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 Latvia and from Copenhagen.
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 1966 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Paris 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the güiro 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 Scan 7 to the rock kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Parry Music. All the underground hits.
All Jeff Lynne tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Manfred Mann's Earth Band record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz 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 snare and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a A Certain Ratio record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ 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 Blackbyrds,
Young Marble Giants,
The Gladiators,
Kevin Saunderson,
Sister Nancy,
The United States of America,
Eli Mardock,
Second Layer,
Archie Shepp,
The Modern Lovers,
The Birthday Party,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
DJ Style,
Organ,
Panda Bear,
Scott Walker,
Shoche,
Lower 48,
Brothers Johnson,
The Mummies,
Main Source,
Lalann,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Darondo,
F. McDonald,
Bang On A Can,
The Blues Magoos,
Magazine,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Man Parrish,
Bobby Byrd,
the Bar-Kays,
FM Einheit,
Dennis Brown,
Isaac Hayes,
Reuben Wilson,
Tubeway Army,
Bootsy Collins,
Eric Dolphy,
Slick Rick,
Infiniti,
Fatback Band,
Harpers Bizarre,
The Wake,
Animal Collective,
Nation of Ulysses,
Lucky Dragons,
Sun City Girls,
Rakim,
the Association,
KRS-One,
Trumans Water,
Average White Band,
Aural Exciters,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Silicon Teens,
Soulsonic Force,
Heaven 17,
Adolescents,
Lightning Bolt,
X-Ray Spex,
The Raincoats,
The Victims,
Derrick Morgan,
Althea and Donna, Althea and Donna, Althea and Donna, Althea and Donna.
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.