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 Poland and from Stockholm.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1978 at the first Visage practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Eric B and Rakim to the grime kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Outsiders. All the underground hits.
All Johnny Clarke tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Boogie Down Productions 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Underground Resistance record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Motions,
the Human League,
The Slits,
Ralphi Rosario,
Swell Maps,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Soulsonic Force,
Motorama,
Rosa Yemen,
The Fire Engines,
Can,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Barclay James Harvest,
Supertramp,
The Residents,
the Germs,
Peter and Kerry,
Mo-Dettes,
DJ Sneak,
Desert Stars,
The Real Kids,
Malaria!,
Wolf Eyes,
Blake Baxter,
Con Funk Shun,
The Grass Roots,
The Black Dice,
The Human League,
Brick,
Amon Düül II,
Freddie Wadling,
Kool Moe Dee,
Deadbeat,
Lucky Dragons,
Mary Jane Girls,
Drive Like Jehu,
Qualms,
Bang On A Can,
The Music Machine,
Little Man,
Y Pants,
Animal Collective,
Alphaville,
Pantytec,
Tropical Tobacco,
Siglo XX,
Minnie Riperton,
Moss Icon,
John Cale,
Youth Brigade,
Curtis Mayfield,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
The Knickerbockers,
Alison Limerick,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Cecil Taylor,
Sparks,
The Leaves,
Pantaleimon,
Wally Richardson, Wally Richardson, Wally Richardson, Wally Richardson.
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.