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 South Sudan and from Shanghai.
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 1969 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 1971 at the first Neu! practice in a loft in Düsseldorf.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 F. McDonald to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo. All the underground hits.
All Eric Dolphy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Dorothy Ashby record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Organ record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Seeds,
The Index,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Throbbing Gristle,
The Divine Comedy,
New Order,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Andrew Hill,
Cameo,
Zero Boys,
Newcleus,
The Shadows of Knight,
The Cramps,
The Residents,
Brothers Johnson,
the Slits,
Eric Dolphy,
Q65,
Negative Approach,
Agitation Free,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
the Normal,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Television Personalities,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Motions,
Wolf Eyes,
The Searchers,
Fela Kuti,
Lee Hazlewood,
Babytalk,
Black Pus,
Arab on Radar,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Matthew Bourne,
Moby Grape,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Boz Scaggs,
ABBA,
Sound Behaviour,
The Names,
Minnie Riperton,
Goldenarms,
Spandau Ballet,
Livin' Joy,
Ice-T,
D'Angelo,
Crooked Eye,
Darondo,
Sarah Menescal,
Gang Gang Dance,
Steve Hackett,
Joe Finger,
Adolescents,
China Crisis,
The Five Americans,
The Dirtbombs,
The Blackbyrds,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Man Eating Sloth,
Half Japanese,
Skarface,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Nation of Ulysses,
Aswad, Aswad, Aswad, Aswad.
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.