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 Qatar and from Lyon.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Neu! show in Düsseldorf.
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 1968 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Winnipeg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Charles Mingus to the funk kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 The Doors. All the underground hits.
All Man Eating Sloth tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Anakelly 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Camberwell Now record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Stiv Bators,
Arcadia,
Blancmange,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Gang Starr,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
The Litter,
The United States of America,
Eden Ahbez,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Bauhaus,
Donny Hathaway,
Robert Hood,
The Remains,
Dark Day,
Mad Mike,
Minor Threat,
Connie Case,
The Selecter,
Can,
Ludus,
Maleditus Sound,
Little Man,
Pylon,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Drexciya,
The Leaves,
The Wake,
Camouflage,
Bill Near,
Mo-Dettes,
Boogie Down Productions,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Golliwogs,
Minnie Riperton,
Trumans Water,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Crispian St. Peters,
The Real Kids,
Derrick May,
Judy Mowatt,
Fear,
Yellowson,
Dorothy Ashby,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Mr. Review,
Warsaw,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Television Personalities,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Buzzcocks,
Darondo,
48th St. Collective,
Audionom,
the Swans,
Grauzone,
Duran Duran,
Eric Copeland,
Sugar Minott,
Cymande,
Talk Talk, Talk Talk, Talk Talk, Talk Talk.
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.