Ears Wide Open: Mike Taylor

Kevin Bronson on September 8th, 2016

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Philadelphia-reared, L.A. based Mike Taylor straddles the soul, funk, hip-hop and EDM worlds — and has a world of fun doing it. “You know when it’s that time of the night and your drunk uncle is having such a good time he doesn’t want to get off the dance floor? Yeah, that’s my vibe in a nutshell,” he says. “My goal is to make music that transcends age, gender, color, religion, sexuality.” A recent signing to Pittsburgh-based Rostrum Records (Wiz Khalifa, the Bird and the Bee, Mac Miller), Taylor’s drunk-uncle-appeal was on display in late July when he played the late set during labelmates TeamMate’s residency, earning a well-after-midnight encore and turning tired legs into happy feet. Having previously been featured on Afrojack’s “Summerthing” and DJ Vice’s “World Is Our Playground,” Taylor in April released his debut single “Body High.” Last month he followed with “Electric Church,” which was inspired by the late house music guru Frankie Knuckles and which is anathema to music snobs everywhere: “If it feels good / and it sounds good / then it is good,” he declares straightaway. Sounds like an outline for his September residency that begins on Monday. Taylor has an EP arriving later this year.

||| Stream: “Electric Church” and “Body High”