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 Brazil and from Cairo.
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 1961 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 at the first Suicide practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the organ 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 Danielle Patucci to the grunge kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Jeff Lynne. All the underground hits.
All Angry Samoans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Electric Light Orchestra record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Schoolly D record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Darondo,
Funky Four + One,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
A Certain Ratio,
John Cale,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Reagan Youth,
Amon Düül,
the Germs,
Grauzone,
KRS-One,
Scrapy,
Nation of Ulysses,
Grandmaster Flash,
Tim Buckley,
The Neon Judgement,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Wire,
June of 44,
Ice-T,
Index,
The Gap Band,
Yusef Lateef,
Glambeats Corp.,
Minnie Riperton,
Stereo Dub,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Technova,
Lyres,
Mission of Burma,
The Dave Clark Five,
Blossom Toes,
Moby Grape,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Slave,
June Days,
Andrew Hill,
Rites of Spring,
Ohio Players,
Eric Copeland,
Quantec,
The Monks,
Ultravox,
the Fania All-Stars,
Josef K,
Nick Fraelich,
The Offenders,
The Red Krayola,
Harry Pussy,
Easy Going,
Au Pairs,
Cheater Slicks,
Angry Samoans,
Livin' Joy,
Kayak,
Jimmy McGriff,
Freddie Wadling,
Lalann,
Big Daddy Kane,
Sound Behaviour,
Crispian St. Peters,
James Chance & The Contortions,
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.