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 St Kitts & Nevis and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1963 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 John Coltrane to the funk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Bluetip. All the underground hits.
All Ohio Players tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Talk Talk record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mission of Burma record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Johnny Clarke,
Little Man,
Reagan Youth,
Erasure,
Colin Newman,
Graham Central Station,
D'Angelo,
Y Pants,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Aswad,
Blossom Toes,
Sixth Finger,
The Leaves,
R.M.O.,
U.S. Maple,
Zapp,
Yazoo,
Kas Product,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
The Invisible,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Grandmaster Flash,
Simply Red,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Flash Fearless,
Cybotron,
Gregory Isaacs,
Wolf Eyes,
The Index,
Cameo,
Basic Channel,
The Flesh Eaters,
One Last Wish,
K-Klass,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
The Raincoats,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
UT,
The Offenders,
Subhumans,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
the Swans,
The Buckinghams,
Public Image Ltd.,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Scratch Acid,
Bad Manners,
Yaz,
10cc,
The Birthday Party,
the Fania All-Stars,
Crooked Eye,
Mandrill,
Agitation Free,
Lower 48,
Public Enemy,
Livin' Joy,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Alton Ellis,
The Tremeloes,
Carl Craig,
The Barracudas,
Whodini, Whodini, Whodini, Whodini.
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.