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 Comoros and from Lille.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Easy Going to the funk 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 Jeff Lynne. All the underground hits.
All Fifty Foot Hose tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nils Olav 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a X-101 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Arcadia,
8 Eyed Spy,
Man Parrish,
Ronan,
Ultra Naté,
Barrington Levy,
Crime,
Patti Smith,
Sonny Sharrock,
Soul Sonic Force,
The Monks,
Kenny Larkin,
Agent Orange,
Ten City,
Frankie Knuckles,
Yellowson,
Althea and Donna,
The Young Rascals,
Erasure,
Niagra,
Jimmy McGriff,
Kerri Chandler,
Rakim,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
It's A Beautiful Day,
the Bar-Kays,
Wolf Eyes,
U.S. Maple,
Derrick Morgan,
Mark Hollis,
Public Enemy,
Rufus Thomas,
Drive Like Jehu,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Tears for Fears,
Harry Pussy,
Intrusion,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Lalann,
Grey Daturas,
Can,
Tommy Roe,
Lalo Schifrin,
Andrew Hill,
The Saints,
Stereo Dub,
Saccharine Trust,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
the Normal,
The Dirtbombs,
Roger Hodgson,
Donald Byrd,
Amazonics,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Malaria!,
Jacob Miller,
Sun Ra,
Jeff Mills,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Outsiders, Outsiders, Outsiders, Outsiders.
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.