The 19th edition of Tokyo International Music Market will stream its annual music showcase live to fans worldwide on planned for 17, 18, and 19 October. The three-day event, presented in conjunction with TIMM’s music and entertainment seminars, features up-and-coming music artists from a variety of genres. Unlike in previous years, the streams will stay availble as archive for 24 hours.
DAY 1 – Monday 17 October
Time: 22:00 JST, 15:00 CEST, 14:00 BST
Where to watch: YouTube link
Performing artists: Alisa, DENSYA, BPM15Q, Flesh Juicer, mona+
Alisa
Alisa is a singer-songwriter who started writing songs since she was 18 years old, being inspired to write and compose music after meeting film director Yukihiko Tsutsumi. She has been the singing vocalist for the main cast of the anime series Carole & Tuesday, which maked her name known around the world.
DENSYA
DENSYA is a Japanese musical instrument and performing arts performance unit led by Masanori Kaiden. The group can sometimes be 30-person strong, but at other times consist of just two musicians. For TIMM, they are present with six musicians and will perform twice.
BPM15Q
This new-age pop unit consists of two members Ichigo Rinahamu and nicamoq and started in 2015. The group has been on a break for a couple of years, where Rinahamu decided to reform it into the vocal and DJ unit CY8ER until the disbandment in 2021. April 2022 marked the return of BPM15Q with the original line-up and with the release of the song Kyo You Mu through Victor Entertainment and produced by TeddyLoid.
Flesh Juicer
Flesh Juicer are a screamo band based in Taiwan and active since 2006. Their sound consist of hardcore and Taiwanese traditional folk music, while most of their songs are about the traditional Taiwanese culture social convention and the tour of religious carnivals. The Pig Head, the mask that is worn by the frontman, is often seen in traditional religious carnivals and is the spiritual symbol of Flesh Juicer. The band recently won a Golden Melody Award for the category Best Musical Group.
mona+
mona+ is a young musician that started with singing covers and earlier this year released her first single, titled Stranger, singing in English and Japanese. While mona+ is still a teenager, she is showing her talent without limits and the world seems to be at her feet.
DAY 2 – Tuesday 18 October
Time: 22:00 JST, 15:00 CEST, 14:00 BST
Where to watch: YouTube link
Performing artists: ulma sound junction, Ekotumi, Kazuo, DENSYA, NANO
ulma sound junction
ulma sound junction are a four-piece progressive rock band consisting of childhood friends from Ishigaki Island (Okinawa Prefecture). The band’s music is characterised by unpredictable developments and ear-catching melodies, and advocates Cinematic Core, which instantly pulls the listener into an overwhelming worldview.
Ekotumi
Ekotumi is a singer, author and poet. She bases her work on Japanese traditions and legends, presenting it with great elegance through song and dance. We have written about her before in previous articles and she also joined the virtual show in collaboration with HIGHFeeL for AnimeCon @ Home in 2020.
Kazuo
Born in the United States but raised in Japan, the Black and Japanese mixed rapper/singer Kazuo has never felt like he belonged anywhere. The Japanese-African-American musician got his start in the New York City music scene, frequently participating in street cyphers to showcases around the city. It wasn’t too long after that Kazuo would start putting out his own music. Kazuo brings elements of punk, alternative rock, and hip-hop to the heart of his work, even collaborating with jazz fusion band ALI and hopes to bridge the gap between black and Japanese culture and entertainment.
DENSYA
DENSYA is a Japanese musical instrument and performing arts performance unit led by Masanori Kaiden. The group can sometimes be 30-person strong, but at other times consist of just two musicians. For TIMM, they are present with six musicians and will perform twice.
NANO
The bilingual singer NANO started out with posting English covers of Japanese songs on Youtube which has since garnered the support of many users both in Japan and abroad. Fast forward to 2022, which is the year that NANO celebrate their 10th anniversary since their debut, we can look back at an already interesting career with international performances, music releases and collaborations and surely more to come.
DAY 3 – Wednesday 19 October
Time: 22:00 JST, 15:00 CEST, 14:00 BST
Where to watch: YouTube link
Performing artists: I LUV ME, USOTSUKI, TRiDENT, monje, LAYRUS LOOP
I LUV ME
I LUV ME (アイラヴミー) are a duo pop group and started with activities in 2016. The message that they want to convey in their music and lyrics are ‘you’re perfect just as you are’ and seems to appeal to a lot of people, gaining media attention and even outside Japan after putting their music on streaming services and adding subtitles to their music videos. After joining TIMM in 2020, they will join the 2022 edition again.
USOTSUKI
A band that never lies, formed in the summer of 2013 as a rock band, you can imagine what can happen in all these years from the release of music, line-up changes and more. Now active as a solo project by Masakazu Takeda, there is an entire discography of music to enjoy from three albums and a best-of album, to various mini-albums and singles.
TRiDENT
Before TRiDENT became the band as it is at this moment, the band was known as Girls Rock Band Kakumei for about six years, quite successfully with national and international shows, three mini-album and one album to their name. This success appears to be continuing since the band has undergone some changes including the band name in the spring 2020.
monje
monje is the name of a brand-new creative team consisting of three active art university students, Shun Moriyama, Kanan Komaki and Luna Nakagawa. They jointly produce music and artwork reflects the diverse artistic backgrounds of each group member. Moriyama mainly composes the music, Komaki writes the lyrics and sings the songs, and Nakagawa is in charge of art direction, including music videos, jackets and costumes.
LAYRUS LOOP
LAYRUS LOOP are a three-piece band that have been active since 2019, dubbed as a next-generation pop-rock band with captivating tunes that are simultaneously nostalgic, and vocalist Yuriya’s voice that seeps into your heart. Despite still being a relatively unknown, their music has been highly acclaimed and has been selected for many power play play playlists.
About TIMM
Tokyo International Music Market (TIMM) is the one and only music market in Japan that offers Japanese music a platform for overseas expansion and international exchange in the rapidly changing global music industry. The main components of TIMM are the Marketplace/Business Matching with overseas buyers, the Business Seminars, which are very popular every year, and the Live Music Showcase offering an opportunity for musicians to appeal directly to overseas buyers.
