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 Mali and from Mexico City.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Copenhagen 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 arpeggiator 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 Gun Club to the grime kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Sam Rivers. All the underground hits.
All Lalo Schifrin tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Alton Ellis record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 a chamberlin and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Cecil Taylor record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
MDC,
World's Most,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
The Modern Lovers,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Sarah Menescal,
Young Marble Giants,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
The Star Department,
The Blues Magoos,
Urselle,
Crash Course in Science,
New Age Steppers,
The Flesh Eaters,
Jimmy McGriff,
Grauzone,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The Moleskins,
John Foxx,
Flamin' Groovies,
Japan,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Vladislav Delay,
The Searchers,
the Normal,
The Gap Band,
The Gun Club,
New York Dolls,
Johnny Clarke,
The Misunderstood,
The Human League,
Howard Jones,
The Music Machine,
Johnny Osbourne,
Gang Gang Dance,
Intrusion,
June of 44,
Rotary Connection,
Henry Cow,
Tres Demented,
In Retrospect,
Eddi Front,
Oblivians,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Moss Icon,
Quando Quango,
X-102,
The Smiths,
Junior Murvin,
Absolute Body Control,
Avey Tare,
Man Parrish,
PIL,
Loose Ends,
Idris Muhammad,
Grey Daturas,
Letta Mbulu,
Throbbing Gristle,
Roxy Music,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
The Invisible,
Jacob Miller, Jacob Miller, Jacob Miller, Jacob Miller.
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.