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 Bangladesh and from Copenhagen.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 clarinet 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 Thompson Twins to the funk 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 Index. All the underground hits.
All The Trojans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Surgeon 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Selecter record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Warren Ellis,
Soulsonic Force,
Loose Ends,
Amazonics,
Roxy Music,
The Index,
Ken Boothe,
Pet Shop Boys,
Donny Hathaway,
Visage,
Parry Music,
Intrusion,
Aural Exciters,
Negative Approach,
Lyres,
Darondo,
Nation of Ulysses,
Bush Tetras,
Roger Hodgson,
Mantronix,
Aaron Thompson,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
48th St. Collective,
Suicide,
Von Mondo,
James White and The Blacks,
Silicon Teens,
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Fortunes,
Joe Smooth,
Todd Terry,
David Bowie,
Fluxion,
One Last Wish,
Man Parrish,
Basic Channel,
Lindisfarne,
Fugazi,
Average White Band,
Kerrie Biddell,
Hardrive,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
the Germs,
The Five Americans,
The Blues Magoos,
The Sound,
The Leaves,
Oblivians,
Alphaville,
The Moleskins,
Blake Baxter,
The Offenders,
Aloha Tigers,
Groovy Waters,
The Gun Club,
The Monks,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Flash Fearless,
The Pop Group,
Youth Brigade,
Joyce Sims,
The Cowsills,
Anakelly,
Icehouse,
Grey Daturas, Grey Daturas, Grey Daturas, Grey Daturas.
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.