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 Vietnam and from Salvador.
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 1963 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Woodstock.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Salvador 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 1971 at the first Selda practice in a loft in Istanbul.
I was working on the guitar 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 Fifty Foot Hose to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Joyce Sims. All the underground hits.
All Johnny Osbourne tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bill Wells 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Black Bananas record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gang Gang Dance,
Khruangbin,
Sister Nancy,
Los Fastidios,
L. Decosne,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Scan 7,
Frankie Knuckles,
Ronnie Foster,
Joey Negro,
Lucky Dragons,
Aural Exciters,
Sarah Menescal,
Gang Green,
Chrome,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Negative Approach,
Simply Red,
Fort Wilson Riot,
the Association,
Clear Light,
Pagans,
Roxy Music,
Sound Behaviour,
Babytalk,
Main Source,
The United States of America,
Brass Construction,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Jerry's Kids,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
John Lydon,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Mummies,
Urselle,
Oblivians,
Das Ding,
Albert Ayler,
Bizarre Inc.,
Camouflage,
Ralphi Rosario,
Shuggie Otis,
Blake Baxter,
The Slits,
Panda Bear,
Morten Harket,
Black Flag,
Sandy B,
JFA,
Dawn Penn,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Outsiders,
H. Thieme,
Bootsy Collins,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Cluster,
Drexciya,
The Five Americans,
Ronan,
Isaac Hayes,
The Fall,
The Zeros, The Zeros, The Zeros, The Zeros.
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.