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 Bangladesh and from Copenhagen.
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 1966 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 snare 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 Remains to the techno kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Siouxsie and the Banshees. All the underground hits.
All Livin' Joy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Matthew Bourne 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 a harpsichord and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Morten Harket record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Swans,
The Residents,
Juan Atkins,
Mad Mike,
Desert Stars,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Kevin Saunderson,
Wings,
Terrestrial Tones,
Hot Snakes,
Mandrill,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Danielle Patucci,
The Black Dice,
Heaven 17,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Sun Ra,
Oblivians,
Sunsets and Hearts,
John Cale,
PIL,
Clear Light,
The United States of America,
Lalann,
The Count Five,
Marc Almond,
Bobby Womack,
Metal Thangz,
The Evens,
The Star Department,
Godley & Creme,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Matthew Bourne,
Mission of Burma,
Aloha Tigers,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
The Fugs,
The Last Poets,
Soul II Soul,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
The Mummies,
June Days,
Mantronix,
Joe Smooth,
Ice-T,
The Busters,
Pussy Galore,
Schoolly D,
Marvin Gaye,
Alton Ellis,
Banda Bassotti,
Mo-Dettes,
Pantaleimon,
Electric Prunes,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Fad Gadget,
Soft Machine,
Porter Ricks,
Crooked Eye,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
H. Thieme, H. Thieme, H. Thieme, H. Thieme.
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.