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 Serbia and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia 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 1967 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Infiniti to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 EPMD. All the underground hits.
All Swell Maps tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Isaac Hayes record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Basic Channel record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Y Pants,
Gang of Four,
FM Einheit,
Ohio Players,
Isaac Hayes,
Babytalk,
Ultimate Spinach,
The Selecter,
Massinfluence,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
EPMD,
Silicon Teens,
The Busters,
Guru Guru,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Slackers,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Roy Ayers,
Metal Thangz,
Glenn Branca,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Gladiators,
Anakelly,
Kurtis Blow,
Warsaw,
Skaos,
Excepter,
Lungfish,
Banda Bassotti,
Model 500,
Alton Ellis,
Lou Reed,
Lower 48,
Grey Daturas,
Cecil Taylor,
The Skatalites,
Sarah Menescal,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Grauzone,
Deakin,
Newcleus,
Graham Central Station,
Boredoms,
Maurizio,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Robert Hood,
Joensuu 1685,
Neil Young,
The Golliwogs,
Buzzcocks,
The Birthday Party,
Flash Fearless,
The Litter,
Symarip,
Ultra Naté,
Chris & Cosey,
Porter Ricks,
Tomorrow,
Donny Hathaway,
Scott Walker, Scott Walker, Scott Walker, Scott Walker.
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.