Golnaz Taherian | Arts Editor
Featured Image: Rabin’s music encourages people to purse things they love. | Raz Rabin
Raz Rabin, a York University film production alumnus, is an aspiring recording artist. His music is rooted in alternative hip-hop, a genre influenced by rhythm and blues, mixed with a little bit of rock and roll.
Rabin found his passion in film production at a very young age, after watching ‘Titanic.’ Ever since, he has wanted to learn about the behind-the-camera, technical side of films. Rabin put his passion into practice by shooting a plethora of short films at home. Eventually, he decided to pursue a film production degree at York.
York has helped Rabin with both his music and production. “It gave me the opportunity to connect and network with people. Also, it built my confidence in the approach of public speaking, which translated into helping me perform live. York has great teachers who have a lot of experiences. The equipment is amazing as well: the sound system there is incredible,” he says.
Aside from a few vocal lessons, Rabin is a musical autodidact who developed his songwriting and recording skills by studying the art of others. However, he has worked out his own unique style.
Rabin’s music encourages people to fearlessly take chances regarding travel and pursuing their goals.
“Getaway,” one of Rabin’s strongest tracks, is inspired by his life-changing experience of backpacking around the world for four months. This mellow beach track is about getting away from the city, travelling and living every day to the fullest. The song’s riveting video was shot in Portugal, and features clips of Rabin exploring old castles and purchasing tourist maps.
In another video, “Nightcrawler,” Rabin represents Toronto. This short film, which Rabin created and shot, depicts Sam Kantor, a well-known actor, at the subway station. Sitting across from Kantor, is a mysterious hooded man with an antique telephone resting next to him. The stranger leaves the subway abruptly, the phone rings and after hesitation, Kantor picks up the phone and the audience is transported to Kensington Market.
Rabin’s biggest influence is Russ, a motivational rapper with a hungry work ethic who handles all aspects of his art and career. He draws other influences from New York rappers who revolutionized the game, classic rock, and early hip-hop.
Rather than forcing his music, Rabin lets the inspiration flow, eliciting a powerful dynamic energy.
What’s next for Rabin? He’s working on his new album and organizing a tour through around seven to 10 Canadian cities. He has an upcoming gig in San Francisco and plans to shoot more music videos.
Rabin’s advice for aspiring recording artists is: “You got nothing to lose by chasing your dreams. You only have one life to live and the worst thing that can happen is to wake up at 80 and tell yourself I wish I would’ve done that.”
