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 Malta and from New York.
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 1965 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 1975 at the first Throbbing Gristle practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Bobby Byrd to the disco 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 Erykah Badu. All the underground hits.
All The Litter tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Letta Mbulu 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 güiro and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Massinfluence record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rosa Yemen,
the Slits,
The New Christs,
Blake Baxter,
Zapp,
Basic Channel,
Eric B and Rakim,
Qualms,
Tears for Fears,
Japan,
Isaac Hayes,
Bush Tetras,
The Litter,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Man Parrish,
The Slits,
Duran Duran,
Sun Ra,
Mars,
Frankie Knuckles,
Ken Boothe,
Joensuu 1685,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Alton Ellis,
Barclay James Harvest,
Anakelly,
Iggy Pop,
Audionom,
L. Decosne,
Average White Band,
Minutemen,
Easy Going,
A Certain Ratio,
R.M.O.,
ABC,
The Motions,
Absolute Body Control,
The Grass Roots,
The Black Dice,
Ludus,
The Birthday Party,
David Axelrod,
Second Layer,
Hashim,
Mission of Burma,
Fad Gadget,
Drexciya,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Gerry Rafferty,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Boogie Down Productions,
The Techniques,
Crime,
Traffic Nightmare,
Roy Ayers,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Bob Dylan,
Oblivians,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Masters at Work, Masters at Work, Masters at Work, Masters at Work.
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.