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 Brunei and from Bremen.
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 1960 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 1976 at the first Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Warsaw 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 The Kinks. All the underground hits.
All The Sound tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Cowsills record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sight & Sound record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Wings,
Franke,
Cameo,
The Grass Roots,
Grey Daturas,
The Toasters,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The Moleskins,
Dennis Brown,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
The Selecter,
Skaos,
U.S. Maple,
Man Parrish,
Kerrie Biddell,
Crispian St. Peters,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
ABC,
Rakim,
Jandek,
Brick,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Eddi Front,
Liliput,
New Order,
Connie Case,
Crime,
Thompson Twins,
Pharoah Sanders,
Sonic Youth,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Wire,
cv313,
Section 25,
Mantronix,
Swans,
Royal Trux,
Gregory Isaacs,
Ornette Coleman,
Curtis Mayfield,
Japan,
Circle Jerks,
Matthew Halsall,
The Monks,
Suicide,
Sam Rivers,
Altered Images,
Drexciya,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Jacob Miller,
Panda Bear,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Oblivians,
Eden Ahbez,
Lyres,
Aural Exciters,
Sonny Sharrock,
MC5, MC5, MC5, MC5.
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.