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 Dominican Republic and from Delhi.
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 1961 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 1976 at the first Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Nils Olav to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Japan. All the underground hits.
All Clear Light tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Tremeloes record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Oblivians record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Royal Trux,
Heaven 17,
Spoonie Gee,
Can,
Visage,
Anthony Braxton,
Throbbing Gristle,
Electric Light Orchestra,
The Smiths,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Pylon,
Skriet,
Todd Rundgren,
Nirvana,
The Kinks,
Fluxion,
Parry Music,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Soft Cell,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Quando Quango,
Groovy Waters,
Adolescents,
Scion,
The Durutti Column,
Glambeats Corp.,
The Slackers,
Bang On A Can,
Aaron Thompson,
Eric B and Rakim,
The Golliwogs,
Vainqueur,
Ken Boothe,
The Cramps,
Sun Ra,
The Last Poets,
EPMD,
Traffic Nightmare,
Minutemen,
The Angels of Light,
a-ha,
Organ,
Albert Ayler,
10cc,
Boz Scaggs,
Quantec,
Lakeside,
Make Up,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Black Flag,
Susan Cadogan,
The Dead C,
David Axelrod,
DJ Sneak,
Thee Headcoats,
Bauhaus,
Easy Going,
Circle Jerks,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Bronski Beat,
Chris & Cosey, Chris & Cosey, Chris & Cosey, Chris & Cosey.
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.