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 Nepal and from Bremen.
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 1964 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school New York 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 Lewis practice in a loft in Vancouver.
I was working on the harpsichord 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 John Coltrane to the electroclash 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 Pussy Galore. All the underground hits.
All Oblivians tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bang on a Can All-Stars record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Fela Kuti,
Heaven 17,
The Human League,
Jesper Dahlback,
The Fire Engines,
Talk Talk,
Swell Maps,
Barrington Levy,
the Fania All-Stars,
Rhythm & Sound,
Adolescents,
Trumans Water,
Sonic Youth,
Lalo Schifrin,
Moby Grape,
Blossom Toes,
OOIOO,
Freddie Wadling,
X-Ray Spex,
Theoretical Girls,
Matthew Bourne,
Scott Walker,
Erasure,
Maleditus Sound,
X-102,
Stockholm Monsters,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Youth Brigade,
Mad Mike,
Dennis Brown,
Goldenarms,
Grauzone,
The Electric Prunes,
Pylon,
Big Daddy Kane,
Metal Thangz,
Chris & Cosey,
Idris Muhammad,
Grey Daturas,
Kas Product,
Man Parrish,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Franke,
Public Image Ltd.,
The Barracudas,
Boogie Down Productions,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
The Seeds,
Minnie Riperton,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Johnny Clarke,
Cluster,
Funky Four + One,
Arab on Radar,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
Public Enemy,
Warsaw,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Robert Hood,
Andrew Hill,
Lebanon Hanover,
Pantaleimon, Pantaleimon, Pantaleimon, Pantaleimon.
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.