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 Mongolia and from Paris.
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 1969 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia 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 linndrum 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 Liliput to the crunk 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 Ajijia Myrayebe. All the underground hits.
All The Kinks tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Main Source 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sandy B record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Freddie Wadling,
Harmonia,
Colin Newman,
Scientists,
Cybotron,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Hardrive,
The Trojans,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Man Parrish,
Gang of Four,
Prince Buster,
Dark Day,
Spandau Ballet,
Byron Stingily,
Nation of Ulysses,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Carl Craig,
Thompson Twins,
Q and Not U,
Section 25,
Cecil Taylor,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
AZ,
Sonic Youth,
The Golliwogs,
the Germs,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Terry Callier,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
H. Thieme,
Gang Gang Dance,
The Saints,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Gang Starr,
Black Sheep,
DJ Sneak,
The Busters,
T. Rex,
Cymande,
Idris Muhammad,
Yusef Lateef,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Joy Division,
Mandrill,
The Real Kids,
Alison Limerick,
The Searchers,
The Martian,
Frankie Knuckles,
Juan Atkins,
Jeff Lynne,
Kaleidoscope,
Visage,
Arcadia,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Sister Nancy,
the Soft Cell,
Half Japanese,
Fluxion,
Heavy D & The Boyz, Heavy D & The Boyz, Heavy D & The Boyz, Heavy D & The Boyz.
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.