“Bend, slap, scratch and scream at it – then you’ll know how to play the violin.”
Taylor Rankin’s music brings you to a magical place where funk, reggae, hip hop, gospel, pop, rap, jazz and blues all cling to the whirling dervish spinning inside his mind. Switching characters and accents, his voice slides seamlessly from baritone to falsetto, pinching and winking at every note in between, while he literally reaches inside his violin, pushing it to new limits – caressing, smashing, coaxing it to sound like a DJ scratching the finest vinyl, an electric guitar, a bass, drum, flute, and especially a soulful rich and delicious violin.
Working with only his voice, his violin “Leroy” and drummer, Rankin moves over and makes room for you to get in on his joyride of sound. From his first performances busking as a 12-year-old to working alongside famous choreographers to touring, recording or opening for musicians such as Wyclef, Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, Canadian Tenors, Jazmine Sullivan, Collie Buddz, and Heather Nova, Rankin has been on a relentless musical journey and he wants you along for the ride. Every experience is unique, ranging from the epic to the sublime to the dirty, bumping, low-down, groovy sounds that only a half-Japanese Bermudian-Canadian can possibly create.
The door is open. All you have to do is step inside…
“Rankin is the instrument and his sound throws you from one moment to the next – he woos you in with his voice, convinces you to get close, to slide up beside and move with him – then smacks your ass with his violin.”