Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai (/dʒəˈmɪrəkwaɪ/ ⓘ jə-MIRR-ə-kwy) are an English funk and acid jazz band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in their early releases and later drew from rock, disco, electronic and Latin music genres. Lyrically, the group has addressed social and environmental justice. Kay has remained as the only original member through several line-up changes.
Jamiroquai
London, England
1992–present
- Jay Kay
- Derrick McKenzie
- Sola Akingbola
- Rob Harris
- Matt Johnson
- Paul Turner
See former members
The band made their debut under Acid Jazz Records but subsequently found mainstream success under Sony. While under this label, three of their albums have charted at number one in the UK, including Emergency on Planet Earth (1993), Synkronized (1999) and A Funk Odyssey (2001). The band's 1998 single, "Deeper Underground", was also number one in their native country.
As of 2017, Jamiroquai had sold more than 26 million albums worldwide. Their third album, Travelling Without Moving (1996), received a Guinness World Record as the best-selling funk album in history. The music video for its second single, "Virtual Insanity", also contributed to the band's success. The song was named Video of the Year at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards and earned the band a Grammy Award in 1998.
History[edit]
1992–1993: Formation and Emergency on Planet Earth[edit]
Jay Kay was sending songs to record companies, including a hip-hop single released in 1986 under the label StreetSounds.[1][2] During this time, Kay was influenced by Native American and First Nation peoples and their philosophies; this led to the creation of "When You Gonna Learn", a song covering social issues.[1][3] After he had it recorded, Kay fought with his producer, who took out half of the lyrics and produced the song based on what was charting at the time.[1] With the track restored to his preference, the experience helped Kay realise he "wanted a proper live band with a proper live sound".[1] The band would be named "Jamiroquai", a portmanteau of the words "jam" and the name of a Native American confederacy, the Iroquois.[3] He was signed to Acid Jazz Records in 1991 after he sent a demo tape of himself covering a song by the Brand New Heavies.[4][5] Kay gradually gathered band members, including Wallis Buchanan, who played the didgeridoo.[1] Kay's manager scouted keyboardist Toby Smith, who joined the group as Kay's songwriting partner.[1] In 1992, Jamiroquai began their career by performing in the British club scene.[6] They released "When You Gonna Learn" as their debut single, charting outside the UK Top 50 on its initial release.[7] In the following year, Stuart Zender became the band's bassist by audition.[8][9]
After the success of "When You Gonna Learn", the band were offered major-label contracts. Kay signed a one-million-dollar, eight-album record deal with Sony Soho2.[7][10][11] He was the only member under contract, but he would share his royalties with his band members in accordance to their contributions as musicians.[11] Their label for US releases would be under the Work Group.[12][a] The band released their debut album, Emergency on Planet Earth, where it entered the UK albums chart at number 1.[13] Kevin L. Carter of The Philadelphia Inquirer commented that the album "is full of upbeat, multi-hued pop tunes based heavily in acid jazz, '70s fusion, funk and soul, reggae and world music".[14] With it, the band would continue to build upon their acid-jazz sounds in the following years.[13] The album's ecologically charged concept gave Kay press coverage,[15] although Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post found the record's sloganeering "as crude as the music is slick".[16]
Artistry[edit]
Musical style and influences[edit]
Jamiroquai's music is generally termed acid jazz,[61] funk,[62] disco,[63] soul,[15] house,[64] and R&B.[27] Their sound has been described by J. D. Considine as having an "anything-goes attitude, an approach that leaves the band open to anything".[65] Tom Moon wrote that the band "embrac[es] old-school funk, Philly-soul strings, the crisp keyboard sounds of the '70s and even hints of jazz fusion", blending these with "agitated, aggressive dance rhythms to create an easygoing feel that looks both backward and forward".[66] Ben Sisario facetiously commented that Jay Kay and Toby Smith as songwriters, "studied Innervisions-era [Stevie] Wonder carefully, and just about everything the group has recorded sounds like it could in fact have been played by [Wonder] himself."[67]
Kay is the primary songwriter of Jamiroquai. When composing, he sings melodies and beats for band members to transcribe to their instrumentation.[1] The band relies on analog sounds, such as running keyboards through vintage effects pedals "to get the warmth and the clarity of those instruments".[66] Parry Gettelman of the Orlando Sentinel described Kay's vocals as "not identifiably male or female, black or white".[68] Other writers said Toby Smith's keyboard arrangements were "psychedelic and soulful",[33] and compared Stuart Zender's bass playing to the work of Marcus Miller.[69] Wallis Buchanan on didgeridoo was met with either praise or annoyance from critics.[29][65][67][70]
Kay was influenced by Roy Ayers, Herbie Hancock, Lou Donaldson, Grant Green, Sly Stone, Gil Scott-Heron, and hip-hop and its culture.[15][27][71] He was introduced to much of these influences in the mid-1980s by British club DJs. "I'd been into Stevie and all that… Then I got into the JBs, Maceo Parker and the Meters… I decided around that time to try to make music built around those loose, open grooves."[66] A 2003 compilation titled Late Night Tales: Jamiroquai under Azuli Records, also contains a selection of some of the band's late 1970s R&B, disco and quiet storm influences.[72] Kay and the group have been compared to Stevie Wonder, with some critics accusing the band of copying black artists.[11][73][74] In response, Kay said "we never tried to hide our influences".[73] The band references them as Kay maintained Jamiroquai's own sound: "it's about the style of music you aim for, not the exact sound. If you just sample Barry White or Sly Stone, that's one thing; to get their spirit is different."[27]
