Acid jazz grew out of London’s club scene in the late 1980s, when DJs from the rare groove circuit mixed jazz-funk, soul jazz, Latin records and hip hop beats for dancers. The name, credited to the DJ Gilles Peterson, was a tongue-in-cheek nod to acid house, which was then sweeping Britain.
Peterson and Eddie Piller launched the Acid Jazz label, whose early releases included the Totally Wired compilations from 1988, and in 1990 Peterson left to start Talkin’ Loud, home to Galliano and Young Disciples. Bands such as the Brand New Heavies, Incognito and the James Taylor Quartet defined the live sound, and Jamiroquai released his debut single on Acid Jazz in 1992 before moving to a major label. Its mix of vintage jazz harmony and contemporary beats anticipated both nu jazz and the jazzier side of lo-fi.