Jamiroquai

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Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai performing in Chicago, October 2005.
Jamiroquai performing in Chicago, October 2005.
Background information
Origin Flag of England England
Genre(s) Acid Jazz, Funk, Disco, Pop, Rock, Electronica
Years active 1992–present
Label(s) Acid Jazz, Sony BMG, Columbia
Associated
acts
Brand New Heavies, Guru, M-Beat
Website http://www.jamiroquai.com/
Members
Jason Kay
Rob Harris
Paul Turner
Matt Johnson
Derrick McKenzie
Sola Akingbola
Lorraine McIntosh
Hazel Fernandez
Sam Smith
Former members
Gavin Dodds
Simon Katz
Nick Fyffe
Stuart Zender
Simon Carter
Toby Smith
Mike Smith
Nick Van Gelder
Darren Galea (a.k.a. DJ D-Zire)
Winston Rollins
Adrian Revell
Wallis Buchanan

Jamiroquai (A portmanteau of Jam, as in the musical sense, and iroquai, loosely based on the native American Indian tribe the Iroquois who Jay Kay admired for their philosophy and reverance of the Earth) is an English acid jazz band. In early 2007, British newspaper The Guardian reported that Jamiroquai was disbanded; however, on March 1, 2007, on Jamiroquai's official website, this was disputed, with a quote by lead singer and songwriter Jay Kay himself, saying that he only said he was taking some time off and the band would be making music again in a few months time. [1]

Jamiroquai was initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the Brand New Heavies, Galliano, and Corduroy. Subsequent albums have explored other musical directions.

Contents

[edit] Band formation and history

The lineup of the band has changed several times, but the core member of the band is lead singer and songwriter Jay Kay and drummer Derrick McKenzie. Kay was the impetus behind the formation of Jamiroquai; he decided to form the band after he was unsuccessful at his audition to become the singer of the Brand New Heavies.

[edit] Recordings

Jamiroquai's first single, "When You Gonna Learn?", was released in 1992 on the Acid Jazz label. Following its success, Kay signed an eight-album record deal with Sony BMG Music Entertainment. The first Sony album, Emergency on Planet Earth was released in 1993. It was followed in 1994 by The Return of the Space Cowboy. The single "Space Cowboy" gained notice on the charts and in club rotation.

Jamiroquai's Virtual Insanity music video
Jamiroquai's Virtual Insanity music video

While Jamiroquai was growing in popularity in the UK and Western Europe, they remained relatively unknown to U.S and other international audiences. The band's international breakthrough came with the third album, Travelling Without Moving in 1996, which yielded two big hits, Virtual Insanity and Cosmic Girl. The success of Virtual Insanity was due in part to its innovative video, which featured Kay's dance moves and some gravity-defying images. At the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, the creative videoclip for "Virtual Insanity" won four awards, including Best Video, Best Special Effects, Best Cinematography, and Breakthrough Video.

Their hit single "Deeper Underground" - the band's only UK #1 single to date - appeared on the soundtrack of the 1998 movie Godzilla. Another single, "Canned Heat"(released 1999 in the U.S.) was featured in the films Center Stage (2000) and Napoleon Dynamite (2004), the latter for its famous dance scene, as well as the Nintendo DS rhythm game Elite Beat Agents and Sony PlayStation 2 camera game EyeToy: Groove. Also, Feels Just Like It Should features on the soundtrack for the game FIFA 06.

The acid jazz flavours and ethnic influences of the first three albums were all but extinct by the release of Synkronized in 1999. Jay Kay's interest in funk and disco music were shifting the band's directions towards such. By their fifth album, A Funk Odyssey (2001), they had evovled so drastically, that some critics and listeners would remark they lost the 'Jamiroquai sound'. With the departure of more and more original band members, including Wallis Buchanan and his Didgeridoo, Jamiroquai had become a very different band than that of 1992. In spite of the changes, the fifth album's first single, "Little L", reached #1 in many charts worldwide.

Their sixth album, titled Dynamite was released on June 20, 2005. It reached #3 on the UK charts. The first single, "Feels Just Like It Should" was released early in June, the second, "Seven Days In Sunny June" released on August 15th, followed by the third, "(Don't) Give Hate A Chance" on November 7th.

Jamiroquai released a greatest hits collection, High Times: Singles 1992-2006 in November 2006. The release of this album marked the end of Kay’s eight-album contract with Sony. The album reached the number 1 spot in the UK album chart after its first week of release. The album featured two new tracks, "Runaway" and "Radio". On September 18, 2006, "Runaway" was given its first play by UK radio stations. It was released as a single on October 30.

In March 2006, Jamiroquai announced their switch to Columbia Records. Future releases will appear under the Columbia imprint.[1]

In March 2007, Jay Kay stated that he plans to retire so that he can raise a family. In an interview with the Daily Mirror, the 37-year-old Kay said that the only thing that mattered now was "having kids and finding a good woman." [2] In response to the Daily Mirror article Jay Kay did a statement on the offical Jamiroquai site: "As usual they got it wrong for a cheap headline! All I said was that we’re taking a bit of time out to get the studio refurbished and we’ll be back making music in a few months time. There’s no way I’m quitting the music business - now I am out of my long contract with SonyBMG we have so many options open to us we’re just going to take our time and get it right - it's just getting interesting!" - 2007 [3] At the Intel gig in March 2007 Jay said he will take a vacation in Jamaica before starting the recording process of the next album.


[edit] Jay Kay vs. Sony

Kay expressed dissatisfaction with his longtime record label Sony Music. In a November 2006 interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, he commented that "These days it's 18% music and it's bloody 82% marketing bullshit ... Next time I do an album, I'm gonna put it up on the internet for five fucking dollars."

He also remarked that the Jamiroquai "greatest hits" album was released purely out of contractual obligation: "2006, they're out of the fucking picture." [4]

These comments, and other recent comments in an interview with The Sun ("There are other things I want to do with my life ... I want peace and quiet and to meet a nice girl and have some little pitter-patterers [children] and chill out."[5]) had fueled rumours that the Dynamite tour of 2005/2006 would have been canceled.

[edit] Other projects

[edit] Discography

Note: All dates indicate their original UK releases.

[edit] Studio albums

[edit] Compilation albums

[edit] DVDs

[edit] Singles

Year Song UK singles U.S. Dance Album
1992 "When You Gonna Learn" 52 - Emergency on Planet Earth
1993 "Too Young to Die" 10 - Emergency on Planet Earth
1993 "Blow Your Mind" 12 - Emergency on Planet Earth
1993 "Emergency on Planet Earth (song)" 32 4 Emergency on Planet Earth
1993 "When You Gonna Learn" (re-release) 28 - Emergency on Planet Earth
1994 "Space Cowboy" 17 1 The Return of the Space Cowboy
1994 "Half the Man" 15 - The Return of the Space Cowboy
1995 "Stillness in Time" 9 - The Return of the Space Cowboy
1995 "Light Years" - 6 The Return of the Space Cowboy
1995 "The Kids" - - The Return of the Space Cowboy
1995 "Morning Glory" (promo) - - The Return of the Space Cowboy
1996 "Do You Know Where You're Coming From" (M-Beat featuring Jamiroquai) 12 - Travelling Without Moving bonus track
1996 "High Times" 20 9 Travelling Without Moving
1997 "Virtual Insanity" 3 34 Travelling Without Moving
1997 "Cosmic Girl" 6 7 Travelling Without Moving
1997 "Alright" 6 7 Travelling Without Moving
1998 "Deeper Underground" 1 22 Godzilla soundtrack / Synkronized / A Funk Odyssey
1999 "Canned Heat" 4 1 Synkronized
1999 "Supersonic" 22 1 Synkronized
1999 "King for a Day" 20 - Synkronized
2001 "I'm in the Mood for Love" (with Jools Holland) 29 - -
2001 "An Online Odyssey" (10,000 copy non-album promo) - - outtake from Synkronized, promoting the A Funk Odyssey album.
2001 "Little L" 5 2 A Funk Odyssey
2001 "You Give Me Something" 16 2 A Funk Odyssey
2001 "Love Foolosophy" 14 - A Funk Odyssey
2002 "Corner of the Earth" 31 - A Funk Odyssey
2002 "Main Vein" - - A Funk Odyssey
2005 "Feels Just Like It Should" 8 1 Dynamite
2005 "Seven Days in Sunny June" 14 - Dynamite
2005 "(Don't) Give Hate a Chance" 27 - Dynamite
2005 "Hollywood Swingin'" (Kool & the Gang featuring Jamiroquai) - 5 Kool & the Gang: Reloaded
2006 "Runaway" 1 18 1 High Times: Singles 1992-2006
  • 1 Currently active on U.S. dance chart.

[edit] Remix singles

  • "Space Cowboy" (2006) vinyl and download-only remix single, #71 UK
  • "Deeper Underground" (2006) vinyl and download-only remix single
  • "Cosmic Girl" (2006) vinyl and download-only remix single
  • "Love Foolosophy" (2006) vinyl and download-only remix single, #166 UK
  • "Alright" (2007) vinyl and download-only remix single

[edit] Band members

[edit] Former members

  • Toby Smith - Keyboards (1992-2002)
  • Wallis Buchanan - Didgeridoo (1992-2001)
  • Gavin Dodds - Guitar (1993-1994)
  • Simon Katz - Guitar (1995-2000)
  • Stuart Zender - Bass (1993-1999)
  • Nick Fyffe - Bass (1998-2003)
  • Nick Van Gelder - Drums (1993)
  • Darren Galea aka DJ D-Zire - Turntables (1993-2001)
  • Adrian Revell - Flute, Saxophone
  • Winston Rollins - Trombone
  • John Thirkell - Trumpet (1993-1998)
  • Simon Carter - Keyboards (1999-2001)

Guest appearances:

  • Andrew Levy - Bass (1992)
  • Simon Bartholomew - Guitar (1992)
  • Martin Shaw - Trumpet
  • Beverley Knight - Vocals (2001)

[edit] Samples

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Official Jamiroquai website (2006-03-17). Jamiroquai Switch to Columbia Records. Latest news. Retrieved on 2006-08-31.
  2. ^ Error on call to Template:cite web: Parameters url and title must be specifiedOfficial Jamiroquai website (2006-03-17). . Latest news. Retrieved on 2006-08-31.
  3. ^ Error on call to Template:cite web: Parameters url and title must be specifiedOfficial Jamiroquai website (2007-03-17). . Latest news. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
  4. ^ The Sydney Morning Herald (2005-11-25). Mad hatter. Music. Retrieved on 2005-11-29.
  5. ^ Jamiroquai - The Funkin Site (2005-11-25). Jay Kay to hang up hat?. News. Retrieved on 2005-11-29.

[edit] External links

[edit] Official


[edit] Unofficial


 v  d  e  Jamiroquai
Members: Jason Kay | Rob Harris | Paul Turner | Matt Johnson | Derrick McKenzie | Sola Akingbola | Lorraine McIntosh | Hazel Fernandez | Sam Smith
Former members: Gavin Dodds | Simon Katz | Nick Fyffe | Stuart Zender | Simon Carter | Toby Smith | Nick Van Gelder | Darren Galea (DJ D-Zire) | Winston Rollins | Adrian Revell | Wallis Buchanan | Beverley Knight
See also: Buffalo Man | Chillington studio | Iroquois | Gig in the Sky
Discography
Studio albums
Emergency on Planet Earth (1993) | The Return of the Space Cowboy (1994/1995) | Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality (Guest appearance) (1995) | Travelling without Moving (1996/1997) | Synkronized (1999) | A Funk Odyssey (2001) | Dynamite (2005)
Compilation albums
Jay's Selection (1996) | In Store Jam (promo, 1997) | Late Night Tales: Jamiroquai (2003/2005) | High Times: Singles 1992-2006 (2006)
Box sets
L'Intégrale des Maxi-Singles (1994) | The Single Box (1997) | The Singles Collection (1997) | Deeper Underground (1998) | 1999 Remixes (1999) | ULBC (Fanmade) (??)
Unofficial live recordings (ROIOs)
If I Like it, I do it (1993) | BBC 528 (1993) | Stockholm '93 (1993) | Club Citta '93 (1993) | Songs for Manitú (1993) | Firenze [sic] 1993 (1993) | Funky Paradise (1994) | JAZZiroquai (1995) | ...
DVDs
Live In Verona (2002/2003) | High Times: Singles 1992-2006 (2006)
Singles
When You Gonna Learn | Too Young to Die | Blow Your Mind | Emergency on Planet Earth | Space Cowboy | Half the Man | Stillness in Time | Light Years | The Kids | Do U Know Where You're Coming From? (Guest appearance) | Virtual Insanity | Cosmic Girl | Alright | High Times | Deeper Underground | Canned Heat | Black Capricorn Day | Supersonic | King for a Day | I'm in the Mood for Love (Guest appearance) | Little L | You Give Me Something | Love Foolosophy | Corner of the Earth | Main Vein | Feels Just Like It Should | Seven Days in Sunny June | (Don't) Give Hate a Chance | Runaway
Promotion-only / Cancelled / White label singles
Revolution 1993 | If I Like It I Do It | Morning Glory | Everyday | Travelling Without Moving | Hollywood Swingin' | Soul Education | An Online Odyssey | Feel So Good | Do It Like We Used To Do | Bad Girls | Dynamite | Starchild | Electric Mistress | Time Won't Wait | Emergency on Planet Earth & Blow Your Mind remixes | Talullah (Shelter mixes) | Multiquai

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