Jamiroquai is suddenly everywhere again… This weekend is Summer Sonic, one of Japan’s premier music festivals, and the headlining spot is coming in hot with Jamiroquai.
For big fans of rearranging furniture and cool hats, you can even stop by the Jamiroquai pop-up store in Harajuku.
There is actually a long history of obsession surrounding their sound here – one shaped by Sony commercials, acid jazz, Shibuya-kei and a shared obsession with what the future should sound like.
thank you, jamiroquai, for inspiring me to wear cool hats on stage.
I am one of those obsessed fans, so today I wanted to share some of the funky reasons the love runs so deeply for Jamiroquai in Japan.
The Sony MD Walkman Ad – Jamiroquai Takes on the CD Player
In 1996, Jamiroquai’s music was used in Sony Walkman MD’s ad. It was futuristic, polished, and cool – exactly what brand Sony was going for with the Walkman.
The ad was a massive hit. Not only did the Walkman surpass CD player sales – the combination of a foreign dude bringing a futuristic device to Japan in his little go kart, all while wearing a cool hat and playing some jazz, captured the heart of television enjoyers in 90s Japan.
There was already a huge movement happening which made the country unusually receptive to the Jami sound.
The Shibuya-kei movement and acid jazz obsession of the 90s, along with a strong jazz cafe and vinyl culture stretching back to before WW2, had an audience hungry for more groovy tunes.
The “Virtual Insanity commercial” became an instant favorite, and a part of many people’s childhood memories.
Before the ad, Jamiroquai had a cult following among people who were already fans of foreign bands and acid jazz.
Their debut album reached #40 on the Oricon charts, putting it on the radar but keeping it niche. Virtual Insanity / Travelling Without Moving, on the other hand, debuted at the #4 spot and sold over a million copies.
Cornelius meets Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai serves as the inspiration for some other legendary Japanese groups that, if you are familiar with this blog, probably already know.
Keigo Oyamada of Cornelius cites Jamiroquai’s first album as a major influence.
The two met and did a magazine interview together. On this page, the interviewer asks the meanings behind the two bands’ names.
In the magazine, Keigo explains the name Cornelius comes from the movie Planet of the Apes – he thought having band merch with his own name on it would look uncool. Since he is primarily a solo act, he had to come up with a whole new name for himself.
Jay Kay shares Jamiroquai comes from the name of the Iroquois tribe, and his passion for the environment and social themes.
Two young musicians from opposite sides of the world helped cross pollinate the music scenes of London and Japan.
Of course, magazine interviews had more influence back in the day, especially for sharing information about foreign acts.
The Funk Comes Full Circle
If I told you right now to close your eyes and picture Jamiroquai but Japanese, Suchmos is exactly who would appear.
Suchmos is transparent when it comes to showing their love for Jamiroquai. Their song Alright fittingly samples Jamiroquai’s Alright.
They wear track suits, they have that fun, groovy swagger… and, their breakthrough came from an advertisement, too!
The advertisement + futuristic funk cycle repeats. This Honda advertisement and Suchmos’ sounds inspire current Gen Z artists.
Fujii Kaze and Luv drew inspiration from Suchmos, and now those artists are on the course to inspire Gen Alpha’s funk phase.
And soon, Gen Alpha will be using AI to generate their own funky songs.. man, we really are living in a Virtual Insanity (cries)
Now, Suchmos is standing alongside Jamiroquai in the Summer Sonic lineup.
The Japan Behind Virtual Insanity
Now you know all about the acts that took inspiration from Jamiroquai. Virtual Insanity itself was inspired by Japan.
Jay Kay came up with the melody after plunging into an underground city below the pristine, flat snow plains in Hokkaido.
It came as a shock to his system when he saw all the futuristic technology and structures in Japan, and Virtual Insanity was the product.
So, while people in Japan saw Jay Kay as the spokesman of the future in the Sony Walkman commercials, Jay Kay was writing songs about how Japan created “Futures made of virtual insanity”.
Thanks for reading!
How is everyone doing? Recently, my dad got diagnosed with cancer, and I have had some weird issues with my heart.
I wrote this as catharsis for not being able to go to Summer Sonic this year. Jamiroquai is easily one of my top artists of all time, and I was always listening to them as a teen. My friends in Japan knew about them more than my American friends did, but since becoming a meme, I think everyone is on the same page nowadays lol.
Hope you enjoyed learning more about them and their unique connection to Japan.
May everyone stay healthy. Until next time <3
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