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 Iran 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 1969 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Calgary 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 1979 at the first Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Peter & Gordon to the disco kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Cabaret Voltaire. All the underground hits.
All Qualms tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Johnny Osbourne record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Hasil Adkins record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
The Gladiators,
Ohio Players,
Mantronix,
Fad Gadget,
Eric B and Rakim,
The Move,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
DJ Style,
Juan Atkins,
Magma,
Lalann,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Chris & Cosey,
Soft Machine,
Qualms,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Agitation Free,
Bronski Beat,
John Foxx,
Grey Daturas,
Thompson Twins,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Yellowson,
Model 500,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Das Ding,
Howard Jones,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Bobby Sherman,
cv313,
The New Christs,
X-Ray Spex,
Blossom Toes,
The Vogues,
Harpers Bizarre,
Groovy Waters,
Shoche,
The Martian,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Deepchord,
A Certain Ratio,
Sonic Youth,
The Shadows of Knight,
Siglo XX,
Erasure,
R.M.O.,
Black Bananas,
Panda Bear,
Technova,
Magazine,
Von Mondo,
Aural Exciters,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
The Golliwogs,
Sight & Sound,
Eden Ahbez,
Circle Jerks,
Youth Brigade,
Mandrill,
Ultravox,
The Gap Band,
Robert Hood, Robert Hood, Robert Hood, Robert Hood.
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.