Acid Jazz / Funk | 1992–present

Kay formed Jamiroquai in London in 1992 after home demos landed him a deal with Acid Jazz Records, where a debut single appeared before Sony signed the band and released "Emergency on Planet Earth" the following year. The sound the band built across their first three albums drew on 1970s funk, soul, and jazz in ways that placed them firmly within the London acid jazz movement alongside Incognito, the Brand New Heavies, and the James Taylor Quartet, though Jamiroquai's commercial reach quickly outpaced all of them. The early lineup, with Stuart Zender on bass, Toby Smith on keyboards, and Derrick McKenzie on drums, gave those first records a looseness that later albums gradually replaced with a more studio-controlled production approach. "Travelling Without Moving" (1996) contained "Virtual Insanity", won a Grammy for Best Pop Album by a Duo or Group in 1998, and holds a Guinness World Record as the best-selling funk album of all time. The subsequent catalogue moved through disco, dance, and electronica in varying proportions, with Kay the sole constant member across all lineups. The first three Sony albums remain the most valued by collectors for whom the acid jazz and funk roots are the primary point of interest.