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 Seoul.
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 1967 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 1984 at the first Arcadia practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Magma to the techno kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Brand Nubian. All the underground hits.
All Eurythmics tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Subhumans record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jerry Gold Smith record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 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 Slits,
Ultra Naté,
Warren Ellis,
The Fugs,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Groovy Waters,
Robert Hood,
Deepchord,
Fluxion,
Arab on Radar,
Supertramp,
Lalo Schifrin,
The Martian,
the Soft Cell,
Malaria!,
Sällskapet,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Barclay James Harvest,
Minutemen,
Guru Guru,
Johnny Osbourne,
Lakeside,
The Beau Brummels,
R.M.O.,
Mo-Dettes,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Fugazi,
The Cowsills,
Nils Olav,
Outsiders,
Thee Headcoats,
Au Pairs,
DJ Sneak,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Absolute Body Control,
Symarip,
Mars,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Wasted Youth,
Dennis Brown,
the Human League,
Moby Grape,
Gang of Four,
Delon & Dalcan,
Lou Reed,
Eddi Front,
Janne Schatter,
Liliput,
Nirvana,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
The Tremeloes,
Angry Samoans,
MC5,
Quantec,
Traffic Nightmare,
Archie Shepp,
Chrome,
Todd Rundgren,
Neu!,
The Gladiators, The Gladiators, The Gladiators, The Gladiators.
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.