Raw B Jae and the Liquid Funk

Indulgence in all things retro has almost always been a modern staple of cool, and Raw B Jae and the Liquid Funk are no exception. For more than a decade the ever-changing eight-member group has embraced Seventies soul sensibilities while eschewing disco cheese. Psychedelic guitar man and local band-hopper Buffalo Brown lends the Jimi Hendrix factor, and frontman Raw B Jae adds urban flavor via his flowing rhymes. Comparisons to Sly and the Family Stone come naturally, given the Miami collective’s rich horn section, funk-infused beats, and fluctuating lineup. Although in recent years the group has been lying low — as opposed to its heyday in the Nineties at South Beach venue Rose’s — Raw B Jae and company have kept it together longer than most rock legends. Platform shoes and polyester bellbottoms might have gone out of style years ago, but these cool cats’ version of live hip-hop (no fancy machine work here) and funky-town mojo remains timeless. — Alexandra Quiñones