Jay Kay Struggles with Virtual Insanity Dance Revival

Jamiroquai's Jay Kay has impressively recreated one of the most iconic music videos of the 90s for a new non-alcoholic gin advert for Beefeater 0.0. 

However, 30 years after creating the Virtual Insanity video, Jay, now 56, soon realised things weren't as smooth sailing as he struggled with the 'complicated' dance moves and was forced to rest his weary feet in an ice bucket at the end of filming. 

In the new video, Jay, who was dressed in the exact Berghaus fleece and oversized hat, glided out of the famous moving room and into a night out revealing that the thing he’s been reaching for all along is a Beefeater 0.0%.

Speaking at a Q&A at Hidden Grooves about filming the video, Jay admitted it was 'quite daunting' being on set again but found the whole experience 'remarkable'. 

'I have to say, walking in and seeing the room, was, like, a really solid flashback. It was a flashback, but just realising that your feet are 30 years old,' he said. 

'And I must say by the end of the day, I'm not gonna lie I did go home and put my feet in an ice bucket because they had done a fair bit of work. 

'It was amazing and finding the hat, I went up in our attic above the studio, where there was all sorts of stuff, it was stuffed in a corner. But it was in good enough nick in the box, to be able to use it which was an amazing thing. 

'So sticking it on and putting the top on, and aside from the fact that this [his hair] has got a little bit gray, aside from that, it was remarkable.'

Jay went on to reveal that filming was quite 'complicated' and he suffered a nasty six foot fall on the first day but was forced to put on a brave face due to having a full day shooting ahead. 

He explained: 'When I saw the original shot, it was also quite daunting at one point, because directors were saying, "Now you've got to be here". And I was like, "Well how am I gonna get there to there?" 

'This was actually more complicated in a lot of ways because the floor was constantly moving and trying to get at the hats and get the whole thing to flow, through the rooms. 

'I'll let you into a secret, at the end of that moving floor was a drop of about 6 feet and I was warned. I said, "No, no, there's no problem. I've done this before".

'Then, literally, the first thing I did was take a leg off, that was it. That was in the first minute of doing the video. We've got a whole day of shooting to do. So, I sort of did that, cooled it out and went, "It didn't hurt." 

'That's a challenge, because your eyes kind of down the camera. It's quite hard to have that from a fall.

'The production team worked really hard though. I've done 32 music videos, and they were spot on. They worked so well. That was a massive thing.'

Directed by Julien & Quentin and produced by Magna Studios, the remake/sequel stays true to the analogue ingenuity that made the 1996 version so memorable.

Instead of relying on CGI or AI, the production team built nine practical sets, with the illusion once again created through moving floors, carefully choreographed camerawork and physical performances led by Jay himself.

The campaign forms part of Beefeater 0.0’s Get More With 0.0 platform, positioning moderation as a way to experience more rather than less. 

It taps into the growing trend of ‘zebra striping’, where drinkers alternate between alcoholic and alcohol-free options across a night out, framing Beefeater 0.0 as a companion to city nightlife rather than an alternative to it.