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 Houston.
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 1960 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Bologna.
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 1971 at the first Selda practice in a loft in Istanbul.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Reagan Youth to the grunge kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Flash Fearless. All the underground hits.
All Black Sheep tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every a-ha 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Be Bop Deluxe record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Country Joe & The Fish,
Lou Christie,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Boredoms,
Bang On A Can,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Blues Magoos,
Vladislav Delay,
The Flesh Eaters,
Radiohead,
Khruangbin,
LL Cool J,
Warsaw,
Boz Scaggs,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Outsiders,
Mo-Dettes,
The United States of America,
Traffic Nightmare,
Frankie Knuckles,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Zapp,
Sandy B,
The Trojans,
Gang of Four,
Crispy Ambulance,
L. Decosne,
Donald Byrd,
Girls At Our Best!,
Soulsonic Force,
The Vogues,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Nik Kershaw,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Peter and Kerry,
Interpol,
The Smiths,
Iggy Pop,
Unwound,
Lee Hazlewood,
The Techniques,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Slick Rick,
Ronan,
Mark Hollis,
Von Mondo,
the Sonics,
Niagra,
Radiopuhelimet,
Roxette,
Scott Walker,
The Martian,
Television,
Joyce Sims,
Barclay James Harvest,
Dead Boys,
Au Pairs,
Ultra Naté,
Sex Pistols,
Lebanon Hanover, Lebanon Hanover, Lebanon Hanover, Lebanon Hanover.
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.