ALBUMStupid Love (RMN & JusJez Remix) - SingleThe Brand New Heavies
Albums by The Brand New Heavies
ALBUMTBNHThe Brand New Heavies
ALBUMSweet FreaksThe Brand New Heavies
ALBUMGet Used to It - The Tom Moulton MixesThe Brand New Heavies
ALBUMForward!The Brand New Heavies
ALBUMDunk Your TrunkThe Brand New Heavies
ALBUMElephantitis 2: The Funk + House RemixesThe Brand New Heavies
ALBUMElephantitis: The Funk + House RemixesThe Brand New Heavies
ALBUMGet Used To ItThe Brand New Heavies
ALBUMBlack Market Heavies, Vol. 1The Brand New Heavies
ALBUMBoogie (feat. Nicole Ausso)The Brand New Heavies
The Brand New Heavies's Popular Music Videos
Never Stop
The Brand New Heavies
Dream Come True '92
The Brand New Heavies
Midnight At The Oasis
The Brand New Heavies
Artist Playlists
The Brand New Heavies Essentials
This London band embraced classic funk to spark an acid jazz revolution.
Artist Biography
In the mid-1980s, as acid jazz was becoming a dominant genre in London clubs, Simon Bartholomew and Andrew Levy began honing their own blend of funk, jazz, and early hip-hop drums. Originally dubbing themselves Brothers International, they changed their name to The Brand New Heavies after signing to a small British label and stumbling onto a James Brown single whose liner notes called the American soul legend the “Minister of New Super Heavy Funk.” While the Heavies likely would have continued to build a cult following in London, things changed dramatically when they connected with the American singer N’Dea Davenport. She would contribute lead vocals to the string of singles—“Stay This Way,” “Never Stop,” “Dream Come True”—that established the group as global stars able to meld the popular sounds of the 1960s and ’70s into something psychedelically new. Davenport’s inclusion was also a natural segue to the world of American hip-hop: The Heavies’ second album, 1992’s Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1, features the likes of Masta Ace, Gang Starr, Kool G. Rap, and The Pharcyde. In the years since, the group’s lineup has continued to evolve, but Bartholomew and Levy’s funked-out futurism has endured.