Tetsuya Komuro

Tetsuya Komuro

Tetsuya Komuro at the 2014 MTV VMAJ in Japan.
Background information
Also known as "TK"
Born (1958-11-27) November 27, 1958
Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan
Genres Electronic, pop, eurobeat, dance, tribal house, oldschool jungle, trance, progressive rock, R&B
Occupation(s) Composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician
Instruments Keyboards, piano, guitar, organ, synthesizer, keytar
Years active 1975–present
Labels
Associated acts TM Network, globe
Website Official website

Tetsuya Komuro (小室 哲哉 Komuro Tetsuya, born 27 November 1958) is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter, composer and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the disco Velfarre located in Roppongi, Tokyo. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in pop throughout the 1990s.

In the Oricon singles chart of April 15, 1996, he monopolized all the top 5 positions as the songwriter and producer, a world record. In 1995, he monopolized all top 3 positions of the copyright distribution rankings for the JASRAC Award, a record in Japan's music history. At his peak as a record producer the artists he predominantly produced for came to be known as TK Family and at one time included Namie Amuro, hitomi, TRF, Tomomi Kahala and Ami Suzuki amongst others. As of 2008, records produced by him had sold more than 170 million.[1] Total sales of the singles he has written exceed 42 million copies, making him the fourth best-selling lyricist in Japan.[2]

Life and career

1979–94: Early career and TM Network

Main article: TM Network

His career started as a keyboardist for Speedway in 1979. In 1984, he created the TM Network with Takashi Utsunomiya and Naoto Kine. A year later, in 1985, his first solo work was the soundtrack Vampire Hunter D for the anime movie Vampire Hunter D, and his band, TM Network, did the closing credits song "Your Song". He subsequently composed other soundtracks such as Heaven and Earth and Seven Days War.

As a solo singer, Komuro released singles "Running to Horizon" and "Gravity of Love" in 1989. "Running to Horizon" topped the Oricon charts. "Gravity of Love" also topped the Oricon charts, beating out Seiko Matsuda's "Precious Heart."[3] In 1989 and 1990, Komuro collaborated with Warren Cuccurullo.

As a composer and producer, Komuro wrote a song "My Revolution" for Misato Watanabe. The song received the Golden Award at 28th Japan Record Awards in 1986.

TM Network released single "The Point of Lovers' Night" on July 7, 1990. The single also topped the Oricon weekly charts, beating out Wink's single "Yoru ni Hagurete (Where Were You Last Night)."[4]

TM Network changed its name to TMN in 1990. In 1991, he collaborated with X Japan drummer and pianist Yoshiki as V2. TMN disbanded in 1994.

1994–97: Komuro boom as a record producer

By the early 1990s, Komuro was spending much of his time writing songs for and producing many other musicians and bands. He was also an early pioneer of dance music in Japan, and came to stardom in the 1990s as producer with a long string of hits with artists such as TRF (TK Rave Factory), Tomomi Kahala, Namie Amuro, Ami Suzuki, hitomi, Ryoko Shinohara and H Jungle with t. In 1994, he composed the musical score to the Japanese anime film Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, based on the Capcom video game. Ryoko Shinohara sang the theme song of the anime film, "Itoshisato Setsunasato Kokorozuyosato," with Tetsuya Komuro. The single of the theme song was released on July 21, 1994. In total, the single "Itoshisato Setsunasato Kokorozuyosato" sold over two million copies on the Oricon charts.[5] This score was removed from the US release of the film.

He was mainly helped in this task by the mix engineers Pete Hammond and Dave Ford. Both were working for PWL, which was the home of the British producing team Stock Aitken Waterman. Not only that, "TK" is also credited for the rise to fame of Daisuke Asakura, a popular Japanese composer, keyboardist and music producer who began his major musical career as a backup keyboardist for TM Network. Asakura is reported to view Komuro as his "Sensei" or "Teacher".

In 1997, he started his overseas career with the remix of the theme music for the soundtrack to the 1997 American film Speed 2: Cruise Control, which Japanese MMA Legend Kazushi Sakuraba and English pro wrestler Johnny Smith later adopted as their entrance music.

1998–2007: Following career

Komuro also released albums as a solo singer or musician and was involved in the bands Globe, Kiss Destination and Gaball. On December 31, 1998, his band Globe's song "Wanna Be A Dreammaker" received the grand prix award at the 40th edition of Japan Record Award. In 1999, Komuro, Utsunomiya and Kine reunited under their old name of TM Network, and remain active to this day.

Komuro worked in collaboration with French keyboardist Jean Michel Jarre from 1998 to 2001. The duet wrote the theme song for the 1998 FIFA World Cup Together Now as well as several other tracks and remixes. He and Jarre also performed a concert on beaches in Okinawa on January 1, 2001.

2008: Fraud

On November 4, 2008, Komuro was arrested and charged with fraud, for taking ¥500,000,000 in exchange for a promise to sell to a Hyogo-based investor the copyright to his songs, which he had already sold to somebody else (which was Avex Group Holdings according to reports).[6][7][8] Reportedly, he planned to use the money to pay a portion of his ex-wife's alimony.[9][10] He admitted the fraud at his trial in January 2009.[11]

In March 2009, Matsuura Masato, president of the Avex Group Holdings, recovered the losses for the plaintiff, paid him extra ¥100 million in compensation and a further ¥48 million in delay damages. Matsuura also stated that Komuro will work at Avex in a company position directly under his control.[12]

On May 11, 2009, Komuro received a suspended three-year prison sentence. According to the sentencing judge, Komuro's acceptance of responsibility and the fact that restitution had been made greatly influenced the final sentence, and further went on to state that no good to society would come from Komuro's imprisonment.[13]

2009–present: Comeback

At the Avex Group Holdings' concert tour a-nation 2009, Komuro made a surprise appearance on August 22, 2009. He played a medley of his hit songs at the piano and later reunited on stage with his fellow members of the J-pop group globe, Marc Panther and his wife Keiko.

Komuro composed AAA's double A-side single "Aitai Riyū/Dream After Dream (Yume Kara Sameta Yume)." The single was released on May 5, 2010.

He composed almost all the songs on Love Songs, the 2010 album of Japanese pop-star Ayumi Hamasaki. He also composed the 2013 single "Feel The Love" by Ayumi Hamasaki.[14]

Discography

Studio albums
Live albums
Compilation albums
Remix albums
Soundtracks
Box sets
Singles

References

  1. ↑ Justin McCurry (November 4, 2008). "Japanese pop producer arrested for fraud". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 4, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  2. ↑ "【オリコン】秋元康氏、作詞シングル総売上が1億枚突破「34年間の積み重ね」". Oricon (in Japanese). 2015-12-09. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
  3. ↑ "Oricon Weekly Single Charts for the fourth week of November 1989" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  4. ↑ "Oricon Weekly Single Charts for the third week of July 1990" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  5. ↑ "小室哲哉が作曲した楽曲売上 TOP20". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. November 4, 2008. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
  6. ↑ Music producer Komuro arrested for copyright fraud › Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion Japan Today Retrieved November 4, 2008
  7. ↑ AFP: Japanese music producer Komuro arrested for fraud: reports AFP Retrieved November 4, 2008
  8. ↑ NHKニュース　借金返済に困り著作権悪用か (NHK News: Abuse of Intellectual Property Rights under Pressure to Repay Loans?), NHK News, Retrieved November 4, 2008
  9. ↑ Music producer Komuro arrested for copyright fraud
  10. ↑ Komuro faces arrest over fraud
  11. ↑ "Japan's disgraced music icon Komuro admits fraud". AFP. January 21, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Avex Boss Bails Out Komuro". Japan Zone Entertainment. March 13, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  13. ↑ Schwartz, Rob (May 12, 2009). "Tetsuya Komuro gets suspended sentence". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
  14. ↑ "Tetsuya Komuro Homepage". komuro.info. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
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