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 Romania and from Spokane.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1962 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 the Fania All-Stars to the funk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Urselle. All the underground hits.
All Gregory Isaacs tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Blues Magoos record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a UT record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Essential Logic,
Gang Gang Dance,
Deakin,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
The Star Department,
The Doobie Brothers,
DNA,
The Pretty Things,
The Fire Engines,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Althea and Donna,
Yusef Lateef,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Warsaw,
Dark Day,
AZ,
Crispy Ambulance,
Qualms,
Derrick Morgan,
Sugar Minott,
Tres Demented,
Infiniti,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Bootsy Collins,
Judy Mowatt,
Underground Resistance,
Thee Headcoats,
the Swans,
A Certain Ratio,
Aloha Tigers,
The Victims,
Barry Ungar,
Basic Channel,
Animal Collective,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Index,
The Fugs,
Suicide,
David Axelrod,
Kevin Saunderson,
Make Up,
Brand Nubian,
Pylon,
James White and The Blacks,
Masters at Work,
Oblivians,
Radio Birdman,
Scratch Acid,
Arthur Verocai,
The Selecter,
Clear Light,
This Heat,
The Divine Comedy,
Soft Machine,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Moody Blues,
Funky Four + One,
Theoretical Girls,
Tears for Fears,
Letta Mbulu, Letta Mbulu, Letta Mbulu, Letta Mbulu.
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.