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 Eritrea 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 1964 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Delhi and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Camouflage to the rock kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Prince Buster. All the underground hits.
All The Black Dice tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bootsy's Rubber Band 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 an oboe and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Heavy D & The Boyz record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Fela Kuti,
Stetsasonic,
Newcleus,
Terrestrial Tones,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Minor Threat,
The Sound,
Rakim,
Derrick Morgan,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
The Modern Lovers,
Rufus Thomas,
The Dave Clark Five,
Warren Ellis,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Eurythmics,
John Holt,
Juan Atkins,
the Swans,
Unwound,
Bush Tetras,
Whodini,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Gong,
Blake Baxter,
Soulsonic Force,
The Electric Prunes,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Mary Jane Girls,
Wire,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Silicon Teens,
Icehouse,
Basic Channel,
Monks,
Lalann,
Radio Birdman,
The Move,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Robert Görl,
Ultravox,
Hardrive,
48th St. Collective,
Dual Sessions,
Banda Bassotti,
The Martian,
Wings,
Fat Boys,
Sugar Minott,
Crime,
Sparks,
Altered Images,
The Birthday Party,
New Age Steppers,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Bizarre Inc.,
Jeru the Damaja,
Yusef Lateef,
The Offenders,
Outsiders, Outsiders, Outsiders, Outsiders.
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.