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 Algeria and from Tokyo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1965 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Bologna.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the theremin 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 Albert Ayler to the dance 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 Alton Ellis. All the underground hits.
All Boredoms tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The New Christs record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Depeche Mode record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin 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 Cowsills,
Max Romeo,
Faraquet,
Juan Atkins,
Animal Collective,
Lalann,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Ultimate Spinach,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Funky Four + One,
Rapeman,
Idris Muhammad,
Slick Rick,
Erasure,
Delon & Dalcan,
John Foxx,
Q and Not U,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
The Happenings,
Magma,
Matthew Bourne,
Barrington Levy,
Mary Jane Girls,
Piero Umiliani,
Avey Tare,
Country Teasers,
B.T. Express,
Barbara Tucker,
Donny Hathaway,
JFA,
Dennis Brown,
Nik Kershaw,
Popol Vuh,
Mark Hollis,
The Pretty Things,
10cc,
Adolescents,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Pierre Henry,
Soulsonic Force,
Jerry's Kids,
kango's stein massive,
the Normal,
the Bar-Kays,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
The Raincoats,
The Remains,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Derrick Morgan,
The Neon Judgement,
Icehouse,
Flipper,
Donald Byrd,
Joensuu 1685,
Urselle,
Prince Buster,
Bobby Byrd,
Lindisfarne,
Pantaleimon,
Qualms,
The Count Five,
Basic Channel, Basic Channel, Basic Channel, Basic Channel.
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.