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Toby Smith interview - Circulo Mixup: July 1999


Special thanks to Iroq for typing up this interview.

CM: Why do jamiroquai plays "able-to-dance" music?
TS: Because me and JK like this kind of music. We grew up going to clubs and discotheques in which we dance till morning listenint to trance and house. that music is our life style

CM: Why does your music sounds more to disco than trance or house?
TS: Because we like to play live and if we only press a button it's boring. There are electronic groups that can set up an audience dancing like prodigy, but they don't have melody, on the other side, we like to play with melody

CM: Jamiroquai's music is a tribute to disco music?
TS: Yes, but not to all, we like Gloria Gaynor, Village People, Kool & The Gang. We like more the music from the end of the 70's than music from the 80's. Personally, i like to call our music "able-to-dance" music and not disco

CM: What you do has an optimistic and happy view, what can you tell me about that?
TS: Well, we also have dark tunes in the new album like KFAD. Planet Home is optimistic, it's about the peace and unity at home, city and country. Canned Heat is a song about frustrations that can be taken away dancing, these frustrations go to the feet where there is the canned heat and there they find the scape.

CM: This song is called that way because of the band named canned heat?
TS: Actually we haven't heard almost anything about that band, jay put that name refering to the 70's party without referring to drugs.

CM: Could you say that your music is a constructive critic to our cotidianity?
TS: Yes. The first album we wrote about ecological problems, the second were personal aspects and our way of living. Honestly, the third one was the most commercial, we tried to make more accesible music. That brought us many fans and now we are returning to the aspects of the first one but like the third one

CM: How has been your tour round Europe?
TS: It hasn't started yet, our first gig is tomorrow, we have two days in england and in july we go to the US, in august we go to south america and we'll probably be in mexico. When we reach there we will feel better on stage and we'll play better the new tracks. And in latin america people is warmer than in US or europe. we went to Brasil, Argentina and Chile and we had great concerts. I'm sure that in Mexico will be great.

CM: Any plans for 2000?
TS: We'll have a great party at home, we'll make another tour and we'll release another record

CM: Thanks toby!
TS: Thanks to you, see you in mexico!