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 Namibia and from Lagos.
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 1961 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
I was working on the organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Q and Not U to the disco kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Rufus Thomas. All the underground hits.
All Wire tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Arcadia record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Maleditus Sound record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Pagans,
Jeff Mills,
La Düsseldorf,
Tears for Fears,
Toni Rubio,
the Fania All-Stars,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
X-101,
Henry Cow,
Piero Umiliani,
Avey Tare,
Sonic Youth,
Slave,
The Fugs,
Alton Ellis,
Junior Murvin,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Tim Buckley,
Sonny Sharrock,
Bauhaus,
Clear Light,
Robert Hood,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Procol Harum,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Make Up,
Steve Hackett,
Alison Limerick,
Fugazi,
Johnny Osbourne,
Andrew Hill,
Sun Ra,
Ralphi Rosario,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Cecil Taylor,
Eric Copeland,
The Five Americans,
T. Rex,
Rekid,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
the Human League,
Harry Pussy,
The Offenders,
The Gladiators,
The Monks,
The Smiths,
The Modern Lovers,
Duran Duran,
Danielle Patucci,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
UT,
the Association,
Silicon Teens,
The Last Poets,
Bush Tetras,
The Electric Prunes,
Derrick May, Derrick May, Derrick May, Derrick May.
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.