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 Guinea and from Shanghai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1961 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Albert Ayler to the punk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Pulsallama. All the underground hits.
All Wally Richardson tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Techniques record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Last Poets record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Johnny Osbourne,
Barbara Tucker,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Derrick Morgan,
kango's stein massive,
Schoolly D,
DNA,
Rotary Connection,
Dual Sessions,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Don Cherry,
DJ Sneak,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
This Heat,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Radiohead,
The Names,
The Golliwogs,
Audionom,
Das Ding,
Tommy Roe,
Byron Stingily,
Cluster,
Mary Jane Girls,
Peter & Gordon,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Jeff Mills,
Deakin,
One Last Wish,
Anthony Braxton,
Surgeon,
A Certain Ratio,
Trumans Water,
The American Breed,
Jandek,
Electric Prunes,
The Searchers,
Fat Boys,
Pantaleimon,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Nick Fraelich,
Ash Ra Tempel,
The Slits,
Pole,
Y Pants,
Hot Snakes,
Fela Kuti,
Neil Young,
Crash Course in Science,
Al Stewart,
Scan 7,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Cecil Taylor,
the Fania All-Stars,
Roxy Music,
Joe Smooth,
London Community Gospel Choir,
David Bowie,
Henry Cow,
Alice Coltrane,
Young Marble Giants,
Graham Central Station,
Thompson Twins, Thompson Twins, Thompson Twins, Thompson Twins.
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.