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 St Lucia and from Milan.
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 1960 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 1979 at the first Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
I was working on the organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud to the dance 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 Cluster. All the underground hits.
All Yaz tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Groovy Waters record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Reuben Wilson record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Colin Newman,
Joensuu 1685,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Pulsallama,
Absolute Body Control,
the Bar-Kays,
Avey Tare,
Eric Dolphy,
Kerri Chandler,
Soul Sonic Force,
The Invisible,
ABC,
Maurizio,
Pierre Henry,
Gregory Isaacs,
Nik Kershaw,
Anthony Braxton,
Patti Smith,
Aloha Tigers,
Audionom,
The Beau Brummels,
Royal Trux,
Symarip,
Mantronix,
Rhythm & Sound,
Warsaw,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Electric Prunes,
the Fania All-Stars,
Robert Wyatt,
The Slackers,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Kool Moe Dee,
Amazonics,
Stereo Dub,
Brothers Johnson,
Pole,
Public Enemy,
The Blues Magoos,
Liliput,
Mission of Burma,
Amon Düül,
MDC,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Pantytec,
Skriet,
Surgeon,
Quadrant,
Au Pairs,
Roy Ayers,
Japan,
LL Cool J,
Sugar Minott,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Gories,
Unrelated Segments,
La Düsseldorf,
Funkadelic,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Fatback Band,
Essential Logic, Essential Logic, Essential Logic, Essential Logic.
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.