Brand new Hobbes Music signing from Tokyo, Kota Motomura is a slightly mysterious character with an ear for idiosyncratic music that runs the gamut from Exotica and Jazz to House and Techno. Highly original, it all adds up to a confection perhaps best described as Balearic. This is his second release.

Motomura started sending the label demos in late 2017, off the back of the success of international underground hit Web Of Intrigue (from Leonidas & Hobbes’ last EP, The Rags Of Time). These demos immediately pricked up the ears of label boss Hobbes (already enamoured by Japanese culture, following a couple of Far Eastern DJing tours, Spring ‘17 & Autumn ‘16 - a love affair reflected in his choice of fellow Japanese artist Sayori Wada to create the sleeve for HM010). Hobbes asked to hear more demos. These were also good and the pair agreed on an EP release. And then the line went dead... for more than six months. When Motomura got back in touch, he explained that he had been sick (and would soon be returning to hospital). In any case, label scheduling and other commitments meant it hasn't been possible to release this music until now.

Opening track ‘Aboy’ sets you afloat down a psychedelic stream, plucked strings lulling you into a dreamy state, while the occasional image from some long-forgotten Miyazaki film flows past. It’s a rare gem, sounding a bit like few things from the past but like nothing else out there right now. A2 ‘Yes’ ups the tempo and adds beats, saxophone and vox but is no less unusual, occasional bird calls and other fx dropping into a mix which gets stranger as it progresses over for a marathon ten minutes. Accelerating hyper-actively towards the end, it’s sure to leave a few DJs scratching their heads...

The B-side is a bit straighter: opening track Stars is a bossa nova style house number with infectious piano motifs, while B2 Cry Baby sounds a bit like Carl Craig’s seminal ‘Throw’ re-imagined with different vocal and a wonky piano. Bonus track Satellites (download only) is the kind of low-slung plodder Detroit legend Theo Parrish might drop in one of his warm-up sets, all solid groove and scat-style vocal fx with a nagging keyboard refrain and featherlight shakers against a HEAVY bottom end. And secondary bonus Return (download only) is the kind of bonkers techno bizniz Maurice Fulton or Pepe Bradock might dream up when they're feeling a bit goofy...

‘Loove this. Super music’ LAURENT GARNIER
'Absolutely bonkers this release, absolutely loving it! The whole EP, it's like this kind of vibe. It's amazing. Will play another track on the show next week' TOM RAVENSCROFT played 'Yes' on BBC 6MUSIC, 31.5.19
'The tracks are amazing! For real! Really very very good and weird music! I don’t know how when but i’ll try to support the whole album, is amazing!' BAWRUT
'This is great. Very high quality. Sometimes music is very hit or miss for me - this is a hit. This guy is very talented. Will play something on Rinse for sure' RED RACK EM
‘Sounds lovely. I really like it’ JIM STANTON (Horse Meat Disco)
'This is ace, will support for sure' PHAT PHIL COOPER (Nu Northern Soul Sessions; Cafe del Mar, Ibiza)
‘Yeah I'd definitely play this. Aboy and Stars are the ones that caught my ear :)’ BILL BREWSTER (DJ History)
‘Interesting stuff’ Played on Beats in Space, 16.4.19 TIM SWEENEY
'Thanks for the music. Yes is my favorite, I find Aboy interesting. Cheers from Milan' LEO MAS (Original Amnesia Resident & Ibiza Legend)
‘Really digging Stars and Satellites’ NICK THE RECORD (Various Int.)
'All sound great. Think Aboy is my favourite' PHIL MISON (Balearic Legend)
'Nice work on this one - sounds like a lovely mini-album. Very trippy and hypnotic in all the right places. Thanks for sending!' THE REVENGE (Glasgow/Int.)
'Cry Baby is the one for me just now thank you' JONNY ROCK (Brighton/Int.)
'These are f**king bonkers! Love it! SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
‘I like the first 2 tracks, they're very cool indeed. Congrats on the release’ CEDRIC ‘WOO’ LASSONDE (Beauty & The Beat)
'Lovely stuff this, particularly dig the Stars track but whole EP is great' CRAIG SMITH (6th Borough Project)
‘This sounds v interesting!’ ALI OOFT (Glasgow/Int.)
'I love Stars.' GARETH SOMMERVILLE (Athens Of The North, Edinburgh/Int.)
‘Thanks, that sounds really interesting. Particularly like the first track (reminds me of Durutti Column) and Stars’ BALEARIC MIKE (Balearic Legend)
'This bonkers track' - 'Yes' featured in 'The 25 best songs of the month of May' on NIALLER9.COM
'Free floating on moistened tropical air that blows between the rainforests and the Balearics... great showcase of exotic, lush and more mysterious.. propels origins of House & Techno into curious directions' MONOLITH COCKTAIL