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 Zimbabwe and from Edmonton.
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 1968 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Schoolly D to the techno kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Soul II Soul. All the underground hits.
All Gang Green tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sonny Sharrock record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Nick Fraelich record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jandek,
The Index,
Suicide,
Los Fastidios,
Skarface,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Glambeats Corp.,
Oneida,
Moby Grape,
The Blues Magoos,
Barry Ungar,
The Moleskins,
The Smoke,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Cheater Slicks,
T. Rex,
Nirvana,
Janne Schatter,
Wally Richardson,
Carl Craig,
Scrapy,
Erykah Badu,
Babytalk,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Alarm Clocks,
Shoche,
Fad Gadget,
Minutemen,
Anakelly,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Girls At Our Best!,
Niagra,
48th St. Collective,
Adolescents,
Scientists,
The Star Department,
cv313,
Whodini,
DJ Sneak,
Morten Harket,
David Axelrod,
Magma,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Sällskapet,
The Remains,
Robert Görl,
Gong,
Kurtis Blow,
Mandrill,
FM Einheit,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Nick Fraelich,
Nik Kershaw,
The Leaves,
Mr. Review,
The Vogues,
The Black Dice,
Thee Headcoats,
Mad Mike,
The Durutti Column,
Steve Hackett, Steve Hackett, Steve Hackett, Steve Hackett.
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.