TNMK

TNMK or Tanok na Maidani Kongo ( ; "Dance at the Congo Square") is a Ukrainian hip-hop group. Considered one of the most successful hip-hop groups of Ukraine, they are known for clever, yet often tongue-in-cheek, lyrics; mixing hip-hop with rock, funk and jazz music and playing real instruments on their albums and live shows without using samples and drum machines. TNMK performed at many festivals as: Sziget Fest, Zakhid, Tavria Games, Chervona Ruta, Faine Misto and Bandershtat.

==History== thumb|left|TNMK Nativity scene 2023 Poland The group was formed at a labor camp on 14 June 1989 by Oleksandr "Fozzi" Sydorenko and Kostiantyn "Kotia" Zhuikov and was originally called Novye Doma () after one of the Kharkiv city neighborhoods where members of the band lived. They performed at the camp graduation ceremony, after which it was decided to gather the full band on 1 September 1989 at the school No. 11 where they studied. In September of the same year during subbotnik, the band guitarist Ivan Rykov, instead of painting a goal post, drew at the school shooting range a phrase "НОВЫЕ ДОМА ГР", while for the rest УППА he ran out of paint (ГРУППА in Russian means a band). The phrase survived for over 20 years, but faded away over a time. Originally Novye Doma played near the local Palace of Pioneers (southeastern portion of the city), but later managed to secure a studio at the Palace of Pioneers in the west side of the city where they performed in 1990-1994. Coincidentally just over the fence from the Palace of Culture was located a boarding music school where at the same time the future band member Oleh Mykhailyuta was learning to play bassoon (). The palace administration allowed the band to perform under one condition that they would play one of the popular songs once a week. Among the composition that they had to learn was I've Been Thinking About You by Londonbeat, Don't Cry by Guns N' Roses, as well as Soviet pop songs.