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 Maldives and from Cairo.
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 1968 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 U.S. Maple 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 Whodini. All the underground hits.
All Surgeon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Banda Bassotti record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 an arpeggiator and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Larry & the Blue Notes 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?
The Kinks,
China Crisis,
Patti Smith,
Monks,
Black Pus,
Grauzone,
The Misunderstood,
Excepter,
Roxette,
Brass Construction,
Kenny Larkin,
Crispy Ambulance,
Trumans Water,
Glambeats Corp.,
Junior Murvin,
The Blackbyrds,
John Foxx,
the Association,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Fatback Band,
Josef K,
Dave Gahan,
Michelle Simonal,
The Durutti Column,
Soul II Soul,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Kool Moe Dee,
Public Enemy,
Clear Light,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Dual Sessions,
Deadbeat,
The Angels of Light,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
David Axelrod,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Stereo Dub,
Lalann,
Liliput,
Tubeway Army,
Isaac Hayes,
Loose Ends,
Aaron Thompson,
Nils Olav,
Reuben Wilson,
Roger Hodgson,
Moby Grape,
The Doobie Brothers,
Funky Four + One,
Pagans,
Japan,
The Gap Band,
The Dead C,
Young Marble Giants,
Soulsonic Force,
Cecil Taylor,
The Saints,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Joe Finger,
Khruangbin,
Bronski Beat,
Scion, Scion, Scion, Scion.
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.