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 Madagascar and from Houston.
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 1963 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Manchester.
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 1984 at the first Arcadia practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 B.T. Express to the dance 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 Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience. All the underground hits.
All Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Yaz record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz 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 mellotron and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a the Swans record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Star Department,
The Stooges,
Smog,
Talk Talk,
The Gories,
Cameo,
The Moleskins,
Trumans Water,
Gerry Rafferty,
Slick Rick,
The Gladiators,
David Axelrod,
Sällskapet,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Ice-T,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Khruangbin,
the Fania All-Stars,
Cluster,
Tres Demented,
Newcleus,
The J.B.'s,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Eurythmics,
Inner City,
Archie Shepp,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Marvin Gaye,
James White and The Blacks,
The Knickerbockers,
The Dead C,
Grey Daturas,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Nils Olav,
Morten Harket,
Subhumans,
Gong,
Chris & Cosey,
The Gun Club,
Tropical Tobacco,
Swans,
Q65,
Marmalade,
Matthew Bourne,
Sexual Harrassment,
Pantaleimon,
Aaron Thompson,
Pagans,
Mark Hollis,
Can,
Bobby Womack,
Maurizio,
Colin Newman,
Cybotron,
Thee Headcoats,
Con Funk Shun,
Monks,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Henry Cow,
Minnie Riperton,
Lyres,
Banda Bassotti,
Dual Sessions, Dual Sessions, Dual Sessions, Dual Sessions.
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.