Machine - There But For the Grace of God I Go [Unidisc]

DJ Moplen has outdone himself with this reinterpretation of Machine’s disco classic. Sticking purely to the original elements, he has managed to completely re-engineer the song, beginning with an extended version of the soulful piano intro. Accentuating the kick drums and claps, he brings the track into house territory, supplemented by a funky guitar riff that was completely buried in the original. When the bass takes center stage, Moplen practically forces you onto the dance floor, leaving you vulnerable to August Darnell’s controversial lyrics. Fresh off a career-defining start with Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band, lyricist/vocalist Darnell collaborated here with Machine only months before his next incarnation as Kid Creole. As in those groups, Darnell fills his song here with the politics of race, religion, and sexuality under the guise of a great groove. This release features a very rare thing: a dub as good as the original. Instead of simply stripping away the vocals, Moplen again re-arranges the song, doing away with the slow intro and building a killer beat from the ground up. In addition to the 1979 version, this maxi-single also includes Timmy Regisford’s 1994 house mix and an alternate take of that mix’s “acapella reprise,” both perfectly capturing the song’s dark energy.