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 Korea South and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Shanghai.
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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 Gil Scott Heron to the grime kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth. All the underground hits.
All Malaria! tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Black Dice 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bronski Beat record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Johnny Osbourne,
Television,
The American Breed,
The Pretty Things,
The Beau Brummels,
Ten City,
June Days,
The Velvet Underground,
Delon & Dalcan,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Public Enemy,
Boogie Down Productions,
Jimmy McGriff,
Lou Reed,
KRS-One,
Vainqueur,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Susan Cadogan,
Gabor Szabo,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Trumans Water,
A Certain Ratio,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Dennis Brown,
Brass Construction,
Crispian St. Peters,
Dave Gahan,
The Vogues,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Swans,
Albert Ayler,
Robert Görl,
Talk Talk,
Black Sheep,
Amon Düül,
Crime,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Marvin Gaye,
The Blues Magoos,
Newcleus,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Gil Scott Heron,
Rekid,
Ralphi Rosario,
Nas,
Nick Fraelich,
Barbara Tucker,
Television Personalities,
Dorothy Ashby,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Max Romeo,
Derrick May,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Minny Pops,
Rufus Thomas,
Juan Atkins,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Clear Light,
Michelle Simonal,
Henry Cow,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Zero Boys, Zero Boys, Zero Boys, Zero Boys.
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.