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 Mozambique and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1965 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 Selector Dub Narcotic to the rock 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 Sparks. All the underground hits.
All Art Ensemble Of Chicago tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Shuggie Otis 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Dorothy Ashby record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Anakelly,
Laurel Aitken,
Pussy Galore,
Half Japanese,
Soulsonic Force,
Soul II Soul,
UT,
Avey Tare,
The Dave Clark Five,
China Crisis,
Franke,
Chrome,
The Residents,
Das Ding,
The Birthday Party,
Mission of Burma,
Bang On A Can,
Slick Rick,
Nik Kershaw,
Hashim,
The Techniques,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
The Martian,
Funkadelic,
Sound Behaviour,
Davy DMX,
The Dead C,
the Human League,
Thee Headcoats,
Japan,
Nils Olav,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Harmonia,
Rekid,
Sun Ra,
Prince Buster,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Stereo Dub,
Fluxion,
The Shadows of Knight,
The Wake,
Procol Harum,
Severed Heads,
The Velvet Underground,
Neil Young,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The New Christs,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
the Sonics,
Ronnie Foster,
Drive Like Jehu,
Marine Girls,
Minor Threat,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Circle Jerks,
Marcia Griffiths,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Qualms,
Whodini,
Terry Callier,
Livin' Joy,
Dennis Brown, Dennis Brown, Dennis Brown, Dennis Brown.
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.