TM Network

TM Network
Also known as	TMN
Origin	Tama, Tokyo, Japan
Genres	New wave synthpop progressive rock
Years active	1983 (1983)–1994 1996 1999–2008 2012 –2018 2021–present (present)
Labels	Epic Japan True Kiss Rojam Gaball Screen Avex Trax
Members	Tetsuya Komuro Takashi Utsunomiya Naoto Kine
Website	fanksintelligence.com

TM Network is a Japanese rock/new wave/pop musical band. The members are Tetsuya Komuro (keyboardist), Takashi Utsunomiya (vocalist) and Naoto Kine (guitarist). When they released the single "Get Wild" in 1987, their music became popular in Japan as the "futuristic pop songs with synthesizer."

They are regarded as a prototype of J-pop, because Tetsuya Komuro became a famous producer of dance-oriented J-pop singers in 1990s. However, their 2000 album Major Turn-Round was influenced by progressive rock.

History

They were originally members of a band called Speedway during their school days. The three of them formed TM Network. Their name is commonly thought to stand for "Time Machine Network". However, on September 6, 2006, an episode of Trivia no Izumi claimed that TM actually stands for Tama, the district from Tokyo they all came from. While Trivia no Izumi claims that TM stands for Tama, Tetsuya Komuro himself, as early as 1984 on the show LiveG, has said that the TM stands for Time Machine.

On August 22, 1983, TM Network took part in the "Fresh Sounds Contest" (フレッシュサウンズコンテスト) which was sponsored by Coca-Cola. The song they performed was "1974" and it was aired on TBS. This was their first step towards a record deal.

They made their record debut with single "Kin'yōbi no Lion (Take It to the Lucky)" (lit. "Friday's lion") and album Rainbow Rainbow on April 21, 1984.

They became famous first in Hokkaido. After a while they had more hits with the songs "Self Control", "Get Wild", "Beyond the Time", and others. So they've become one of the most popular rock bands in Japan. More particularly, in the anime world, "Get Wild", as the first ending song of City Hunter, has especially got a lot of cover versions by many J-pop bands and singers alike, and it has been covered by Vocaloids as well. "Get Wild" and a 1989 remix sold a combined 515,010 singles in Japan. "Beyond the Time" was used as the ending theme the 1988 anime film Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack. Both songs above have even enhanced their fame since then.

Several musicians have supported them at their live shows as backing bands such as Tak Matsumoto (B'z), Daisuke Asakura (Access), and more.

They changed their name to TMN in 1990, and broke up in 1994. They reunited under their original name in 1999. Komuro's withdrawal from public appearances beginning in January 2018 put an end to the group's activities again.

In 2021, the group reunited once more and began performing a series of virtual concerts titled How Do You Crash It? The first concert was streamed on October 9, 2021, the second will air on December 11, and the third in February the following year.

They compiled with the overseas musicians such as Julio Iglesias Jr., Sheila E., Leehom Wang for "Happiness×3 Loneliness×3".

Members

• Tetsuya Komuro (小室哲哉 Komuro Tetsuya, born November 27, 1958 in Fuchū, Tokyo) Keyboard, composition, arrangement, lyrics, producer, chorus.
• Takashi Utsunomiya (宇都宮隆 Utsunomiya Takashi, born October 25, 1957) Main vocals, chorus.

He is acting solo singer. And also, as an actor, performed in the musical Rent in Japan.

• Naoto Kine (木根尚登 Kine Naoto, born September 26, 1957) Guitar, composition, piano, harmonica, chorus.

He is acting solo singer-songwriter. And also, as an author, written many novels and other books.

Discography

Main article: TM Network discography

Video game

• TM Network: Live in Power Bowl, released in 1989 for the Famicom

External links

• Official website at Avex (in Japanese)
• Official website at Sony Music (in Japanese)
• TM Network discography at Discogs