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 Niger and from Cairo.
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 1964 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 June of 44 to the dance kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Quando Quango. All the underground hits.
All Vaughan Mason & Crew tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap 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 an oboe and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Roy Ayers Ubiquity record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Kings Of Tomorrow,
X-Ray Spex,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Carl Craig,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Amazonics,
Masters at Work,
Heaven 17,
the Bar-Kays,
Joy Division,
Rakim,
The Gap Band,
Neu!,
ABBA,
The Angels of Light,
Bronski Beat,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Public Image Ltd.,
Barclay James Harvest,
Lebanon Hanover,
Cluster,
The Offenders,
Matthew Halsall,
June Days,
Half Japanese,
Max Romeo,
Chris Corsano,
Kerri Chandler,
It's A Beautiful Day,
The Birthday Party,
Duran Duran,
Ice-T,
Pierre Henry,
Spandau Ballet,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Lou Christie,
Ronan,
Man Eating Sloth,
Reuben Wilson,
the Slits,
Parry Music,
Dead Boys,
E-Dancer,
Marshall Jefferson,
Fad Gadget,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
The Last Poets,
Bobby Byrd,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Tubeway Army,
Scan 7,
Johnny Osbourne,
Skriet,
Magazine,
Rekid,
Tom Boy,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Pharoah Sanders,
Kayak,
Fort Wilson Riot,
The Saints,
Black Flag,
Fugazi,
Royal Trux, Royal Trux, Royal Trux, Royal Trux.
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.