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 Bosnia Herzegovina and from Lyon.
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 1964 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Spoonie Gee to the crunk 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 John Holt. All the underground hits.
All Bizarre Inc. tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Martian record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 harpsichord and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a David Bowie record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Cabaret Voltaire,
Aswad,
kango's stein massive,
Eric Copeland,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Dawn Penn,
The Gladiators,
The Raincoats,
Von Mondo,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Second Layer,
Man Parrish,
Bush Tetras,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Cybotron,
Barclay James Harvest,
Ken Boothe,
Aural Exciters,
Wire,
Flamin' Groovies,
Pole,
Banda Bassotti,
Popol Vuh,
Brothers Johnson,
The Cure,
Neu!,
Q and Not U,
X-Ray Spex,
Television Personalities,
Fat Boys,
X-102,
MC5,
Graham Central Station,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Lou Christie,
Delta 5,
Echospace,
Black Moon,
The Last Poets,
The Techniques,
Roxy Music,
Gang Green,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Nico,
Eric B and Rakim,
Lakeside,
Monks,
Morten Harket,
Gong,
Bizarre Inc.,
The Pretty Things,
Sugar Minott,
EPMD,
Shoche,
Clear Light,
Los Fastidios,
Eric Dolphy,
Livin' Joy,
Eddi Front, Eddi Front, Eddi Front, Eddi Front.
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.