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 Guyana 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 1962 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Bologna.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Gap Band to the dance 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 Excepter. All the underground hits.
All Grauzone tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Intrusion record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock 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 sitar and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Real Kids record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Connie Case,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Essential Logic,
MC5,
Donald Byrd,
Chris Corsano,
Newcleus,
The Black Dice,
Prince Buster,
Crispian St. Peters,
The Martian,
Dorothy Ashby,
Reuben Wilson,
Oblivians,
ABC,
EPMD,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Tomorrow,
New Order,
Lindisfarne,
Ludus,
Ituana,
DJ Style,
Depeche Mode,
Laurel Aitken,
Jesper Dahlback,
John Foxx,
The Human League,
Avey Tare,
The Blackbyrds,
Sunsets and Hearts,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Reagan Youth,
Barrington Levy,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Duran Duran,
Procol Harum,
Marc Almond,
8 Eyed Spy,
Lalann,
Dennis Brown,
Yaz,
Ultimate Spinach,
Das Ding,
Kool Moe Dee,
The Slackers,
Icehouse,
World's Most,
The Gladiators,
Be Bop Deluxe,
The Dead C,
Silicon Teens,
The Doobie Brothers,
The Red Krayola,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Drive Like Jehu,
Jawbox, Jawbox, Jawbox, Jawbox.
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.