Funky and Chic

n merry old England, where they call nightclubbing a "rave," a new group has discovered a "rare groove"—music that's fresh and funky with no faking, please. Self-styled technophobes, the Brand New Heavies are on top of an emerging scene that is making its way to America under the heading of New Soul. The Heavies produce a light, jazzy jam that combines today's dance beats with catchy funk—and it doesn't come out of a machine. With the help of steamy chanteuse N'Dea Davenport, the London-based group has so far defied labels such as "retro," going for an organic musical salad—jazz greens with croutons of soul, and a lite vocal dressing. The band

struggled through the eighties, swimming against the tide as they reintroduced live music on London's small-dub circuit. "We were all into singers like Donny Hathaway, or groups like the Meters and the Whispers," says bassist Andrew Levy, "who were all smooth singers in the seventies, but not exactly household words." But Levy can't understand the fuss the Heavies are creating in the music world: "After all, that's what musicians are supposed to do, play live." For those of you who have had enough of House music, the Brand New Heavies will provide relief as they play dates around the country this fall—and the smaller the room, the better.

KIKI MASON