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 Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Art of Noise show in 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 1965 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Paris.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 The Leaves to the funk kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell. All the underground hits.
All Lafayette Afro Rock Band tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every This Heat record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno 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 a theremin and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bill Near record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Roxette,
Mantronix,
Soul II Soul,
Minnie Riperton,
the Fania All-Stars,
Lungfish,
Barry Ungar,
Letta Mbulu,
Absolute Body Control,
Joyce Sims,
Kerri Chandler,
The Slackers,
The Doobie Brothers,
Ituana,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Crispian St. Peters,
The Techniques,
Minutemen,
Eden Ahbez,
Liliput,
Urselle,
Fluxion,
June of 44,
Chris & Cosey,
Drexciya,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Procol Harum,
The Trojans,
Schoolly D,
Tom Boy,
New Order,
The Sound,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Tropical Tobacco,
Tommy Roe,
Joensuu 1685,
Prince Buster,
Deadbeat,
Porter Ricks,
Peter & Gordon,
Bauhaus,
Tubeway Army,
Wasted Youth,
Neu!,
Godley & Creme,
Nirvana,
Throbbing Gristle,
Easy Going,
Dawn Penn,
Slick Rick,
The Searchers,
In Retrospect,
Eric B and Rakim,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Pantaleimon,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Fad Gadget, Fad Gadget, Fad Gadget, Fad Gadget.
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.