
If soca doesn’t update it’s formula it will end in the museum.
In the article David Rudder was mentioned as the last true soca artist. No doubt Rudder is one of the biggest soca artists ever, but wasn’t that him who had a pop sound designed for the international market?
[via “Where HipHop and Libertarianism meet“]
Btw. CaribPundit is another weblog focused on Caribbean and soca.. Welcome!
Thanks for the link, dude. The thrust of my argument is not that soca should become set in stone, but that it should retain its identity as a party variant of calypso. It’s one thing to update; it’s another thing to lose one’s way. What is soca? That seems to be the question that nobody can answer seriously. I think that if/when that question is answered, the singers might actually get serious about the musical structure of the melody which accompanies their lyrics. Then the shameless and unassimilated borrowing that deprives soca of its early originality might be a thing of the past.
One last thing. You missed the other half of my comment about Rudder: “However, even he has engaged in a long love affair with soca that sounded like blues and other non-soca forms. Nevertheless, he might also have been the last serious composer for pan.”
Thanks to soca singers, who have wrested TT’s own musical form from its roots and affiliation with pan, we must ask Cro Cro’s question: “tell me whe’ pan reach?” but alter it to “tell me whe’ pan gone?”
Posted by CaribPundit