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 Kenya and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Buzzcocks show in Bolton.
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 1966 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Sun Ra Arkestra to the grime kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Yazoo. All the underground hits.
All De La Soul & Jungle Brothers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Associates 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a snare and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sugar Minott record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Pulsallama,
Jeff Mills,
Metal Thangz,
Zapp,
Ludus,
Gang Green,
Gong,
The Leaves,
Electric Prunes,
The Cure,
The Dirtbombs,
Sonic Youth,
Liliput,
Charles Mingus,
Lindisfarne,
Shoche,
Crispian St. Peters,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Man Eating Sloth,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Ten City,
the Sonics,
Moss Icon,
Al Stewart,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Dark Day,
Spandau Ballet,
Negative Approach,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Chrome,
Radiohead,
The Names,
Agent Orange,
Barry Ungar,
The Gories,
Roxy Music,
the Human League,
Junior Murvin,
Letta Mbulu,
Joensuu 1685,
It's A Beautiful Day,
The Mojo Men,
Marcia Griffiths,
Idris Muhammad,
The Slits,
Outsiders,
Mission of Burma,
Half Japanese,
Mark Hollis,
Nils Olav,
Fatback Band,
PIL,
D'Angelo,
Terry Callier,
Roger Hodgson,
Mad Mike,
Deadbeat,
The Blues Magoos,
The Moody Blues,
Eden Ahbez,
Mr. Review,
Derrick May, Derrick May, Derrick May, Derrick May.
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.