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 Laos and from Taipei.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Art of Noise show in London.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 oboe 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 Swell Maps to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Bobbi Humphrey. All the underground hits.
All Roy Ayers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Move record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Junior Murvin record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Juan Atkins,
Quando Quango,
Scion,
Eden Ahbez,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
UT,
The Smiths,
Tropical Tobacco,
ABC,
Babytalk,
Joe Smooth,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Magma,
John Cale,
Radiopuhelimet,
Rufus Thomas,
Carl Craig,
Tommy Roe,
Scan 7,
E-Dancer,
Judy Mowatt,
Adolescents,
Unrelated Segments,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Spandau Ballet,
Ken Boothe,
Monolake,
Tubeway Army,
The Music Machine,
The Monks,
Faust,
The Durutti Column,
David Bowie,
Swans,
Vladislav Delay,
The Modern Lovers,
Bill Wells,
Angry Samoans,
K-Klass,
Lalann,
Soul II Soul,
Rotary Connection,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Aswad,
The Last Poets,
New York Dolls,
Delon & Dalcan,
Smog,
Mars,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
The Buckinghams,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
John Foxx,
Darondo,
Johnny Osbourne,
Terry Callier,
Gang of Four,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Sonic Youth,
Sonny Sharrock, Sonny Sharrock, Sonny Sharrock, Sonny Sharrock.
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.