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 China and from New York.
But I was there.
I was there in 2001.
I was there at the first Tiga show in Montreal.
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 1967 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 theremin 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 Livin' Joy to the punk kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Radiohead. All the underground hits.
All Prince Buster tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Parry Music record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The J.B.'s,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Avey Tare,
Sexual Harrassment,
X-102,
Zero Boys,
The Golliwogs,
Sister Nancy,
The Trojans,
Terry Callier,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Chris & Cosey,
Joy Division,
Public Enemy,
Electric Prunes,
Flash Fearless,
Minutemen,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Sandy B,
Cymande,
Yusef Lateef,
Bobby Byrd,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Supertramp,
Rekid,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Altered Images,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Girls At Our Best!,
Popol Vuh,
The Grass Roots,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Bootsy Collins,
T.S.O.L.,
Amon Düül II,
Pantytec,
The Alarm Clocks,
Skarface,
Brothers Johnson,
Kevin Saunderson,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Pierre Henry,
The Slits,
Joensuu 1685,
Easy Going,
Nils Olav,
Pet Shop Boys,
Von Mondo,
Ronan,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Bush Tetras,
CMW,
Scion,
Shuggie Otis,
Crispy Ambulance,
Ornette Coleman,
The Stooges,
Fear,
Dorothy Ashby,
Piero Umiliani, Piero Umiliani, Piero Umiliani, Piero Umiliani.
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.