Kohla – T O U C H (Video Premiere)
Watch the video for T O U C H by Kohla, shot in Glasgow's Sub Club
Since we premiered S/He, Rachel Alice Johnson’s first single as Kohla, the Edinburgh electronic producer and singer-songwriter has been picked up by Glasgow label Last Night from Glasgow and is now working towards releasing her debut EP in October.
On 2 August, Johnson will release T O U C H, her first single for the label, and with it comes a fully choreographed music video. "Myself and Last Night from Glasgow are thrilled to be sharing the first Kohla music video with The Skinny," Johnson enthuses.
"Taking influence from Tinashe, FKA twigs and Kate Bush, T O U C H was written over the new year and produced in the spring with my longtime collaborator Dave Lloyd (Lost Oscillation Studios/Stillhound). Originally a piano ballad, we wanted to keep a minimal approach to production; a pop song structure mixed with industrial R'n'B percussion.
"The track became surprisingly dancey, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to showcase my dance abilities, as I’ve been training at Dancebase with Jo Richards for the past 18 months," she explains. "I was lucky enough to have Flora Bui Quang Da and Natalie Divine on board as my backing dancers; we choreographed the routine over just a few sessions. I’ve learnt a lot from working with them – Flora is in the European voguing scene (Iconic House of Revlon/Kiki House of Tea), whilst Natalie is training to be a professional dancer, and will be a part of my Kohla live shows later this year.
"I feel extremely lucky to have had such great support from my label – Ian [Smith] and Rose [Little] from the team put me in touch with legendary photographer Brian Sweeney and his videographer Fabio Rebelo Paiva. They organised us to film the video in Sub Club which was perfect for the mystic, smoky and underground vibe of the song. They both connected with how I want to present Kohla visually, and Brian has also been lovely enough to arrange my clothing sponsor with Forty Clothing, which we have been using for the Kohla press photos."
Ahead of the EP's release and with some live shows planned for later in the year, you'll likely find Johnson hard at work in the dance studio for the remaainder of the summer. Until then, you can enjoy her first music video as Kohla in the above YouTube player – click here if it's not displaying correctly.
T O U C H is released on 2 Aug via Last Night from Glasgow