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 Congo and from Lille.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 808 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 The Gap Band to the jazz 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 Sixth Finger. All the underground hits.
All Echospace tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every ABBA 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bush Tetras record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Crispian St. Peters,
Khruangbin,
Man Eating Sloth,
Spandau Ballet,
Smog,
The Dave Clark Five,
Peter and Kerry,
The Offenders,
Television Personalities,
Curtis Mayfield,
Skaos,
Urselle,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Dave Gahan,
The Invisible,
Pulsallama,
Lakeside,
Lightning Bolt,
Eric Copeland,
Gang Gang Dance,
Essential Logic,
Gregory Isaacs,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Flamin' Groovies,
Robert Wyatt,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Godley & Creme,
Index,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Reagan Youth,
The Count Five,
Hashim,
Fela Kuti,
Circle Jerks,
Jandek,
Pussy Galore,
Motorama,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Model 500,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Mark Hollis,
Scientists,
Silicon Teens,
Sun City Girls,
Lindisfarne,
Girls At Our Best!,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Anakelly,
The Smoke,
Terry Callier,
Ornette Coleman,
Kas Product,
Joyce Sims,
Supertramp,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Jeru the Damaja,
The Martian,
Pantytec,
The Monks,
8 Eyed Spy,
Electric Prunes,
Mantronix, Mantronix, Mantronix, Mantronix.
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.