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 South Sudan and from Shanghai.
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 1967 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 1987 at the first Nirvana practice in a loft in Seattle.
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 The Dave Clark Five to the crunk 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 Black Bananas. All the underground hits.
All Colin Newman tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Magazine record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 theremin and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Hashim record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The United States of America,
The Cure,
Oneida,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Joyce Sims,
Ultra Naté,
H. Thieme,
ABBA,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Gerry Rafferty,
The Selecter,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Animal Collective,
Isaac Hayes,
Pagans,
Organ,
The Offenders,
Roger Hodgson,
The Velvet Underground,
Pylon,
Radiopuhelimet,
The Sonics,
Mary Jane Girls,
Donny Hathaway,
The Evens,
The J.B.'s,
Neu!,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Quando Quango,
Pierre Henry,
Sun City Girls,
AZ,
Max Romeo,
Swans,
World's Most,
Andrew Hill,
Interpol,
Television Personalities,
Magazine,
Gregory Isaacs,
Peter and Kerry,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
This Heat,
The Fall,
Shoche,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Inner City,
Minor Threat,
Gichy Dan,
The Motions,
The Happenings,
The Smiths,
Icehouse,
Gang of Four,
Barry Ungar,
Talk Talk,
Tropical Tobacco,
Sight & Sound,
Crispy Ambulance,
Judy Mowatt,
Piero Umiliani, Piero Umiliani, Piero Umiliani, Piero Umiliani.
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.