TNMK

Tanok na Maidani Kongo. TNMK

Year of foundation: 1989

Number of participants: 9

Leader: Oleg "Fagot" Mikhailuta

Genre: rap, hip-hop, funk

Number of albums: 10

Tanok na Maidani Kongo 

TNMK is a Ukrainian band that performs music in such genres as funk, rock and hip-hop. It is one of the oldest bands formed in Ukraine, with more 25 years of experience in the music industry.

History of formation

The band dates back to 1989, the period from 1989 to 1997, when the first "musical sketches" appeared, the members call "Before Our Time" and jokingly write on their own website "Fortunately, those records have not been preserved". Back then, two best friends, Fozzy and Kotya, who are still members of the band to this day, gathered a diverse group of people and in the same year they released their first, debut album, “Зроби мені хіп-хоп”, which sold over a million copies.

In the early years of its existence, the group was called «Новые дома»(eng. New buildings) after the name of the neighborhood where its members lived. But later, when talented performers and musicians flew under its wing, it was decided to change the name to a louder one that would be understood abroad as well. That's how the letters "TNMK", known to the entire public, first appeared.

Between 1994 and 1998, the band was in limbo. More than three dozen people changed in the band, there were plans to release two studio albums, which never saw the light of day not only because of the creative crisis of the members, but also because of the lack of funds to rent a good recording studio, as well as the inability to clearly define the genre of the future band.

In 1996, the young band actively participated in various competitions, such as the well-known Chervona Ruta, where they performed and showed their first three songs. As the performers themselves say, they wrote them on their knees, just a few days before applying, since by the time they entered the competition, they had only one of the three required songs. As expected, they won in various nominations and were also noticed by the director of the TV company, who got the idea to shoot a video for their first song, which later became a cult favorite.

Already in 1998, the group released several cassettes with their songs for their own money, as well as their first video on television, which made them popular, released their first album, which was supplemented by a small dictionary of Western Ukrainian words and those invented by the band members, thus successfully debuting in the world of show business.

Best creative years

The band considers the period from 2005 to 2010 to be their most fruitful years, when they actively participated in various competitions and won nominations. This includes participation in the Tavrian Games, recording albums with various famous musicians, such as Sofia Rotaru, Ivan Dorn, 5`nizza and others.

Music videos are a special feature of their work: since its inception, the band has shot more than four dozen videos, half of which have been recognized by music critics for the quality of presentation, images and storyline.

At the same time, the band launched their own website, for which they even received awards. The page is still functioning to this day, and fans can learn about their history, current lineup, and future plans.

The band has held several competitions for the best illustration for their upcoming album, thus stimulating the development of Ukrainian art. The band members note that they not only worked for TNMK's image, but also for their own. In particular, Fozzy and Dilya were actively involved in the work of Fozzy, who recorded their own solo albums, which later sold as many copies as TNMK's CDs.

Over these five years, the band's work has been recognized with several awards, and they have given many concerts not only in Ukraine but also abroad.

Areas of creativity

The group's work had several main directions, and that's why it was so popular among music critics. Yes, they did not stop at hip-hop alone: in their albums, you could find R&B, funk and other genres that were specifically but harmoniously combined in their music.

The group puts a special emphasis on participating in various projects and competitions. According to the band members themselves, their long-held dream was to perform their own songs with a symphony orchestra, which became a reality in 2014, and a movie about it will be released later.

In 2011, TNMK recorded a joint song with a Georgian band, which had a positive impact on the growth of their fan base, and the video for this song, called "Qari Qris", won the nomination for the best Ukrainian video with visuals.

In 2012, the band took an active part in creating the music for Euro 2012, which was held in Ukraine and Poland. In addition to recording music tracks, they performed as a warm-up act before matches in more than ten cities and 12 fan zones.

TNMK members regularly appear on various TV programs. For example, Fagot once hosted a section dedicated to music on 1+1 TV channel, and Fozzy hosted the show " Velyki Perehony" on the same channel.

In 2015, the band continues to delight fans with their music videos. In addition, Fozzy demonstrates to the general public his book titled "Accompanying persons", as well as several solo CDs.

In 2017, the band's creative work did not stop: they promised their fans several new albums, while delighting them with live performances and offering a new collection of items and branded clothing from the Double Trouble series in the fanshop. This year was also marked by the participation of TNMK in various television programs, major films, TV series and other equally important cultural events.

As promised, in 2018 they released the album "7" - the band's seventh studio album, which, as you might guess, includes 7 tracks: “Мій демон”, “Робот”, “Друга новина”, “Різдво рок-н-рол”, “Хоббіт”, “Янголи” and a track with Braty Hadukiny “Гострі ножі”.

The following year was a special one for the band, a year of experiments. At the beginning of January 2019, in a Kyiv club, they presented the project "Теплий акустичний вертеп" to their fans - combining acoustics with theater, later they even presented a short film shot at this concert, and then three more shows.

Later, they were invited to the Leopoliss Jazz Fest, for which the Jazzy DeLuxe project was specially created with the participation of the Dennis Ad big band, which they presented in Lviv in June. In 2020, the band joined the “Так працює пам’ять” (eng.This is How Memory Works) project and released the song "Історія України за 5 хвилин," which actually briefly recounted the history of their native country. The project itself was dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives fighting for independence, including Didyk Danylo, who died during the Unity March in Kharkiv as a result of a terrorist attack.

Present

In 2021, TNMK released the album “Ватра”, and in a comment on their YouTube channel they wrote: 

"The “Ватра” album is a report on our lockdown - how we sat, who was where, and wrote songs in a group chat."

They continue to release singles, record duets, and continue their creative work, and the leader of the band Fagot stood up to defend the country from the beginning of the full-scale invasion, and later went with the band to support Ukraine with charity concerts in European cities, not forgetting his native place, they played concerts in Kyiv, Uman, Vinnytsia, Rivne, Lutsk, and other cities of Ukraine.

Awards TNMK:

2017 – award “For special achievements”, YUNA

2006 – victory in the nomination “Hip-Hop and R&B”, ShowBizAward

2001 – award ”Best music site of the year ”, First Ukrainian Internet Festival

2001 – award “Design of the Year 2001”,First Ukrainian Internet Festival 

1999 – “ Best alternative project ”, Golden Firebird

1997 – “The best hit of the festival” (song “Зроби мені хіп-хоп”), Chervona Ruta

Albums:

• 2021 – “ВАТРА red”

• 2018 – “7”

• 2014 – “Дзеркало”

• 2015 – “ТНМК та оркестр Слобожанський – Симфо хіп-хоп” (Live album)

• 2010 – “С.П.А.М.”

• 2005 – “Сила”

• 2004 – “Пожежі міста Вавілон”

• 2004 – “ТНМК & Схід-Side – Jazzy” (Live album)

• 2001 – “Неформат”

• 1998 – “Зроби мені хіп-хоп”