Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Iceland and from Seoul.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1967 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Eurythmics to the grime kids.
I played it at Trash.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by Notorious Big And Bone Thugs. All the underground hits.
All Rakim tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Teenage Jesus and the Jerks record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Nils Olav record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Detroit Cobras,
Glenn Branca,
Heaven 17,
Smog,
CMW,
Tom Boy,
Tomorrow,
John Coltrane,
The Kinks,
Moss Icon,
The Electric Prunes,
Section 25,
Banda Bassotti,
Gang Green,
Alphaville,
Rapeman,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Scott Walker,
Pantaleimon,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Derrick May,
Eli Mardock,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Blackbyrds,
Althea and Donna,
Liliput,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Frankie Knuckles,
Easy Going,
Rhythm & Sound,
Pole,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Q65,
Ituana,
Yazoo,
Half Japanese,
Surgeon,
Shuggie Otis,
Crime,
Ice-T,
Charles Mingus,
Icehouse,
Maleditus Sound,
Intrusion,
Laurel Aitken,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Seeds,
Flamin' Groovies,
Archie Shepp,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Albert Ayler,
Marcia Griffiths,
Livin' Joy,
China Crisis,
Morten Harket,
The Five Americans,
Trumans Water,
Angry Samoans,
The Moleskins,
David Axelrod, David Axelrod, David Axelrod, David Axelrod.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.