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 Congo and from Spokane.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1966 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Philadelphia.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Stockholm 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 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 Prince Buster to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud. All the underground hits.
All Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Leonard Cohen record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Alphaville record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Grey Daturas,
Intrusion,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Fela Kuti,
Cal Tjader,
New Age Steppers,
Lungfish,
Drexciya,
Bobby Womack,
DJ Sneak,
Dawn Penn,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Lou Reed,
Wire,
The Blues Magoos,
Blossom Toes,
Grandmaster Flash,
X-101,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
PIL,
Swell Maps,
The Velvet Underground,
Underground Resistance,
Ultravox,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Lyres,
The Beau Brummels,
Aswad,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The United States of America,
Television Personalities,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
DNA,
Kas Product,
Royal Trux,
Skaos,
Marvin Gaye,
Eric B and Rakim,
Circle Jerks,
Girls At Our Best!,
The Pretty Things,
Tropical Tobacco,
Shuggie Otis,
The Kinks,
Porter Ricks,
Zero Boys,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Deadbeat,
Depeche Mode,
Deepchord,
Thee Headcoats,
Moss Icon,
Dorothy Ashby,
Aaron Thompson,
Animal Collective,
Minny Pops,
Joyce Sims,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Blancmange,
Magma,
Rakim,
Chris & Cosey,
Jerry Gold Smith, Jerry Gold Smith, Jerry Gold Smith, Jerry Gold Smith.
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.