Keeping it Funky: How Jason Brown and Redux Saints Reimagined James Brown’s "Sex Machine" for Today’s Dance Floors

Few legacies in the history of the groove loom as large as James Brown’s, but his grandson Jason Brown is ensuring the Hardest Working Man in Show Business stays synchronized with the modern dancefloor. After a decade-long journey through the Universal vaults and a 2017 chance meeting with Redux Saints, the pair have finally unveiled their official rework of the 1970 funk blueprint "Sex Machine." What began as a dive into digitized master stems - revealing unheard elements buried for over fifty years - evolved into a high-stakes bridge between the Godfather of Soul’s analog discipline and the relentless energy of contemporary tech house.

Supported by a heavyweight edit from Laidback Luke, the release is more than a simple club tool. By preserving the iconic call-and-response between the horns and those unmistakable vocals while injecting a sleek, four-to-the-floor momentum, Redux Saints and Brown have navigated the delicate line between nostalgia and innovation, proving that the funk is not just a relic of the past, but a living, breathing force for the future.

Q: How did the opportunity to remix James Brown’s “Sex Machine” come about, and what was your initial reaction when the project first landed in your hands?

Redux Saints Response: Jason Brown and I first tossed around the idea of reworking elements from his grandfather’s songs back in 2017, but nothing meaningful ultimately came from those early studio sessions. Two years later, Jason Brown was granted access to the original stems from Universal’s vault. Once they were digitized, we finally began seriously working with the “Sex Machine” stems.

My initial reaction was pure awe. It was a massive honor to touch and reinterpret the official stems from such an iconic record. Even more special were some of the parts that didn’t make the original release - elements we were likely among the first to hear in decades. Being able to explore those hidden layers added a whole new level of excitement and responsibility to the project.

Jason Brown Response: I was submitting music to UMG for general sync purposes (music in commercials) and within that conversation, UMG had some foresight and sent me the link to download stems they had on hand. It was about 10-12 songs and Sex Machine rang out as the best song to remix for a tech house sound. At the time, I was only focused on DJing and Redux was fresh into producing, so we collaborated on this song without much of a vision. We picked the idea back up where it left off with a lot more focus on getting more remixes done and having Sex Machine be the principle track, thanks to Laidback Luke for having a listening session with me at Dim Mak and deciding to his own remix/edit of our remix. Once he picked that remix, it started the ball rolling for UMG to take even more seriously and explore the bigger project idea. For me, it’s always an honor but the music is just one aspect to all of my ideas for my gramps catalogue and brand to be revamped for a younger generations appeal.

Q: Was there a specific moment, memory, or experience with James Brown’s music that influenced how you approached this remix, and did that connection change the creative direction you took?

Redux Saints Response: I’ve always been drawn to the way James Brown’s vocals and the trumpet lines play off each other - that call-and-response energy is such a defining part of his sound. That dynamic became a key reference point for how I approached the remix. Jason Brown also pointed out that some of his favorite moments in the original revolved around the organ parts, so we made a conscious effort to preserve and highlight those elements as well. Together, those details helped shape both the creative direction and emotional core of the remix, keeping it rooted in the spirit of the original while giving it a modern edge.

Jason Brown Response: Listening to grandad’s voice is captivating within itself. Every lyric can be flipped 1,000 ways and that’s why he’s the most sampled artist of all time. Then we had the instrumentation, which could equally be as remembered as his vocals, but the funky guitars made the cut and helped us to realize this is how you make a REMAKE, not just a remix. You see, most of my gramps music is dated, in regard to the instrumentation, sound quality and lyrical message; but timeless music like this from the golden age always has parts that passed the test of time with enhancements, stem separation, timing and filtering.

Q: In reworking such a universally recognizable track, how did you balance nostalgia with innovation, and what narrative did you want to create for listeners experiencing “Sex Machine” in a modern club setting?

Redux Saints Response: The goal was to create a modern, four-to-the-floor club record while staying deeply respectful of the original. Because “Sex Machine” is such an instantly recognizable and culturally iconic track, we knew any reinterpretation would come with strong opinions. That made paying homage to the original not just important, but essential.

Our approach was to preserve the core musical elements and energy that define the record, while recontextualizing them in a contemporary club framework. The narrative we wanted to create was one where nostalgia and continued legacy could coexist - allowing longtime fans to reconnect with the spirit of the original, while introducing a new generation of listeners to that same timeless groove in a modern dancefloor setting.

Jason Brown Response: This remix keeps his vocal elements respectably like how the original song is, and made the most sense with its repetitive rhythm. It puts grandaddy into the future, for the next generation, and for my cartoon idea “Godfather of Souls” where grandaddy saves the world through music in the past and future; and needing futuristic music to be in the cartoon.

Q: If James Brown were able to hear this remix today, what do you hope he would recognize in it, and what do you hope would surprise him?

Jason Brown Response: Grandaddy actually wasn’t a fan of “music made on computer” in fact, I was told to get rid of my old “hip hop and dance EJAY” software and was gifted a baby grand piano for my 16th birthday, so for me, this is one of those situations where the older generation doesn’t respect the new technology as the future but as a challenge to old music. Not to be discouraged, I still continued to make electronic music on computer software because I wasn’t trained formally in instrumentation. If he were to hear the song today, he would be ecstatic to know it was made by me, his grandson. 

For the most part, grandaddy stayed in his lane for his sound of funk and soul, but when the 70’s and 80’s came around, he drifted into disco and pop sounds, although musically he’d already made music in that genre but just live instrumentation. When he was starting off in music, funk and R&B were the devil’s music in compared to gospel and jazz. Even blues was frowned upon from formally church driven musical genres and artists; so, if he were to hear it today, he’d appreciate his voice carrying into the future and proud to know his grandson delivered the funk through the decades.

Q: Looking at the journey of this record - from its original release to today’s remix - what do you think this project says about the enduring power of funk, and how it continues to inspire new generations of electronic artists?

Redux Saints Response: From the very beginning, our goal was to create something that honored the timeless spirit of funk while translating it into a modern house context. Even though the track was originally produced in 2019 and ultimately signed in 2025, the core intention never changed - to make a reinterpretation that could stand the test of time. To me, that journey speaks directly to the enduring power of funk: its grooves, rhythms, and emotional energy remain just as relevant and inspiring today as they were decades ago.

This project reinforces how deeply funk continues to influence electronic music, providing a foundation that new generations of producers can reinterpret, reshape, and evolve. It’s a reminder that great music transcends eras, constantly finding new life on modern dancefloors while staying rooted in its original soul.

Jason Brown Response: This track took 10 years to get released. Complications led to the shelving of the idea until I started banging down the door of UMG with more remixes and DM’s with big name DJ’s who wanted to remake the music. So, it went from the grandson having one remix, to now having multiple remix ideas and big name collab interests. 

Everyone had given up except me, even Redux Saints and I were concerned the work we’d done had gone in vain, but this is my life and my legacy. Not just a job, not just a project, but a piece of my plan to revamp my grandfather’s brand and legacy to the next generation. My message to everyone is that we all have a legacy, it doesn't take fame or music. It takes knowing the importance of ownership, generational wealth and creative control on who’s telling the story and controlling the narrative. Ultimately, I didn’t take no for an answer. I couldn’t give up, because that would mean I gave up on my gramps. Never give up. Don’t worry about what people think of you. Focus on your goal, prepare yourself the best you can for the opportunities you want. 

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