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 Panama and from Lille.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 Delhi and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 Jacob Miller to the rap kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 James White and The Blacks. All the underground hits.
All The Men They Couldn't Hang tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Suburban Knight record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pantaleimon record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Moleskins,
The Pop Group,
Al Stewart,
The Selecter,
Nation of Ulysses,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Techniques,
Josef K,
Section 25,
Hasil Adkins,
The Barracudas,
Quando Quango,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Faust,
Monks,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Mantronix,
Barbara Tucker,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Aaron Thompson,
Warren Ellis,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Black Pus,
Carl Craig,
Electric Prunes,
Accadde A,
10cc,
Malaria!,
Radiopuhelimet,
Wings,
The United States of America,
Buzzcocks,
Boz Scaggs,
Ronan,
Scientists,
the Fania All-Stars,
Oneida,
Mandrill,
The Black Dice,
John Lydon,
Soulsonic Force,
Brass Construction,
The Misunderstood,
Hardrive,
Can,
Sonic Youth,
Kenny Larkin,
Trumans Water,
Andrew Hill,
Tears for Fears,
Fela Kuti,
Mars,
Tim Buckley,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Robert Wyatt,
Crime,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Traffic Nightmare,
Negative Approach,
Motorama,
Throbbing Gristle,
Fugazi, Fugazi, Fugazi, Fugazi.
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.