Jamiroquai

Jamiroquai is a group that blends funk, acid jazz and disco touches. It was formed in 1992, led by Jason "Jay" Kay, a singer who also plays guitar. With him were Toby Smith on keyboards, Stuart Zender on bass, Nick Van Gelder on drums and Wallis Buchanan, who played the didgeridoo. Although the group started with those five, over time it changed a lot. Only Kay remains part of the project.The band's name comes from the Iroquois tribe and the word "jam", which means to improvise. Kay chose it because he felt identified with that culture. In London, Jamiroquai became an important reference of funk. They combined acid jazz sounds with more pop and samba rhythms. Their first album was released in 1993, and from there they started to gain popularity.The first single, "When You Gonna Learn?", was released in 1992. They recorded it before the group signed with Sony BMG, which gave them a contract for a million pounds. The album was called Emergency on Planet Earth and was very well received. Songs like "Blow Your Mind" or "Too Young To Die" reached the top 10 in the UK. That album was the one that launched them into the world.Over time, the sound became more funk and acid jazz. In 1994 The Return of the Space Cowboy was released, which had a controversial track called "Space Cowboy". It was censored in England for supposedly supporting the use of marijuana. The album didn't reach number one, but it was very successful. Later, in 1996, they released Travelling Without Moving, which became the best-selling album of the band. It is also the best-selling funk album in history according to Guinness World Records.