‘Glossolalia’: A magical collaboration between Utena Kobayashi & Motion Graphics

Japanese electronic artist Utena Kobayashi and Motion Graphics, the project of NYC electronic artist Joe Williams, have released a collaborative EP titled Glossolalia.

Utena Kobayashi says of the project, “Collaborating with Motion Graphics has been one of the most magical and mystical experiences of my life.”

Joe Williams says, “Utena originally inquired about doing a remix and the collaborations just evolved from there and we came up with these two songs that we’re both really proud of.”

A transcontinental collaboration made entirely without Williams and Kobayashi ever being in the same room, Glossolalia, which also features remixes from Portland ambient/new age duo Visible Cloaks and Japanese electronic music veteran Kuniyuki Takahashi, explores a delicate strain of ambient pop, its nuanced contours reflecting Williams’ unique ability to wield production technology in a way that feels not just poignant, but deeply human.

Based in Nagano, Japan, Utena Kobayashi is an electronic musician; in addition to playing steel drum, harp, marimba and synth, she is a vocalist who sings in a unique language of her own creation. She is a member of the band Oni no Migiude which blends folk, rock and dub. She has composed and participated in multiple short and feature films including Yukihiko Tsutsumi’s 12 Suicidal Teens (2019), Kenji Iwaisawa’s On-Gaku (2019), Daichi Amano’s Pain of the Anonymous (2022), Hitoshi Omika’s Father, Father (2023) and Takashi Shimizu’s Sana (2023).

Following his 2016 beloved self-titled album and returning from an 8 year hiatus as Motion Graphics, Joe Williams’ past eight years have been anything but restful. He contributed to FKA Twigs’ 2019 album Magdalene, remixed iconic Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, collaborated with Visible Cloaks on the quietly majestic single “Terrazzo,” and continued to be a part of Lifted, the musically adventurous, PAN-affiliated ensemble headed up by Future Times founder Maxmillion Dunbar. Williams has composed music for installations by video artists Tommy Malekoff (Desire Lines, Forever and Ever) and Cyprien Gaillard (HUMPTY \ DUMPTY). And though Williams isn’t new to working with film, he was invited in 2019 to remix the soundtrack to Akira, one of the most venerated anime movies of all time, for a special installation by graphic artist YOSHIROTTEN at the Parco Museum in Tokyo.