Tokyo International Music Market (TIMM) will present its annual music showcase from 4 until 6 November 2020. The three-day event will be livestreamed for music fans worldwide via TIMM’s official YouTube channel.
Now in its 17th year, TIMM brings together music industry professionals, buyers, and artist representatives for seminars, performances, and business meetings designed to build relationships and spark financial partnerships promoting Japanese music artists to the ever-changing international market.
In addition, the TIMM Business Seminar for international delegates will also be uploaded to TIMM’s YouTube channel. This year’s seminar – titled Diggin’ Japanese Popular Music – will be moderated by BBC radio broadcaster and producer Nick Luscombe with guest speakers from Los Angeles, London, and Paris.
This year’s TIMM Live Showcase will feature a wide-ranging group of new and popular artists from a variety of music genres, including pop, rock, hip-hop, punk, traditional, and soul. The final day’s concert, titled JAPAN ANIME MUSIC SHOWCASE 2020, will focus exclusively on anisong artists, sponsored by JAMLAB., the online Business-to-business platform focused on Japanese anime music, organized by JMCE.
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.
Schedule
Please keep in mind that all times are in Japanese Standard Time and that performance times and lineup are subject to change. Please check TIMM’s official website for details.
DAY 1 – Wednesday, 4 November
https://youtu.be/sQOxuQRMtR4
19:00-19:25 MADKID
19:25-19:50 GOOD BYE APRIL
19:50-20:15 FAITH
20:15-20:40 FOUR GET ME A NOTS
20:40-21:05 YORIE
DAY 2 – Thursday, 5 November
https://youtu.be/fhDeI1nSWlI
19:00-19:25 I LUV ME
19:25-19:50 Ryoma Quartet
19:50-20:15 FES☆TIVE
20:15-20:40 MIRAI
20:40-21:05 SHARE LOCK HOMES
21:05-21:30 4s4ki (pronounced ASAKI)
DAY 3 – Friday, 6 November – JAMLAB. presents “Japan Anime Music Showcase 2020”
https://youtu.be/hxF5HbhJBWc
19:00-19:25 MindaRyn
19:25-19:50 Ayane
19:50-20:15 JUNNA
20:15-20:40 Yoko TAKAHASHI
Artist information
MADKID
MADKID, a five-member dance & vocal unit consisting of 2 rappers and 3 vocals, got formed in 2014. RISE released in 2019, the opening song of TV anime The Rising of the Shield Hero has been a big hit around the world. MADKID’s one and only performance created by their stunning rapping and powerful vocals is their most attractive feature.
GOOD BYE APRIL
GOOD BYE APRIL are Sho Kurashina (Vocals, guitar, keyboard.), Takashi Yoshida (Guitar), Ayane Enmoto (Bass), Tsunoken (Drums). Their music is called ‘neo-new music’ that is rooted in Japanese 70-80s City Pop and new music, giving it a feeling of scenery and nostalgia. With their unique sense of modern arrangement, they currently deliver a retro-modern sound. In recent years, their music is used as all soundtracks of a drama of the theatre group Caramel Box, and the theme songs for the JFN series radio programme OH! HAPPY MORNING. They have successfully sold out many one-man lives in hall-scale places in Japan. In 2020, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the formation, they released new songs for 6 consecutive months.
FAITH
FAITH are calling themselves a ‘gang of pop’, a 5-piece mixed-gender band from Ina City, Nagano prefecture, with an average age of 20. The band consists of 2 Japanese and 3 who are half-Japanese, half-Americans. They are influenced by a wide variety of Western music, topped with mainstream pop melodies, they see their music as the Global Pop Music of the new generation, by the new generation. The quintet was selected as one of the finalists out of 3199 contestants at “Mikakunin Ongaku Festival”; a teenage battle of the bands, in 2017 when they were still in the midst of their high school days. The band also opened for the American rock band Against The Current in December 2018, during their Tokyo leg of the world tour.
YORIE
Singer-songwriter Yorie gets supported by Yuki Fujimoto (guitar) and Taku Kawahara (bass). They have been blowing up in the Kobe and Osaka scene over the last two years, based on the power of her live performances. Her music is a mix of urban folk and soul, with a raw, emotional edge. Japanese critics describe her music as “so violent, hopeless, and extremely kind. You can’t imagine it’s coming from a singer with such a cute almost comical appearance.”
FOUR GET ME A NOTS
FOUR GET ME A NOTS are a melodic punk rock band represented by Hi-STANDARD. The band consists of Yasunori Ishitsubo (vocals and bass), Chie Takahashi (vocals and guitar) and Takayuki Abe (vocals and drums). After releasing music as an indie act, they made their major debut with their single HEROINE, released in 2011. They gained popularity with their energetic performances. In March 2020, they released their sixth album, titled KEEP THE FLAME.
I LUV ME
I LUV ME (アイラヴミー) are a three-piece 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.
Ryoma Quartet
Ryoma Quartet are a Japanese-Western eclectic fusion group where each of the members plays traditional Japanese instruments, such as the Tsugaru shamisen, Shinobue, drums, and violin that inherits Western traditions. Centred around violinist Ryoma, the group is part of Pony Canyon since 2016 and celebrated its 10th-anniversary in 2019.
FES☆TIVE
The festival-themed idol group with an aim to make Japan energetic. The name FES☆TIVE is a coined word that combines festival, positive, and active. Hosting live performances seems to be always full-spirited to energise Japan, with a focus on Tokyo!
MIRAI
In March 2015, MIRAI made her major debut as the main vocalist of IKEMEN, a female idol group. At the same time, she started her solo activities. She has collaborated with popular music YouTuber Kobasolo, publishing a video, which has exceeded 37 million views (as of August 2020).
SHARE LOCK HOMES
SHARE LOCK HOMES are a dance unit consisting of 4 persons in charge of backup dancing of Hironobu Kageyama, Masaaki Endo, Gero, and others. They caught a lot of attention with their dancing video on Nico Nico Douga. Recently, they have taken the first step as a hip-hop dance vocal unit by uploading their original work music videos to YouTube.
4s4ki (pronounced ASAKI)
4s4ki is seen as a next-generation artist who can single-handedly handle writing lyrics, composing songs, and even arranging. She debuted in March 2018, has established a private label in 2019 and released an EP earlier in 2020. She has been producing stage music for Kemono Friends and SHOW BY ROCK! and providing music for the voice acting unit SoundOrion.
MindaRyn
MindaRyn is a YouTuber from Thailand who will debut from Lantis in November 2020. After becoming a university student, she started her career as a YouTuber focusing on animation song cover videos, aiming to become an animation song singer in earnest. Her videos have been viewed 54 million times and have attracted attention not only in Thailand, but also in Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, and the United States.
Ayane
Ayane debuted in 2004 as a songwriter when she wrote the lyrics for the theme song to the TV anime W-Wish, after that she made more theme songs for popular TV anime and games, such as Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuri, Umisho, and AYAKASHI. In 2019, she celebrated the 15th anniversary of her debut with the release of for Dearest, the theme of the latest entry in her masterwork series Memories Off.
JUNNA
JUNNA started singing in 2015 for the anime series MACROSSΔ in the group WALKURE, making her the youngest singer of the group and of the series’ 35-year history, starting as young as 14. In 2017, she began her solo career.
Yoko Takahashi
Yoko Takahashi made her major debut as a solo singer in 1991 with her single CD P.S. I miss you, she received the Japan Record Award for a new singer and the Japan Cable Radio Award for a new singer. Among her 29 singles, 13 albums, and 8 best albums, her representative songs are Cruel Angel’s Thesis, the theme song of TV anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion in 1995 and Soul’s Refrain, the theme song of Evangelion: Death and Rebirth theatrically released in 1997.
17th TIMM Business Seminar
Diggin’ Japanese Popular Music with the guest speakers in Los Angeles, London and Paris. In recent years, Japanese city pop, jazz, and ambient music have become hot topics among music lovers around the world. At this year’s TIMM, London and Tokyo-based DJ, producer, and broadcaster Nick Luscombe invites guest speakers from different cities around the world to explore their passion for Japanese popular music. Nick and the speakers will also recommend their favourite selections, which they will play for you.
Moderator:
Nick Luscombe
An experienced BBC radio broadcaster, producer, DJ and music/playlist curator with a varied career with numerous companies including iTunes, Google Play, BBC and the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Also, the founder of the music/architecture practices Musicity.
Speakers:
Yosuke Kitazawa – Los Angeles, California, US
Japan-born, California-raised reissue record producer known for his work on Light In The Attic Records’ Japan Archival Series. Nominated for a Grammy in 2020 as a producer for the compilation Kankyō Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental & New Age Music 1980-1990.
Darrel Sheinman – London, UK
Founder Gearbox Records Ltd, the UK’s leading vinyl record label with technical production house
Elvin Pagiras – Paris, France
General Manager Modulor / Modulor Japan
Exclusive distributor for labels such as Sub Pop, Secretly Canadian, Daptone Records, Glitterbeat and produce/license records through our in-house labels
