Jamiroquai
are an English acid jazz/funk/soul/disco band. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, the Brand New Heavies, Galliano, and Corduroy. Subsequent albums have explored other musical directions such as pop, rock and electronica. Jamiroquai has sold over 21 million albums all over the world. [1]
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JAMIROQUAI TICKETS
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History
Formation
The band name is a
portmanteau of
Jam session and "iroquai", based on the
Iroquois, a
Native American tribe.
[2]The original band was
Jay Kay (vocals), Toby Smith (
keys) Stuart Zender (
bass), Nick Van Gelder (
drums), Wallis Buchanan (
didgeridoo). These are the founding members of the Jamiroquai and were involved in the writing and production of the first albums. The lineup of the band has changed several times, and the longest serving and now core members of the band are lead singer and songwriter
Jason "Jay" Kay and drummer Derrick McKenzie (1994). Despite his self-professed attempts to treat Jamiroquai as a band, Kay has always been at the forefront of how the group is marketed, and has therefore always had the lion's share of media attention, to the point where he is viewed as almost a solo artist. He was the impetus behind the formation of Jamiroquai, deciding to form the band after an unsuccessful audition to become the singer of the
Brand New Heavies.
Sony Music
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.
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
Jonathan Glazer-directed video, which featured Kay's dance moves and some physics-defying images. At the 1997
MTV Video Music Awards, the creative
music video for "Virtual Insanity" won four awards, including
Best Video,
Best Special Effects,
Best Cinematography, and
Breakthrough Video.
In 2003 Jamiroquai compiled and
mixed a
DJ mix album for the
Late Night Tales series for
Azuli Records. The track selection shows some of the band's
funk,
soul and
disco influences, including tracks from
The Pointer Sisters,
The Commodores,
Johnny "Hammond" Smith and
Johnny "Guitar" Watson.
The acid jazz flavours and ethnic influences of the first three albums continued with 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 evolved 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 20 June 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 15 August 2005, followed by the third, "
(Don't) Give Hate A Chance" on 7 November 2005.
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 18 September 2006, "Runaway" was given its first play by UK radio stations. It was released as a single on 30 October 2006. Kay remarked that compilation was released purely out of contractual obligation: "2006, they're out of the fucking picture."
[3]
Post-Sony
below =
Problems listening to this file? See media help.
In October 2006, Jamiroquai recorded a live session for
Live from Abbey Road
at
Abbey Road Studios. Their performance was shown alongside those of
Damien Rice and the
Goo Goo Dolls on the UK's Channel 4 in January 2007. In May 2006 Jamiroquai performed during the Laureus Sports Awards in
Barcelona;
[4] the event was later televised by
NBC in June.
In March 2006, Jamiroquai announced their switch to
Columbia Records. Future releases will appear under the Columbia imprint.
[5]
During February in 2007 Jamiroquai performed the record breaking
Gig in the Sky in association with Sony Ericsson.
After leaving Sony, the band began work on their seventh project, and several collaborations and side-projects. In a very short mid-2007 interview with , drummer Derrick McKenzie expressed his satisfaction with leaving Sony as the beginning of a period in which the band will have more creative control over their own work, together with plenty of room for experimentation and lack of pressure from a record company.
[6]
7th Album and Beyond
On 11 January 2008, Jay Kay himself posted a news item in which he thanked everyone who wished him the best for his birthday, and announced that the writing process for the new album has just begun.
[7] Only a day earlier, drummer Derrick McKenzie posted an article on his
MySpace weblog that the recording process for the same record has also begun.
[8]
On 15 January 2008, the band confirmed that the recording process begun. According to the news item, eleven tracks have already been written for the new album, with more to come. As of now, none of the tracks' names are known.
[9]
On 13 February 2008, the band announced from their website that it will perform at the
World Stage of the Rock in Rio — Madrid festival
, being held in
Arganda del Rey,
Madrid with others artists who have (then) yet to be announced.
[10]
On 28 February 2008, Jamiroquai performed at the Khodynka Arena in Moscow, Russia at the launch of the new Audi A4 car.
On 22 June 2008, Jamiroquai performed at the Wianki Festival in Kraków, Poland.
On 4 July 2008, the band performed in front of a 75,000 people audience in the Rock in Rio Madrid festival.
Tour dates were planned for July and August of 2008.
Jay has personally stated that 2009 will bring a new Jamiroquai album. The album is uninfluenced by major record labels and will bring forth a new direction for the band. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the album will see a release in Mid/Late Summer of 2009. A single to be released in Late Spring/Early Summer is likely as well.
On 5 April 2009, Jamiroquai performed at the closing concert of Malaysian F1 Grand Prix in Sepang International Circuit Malaysia, and on the 9th of April Jamiroquai played at the Sentul International Convention Centre in Jakarta, Indonesia.
[11]
On 24 August 2009, Derrick McKenzie was interviewed on playvybz.com and talked about the upcoming album. He stated that Jamiroquai is now signed with Universal Records and that they have recorded more than 40 new tracks. Also the new album will be recorded live and have a style similar to the first three albums with the use of strings and horns. He claims the album will have less of a "disco sound" and will be a lot more funky and soulful.
Discography
Year
| Album
| U.K.
| U.S.
| U.S. Electronic
| AUS
| SWI
| AUT
| FRA
| NETH
| SWE
| ITA
| GER
|
1993
| Emergency on Planet Earth
| 1
| -
| -
| 21
| 5
| 11
| 101
| 15
| 13
| 33
| 17
|
1994
| The Return of the Space Cowboy
| 2
| -
| -
| 42
| 9
| 22
| 119
| 37
| 17
| 22
| 37
|
1996
| Travelling Without Moving
| 2
| 24
| -
| 6
| 3
| 9
| 2
| 16
| 4
| 6
| 9
|
1999
| Synkronized
| 1
| 28
| -
| 1
| 2
| 2
| 2
| 6
| 9
| 4
| 1
|
2001
| A Funk Odyssey
| 1
| 44
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 4
| 1
| 4
| 13
| 1
| 2
|
2005
| Dynamite
| 3
| 145
| 2
| 3
| 3
| 10
| 2
| 5
| 25
| 3
| 6
|
2006
| High Times: Singles 1992-2006
| 1
| -
| -
| 11
| 1
| 23
| -
| 31
| -
| 5
| 33
|
2010
| Addicted
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
- Buffalo Man, the name of the character featured on all but one of Jamiroquai's album covers.
References
- Jamiroquai sold over 21 million records
- Jamiroquai Biography on Yahoo! Music
- Mad hatter
- Jamiroquai | News | Laureus Sports Awards performance photos - 22 May 2006, 23:28 (BST)
- Jamiroquai Switch to Columbia Records
- Jamirotalk : International Jamiroquai Fan Discussion Forum
- Jamiroquai - Official Website / Home
- Jamiroquai | News | Derrick McKenzie blog update - 11 January 2008, 13:33 (GMT)
- Jamiroquai - Official Website / Home
- Jamiroquai - Official Website / Home
- Jamiroquai - The Funkin Site