Signed to Rostrum Records earlier this year, Mike Taylor watched his “Body High” climb 11-6 on the Dance Clubs Songs chart this week. Now the pop-soul singer-songwriter seeks additional fellowship with fans by way of his new single, “Electric Church.”
The uplifting house-meets-gospel-and-pop track was inspired by late DJ/house music pioneer Frankie Knuckles. “There was a quote I once heard when I was younger,” explains Taylor. “Frankie Knuckles compared house music to church because of what he referred to as ‘spiritual unity.’ All my life, I felt that spiritual connection to music and never knew what it was or how to articulate the feeling into words.”
Also noting that “Electric Church” is more homage than traditional house music, Taylor adds, “[House] is one of the foundational elements of what we call EDM today. Just as the gospel inspirations I pulled from are the foundation for soul, funk, R&B, etc., it’s very important to me to recognize where we come from because it’s that knowledge and history that build an understanding of the craft. Once you have that, you just might make something really dope.”
The Philadelphia native, who now calls Los Angeles home, first drew attention with his guest vocalist stints on Afrojack’s “SummerThing!” and DJ Vice’s “World Is Our Playground.” Taylor’s Rostrum debut album is due later this year.
Listen to “Electric Church” here: