Rush is about forging a relationship with someone from a different social circle, all the time being aware of the conflicts and the excitement associated with that.

KOBA are a quartet based across Edinburgh and Glasgow, they’ve taken the unique approach of working remotely, “this means that the songs are fresh to us when we leave the studio and nothing feels stale or old” they explain.

Rush proves the versatility of the band, it showcases artistic growth and sonic progression through dark electro pop deliveries. Moving between seductive vocals into crisp, dominating percussive sounds, this will not only feel familiar to anyone who’s enjoyed a 1980s new romantic hit, but also a modern day alluring soundtrack.

In this interview spotlight, we chat with KOBA about influences, the new project, navigating the digital music world and more.

Full Q&A along with links and a stream of Rush below.

Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?

I think pop / chart music is anyones first insight into genres they don’t know quite so well, but I remember hearing Jamie Woon in the BBC Sound of 2011, from then on I really started to get into dark / moody beats & sounds … got to love tracks like ‘Shoulda’ & ‘Night Air’, they’ve got great groove & grab your attention straight away. At the same time Frank Ocean (Channel Orange) & The Weeknd (Trilogy) both released great records, still listen to all that music weekly.

How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?

For the last 5 years, we have been writing as we are… we’ve written nearly a 100 tracks, but reworked them over and over again. Now we’ve got to a point where we feel we have a solid bunch of tracks to make the live show what we want it to be.

Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?

Motivation is gathered from seeing other artists are releasing great inspirational music, when you see a great show & you want to express your own music with that same passion… influences like Michael Jackson, Friendly Fires etc. keep us focused on writing & performing.

Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?

The main aim is to make music we think we’d like to listen to, a mixture of music you’d play in a party & music you’d play when chilling on your own. Its hard for this to come across in one track so for that reason we can’t wait to release more music over the course of the year.

What was the last song you listened to?

Ali Robertson ‘Closer’, he’s supporting us in Edinburgh at Sneaky Pete’s & we can’t wait to see it live, looking beyond that Frank Ocean ‘Self Control’.

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

We’d love to say vinyls, but I think we’re MP3 guys. Vinyls are great to look at & play around with, but we’re always on the move so MP3’s it is… We would love to release a cool looking vinyl one day though, you see so many great looking vinyls and it’s always nice to have a good looking physical version for when your browsing down memory lane.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

We’ve been Spotify users for a while and kept the alliance strong when Apple Music came in, but to be honest we don’t have too much preference. We’re happy to pay the monthly fee’s & hope the artists sees something at the end of it.

Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?

Your right, there’s an abundance of music out there and it’s so hard to get noticed and heard. I guess we’ve just got to keep pestering people to listen and encourage to share our music on all social formats. Hopefully we get noticed & placed on some good playlists / blogs.

Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?

We’re played Sneakys Pete’s in Edinburgh in February and hope to play live a lot more over the next year. Live streams aren’t something we’ve looked into, but we’re hoping to release a few stripped back sessions this year.

Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?

Spotify, Apple Music & Sounclound are the main streaming sites, but give us a like on Facebook.com/KOBA

Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?

Thanks for reading and go check us out online, share it around if your into it.