Jamiroquai

About Jamiroquai

Jay Kay, frontman of the space-funk combo Jamiroquai, is an unapologetic Stevie Wonder worshipper. The white boy's got a soulful voice and a genius for socially conscious, disco-fried funk hits. The band has always had a sci-fi thing but their first single, 1992's "When You Gonna Learn?" was a pure slab of acid jazz, sampling funky horns to a club-pleasing dance beat. It got the band instant attention in England, but failed to make a ripple in the United States. Their early albums, 1993's Emergency On Planet Earth and '94's follow-up The Return Of the Space Cowboy earned the smooth boys a reputation on the European club circuit and helped build their future-fetish image. It wasn't until 1996's Traveling Without Moving that clubbers Stateside were introduced to Jamiroquai's funky Buffalo Man mascot (allegedly Jay Kay's self-portrait, the little guy with the big hat has graced the cover of every Jamiroquai release.) The disc's hit single "Virtual Insanity" was dark and soulful, gliding along a cushion of lush synths. The accompanying, groundbreaking video Jay Kay sliding around a sterile, futuristic room while the walls start bleeding cleaned up at the MTV Awards, scoring four including Best Video and Breakthrough Video. Since cracking the States, Jamiroquai's sound has veered away from jazz samples and up into the disco-funk stratosphere. They even achieved cult infamy with their track "Canned Heat," which was chosen by Napoleon Dynamite for his hot dance scene. These days, Jamiroquai have expressed public unhappiness with their record label, Sony, and plan on releasing a greatest hits disc under contractual obligation, than jumping to Columbia Records for any upcoming releases.