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 Zimbabwe and from Spokane.
But I was there.
I was there in 1978.
I was there at the first Visage 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 1969 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Delhi and Philadelphia.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 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 Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx to the grunge 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 Kerrie Biddell. All the underground hits.
All Flipper tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Archie Shepp 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Gladiators record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Qualms,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
A Certain Ratio,
The Index,
Agitation Free,
Sällskapet,
Archie Shepp,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Kayak,
Joensuu 1685,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Cymande,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Colin Newman,
Prince Buster,
Lower 48,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
The Trojans,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Brand Nubian,
LL Cool J,
Flamin' Groovies,
Joe Finger,
Circle Jerks,
Quando Quango,
Television Personalities,
Jacques Brel,
L. Decosne,
Bobby Womack,
Joy Division,
The Dead C,
The Moody Blues,
Mr. Review,
The Busters,
Maurizio,
the Association,
KRS-One,
Funky Four + One,
Dark Day,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Jerry Gold Smith,
The Modern Lovers,
Piero Umiliani,
Sun Ra,
The Techniques,
Tubeway Army,
Scrapy,
Sparks,
The Pretty Things,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Terry Callier,
The Toasters,
Bang On A Can,
The Red Krayola,
Bush Tetras,
DJ Sneak,
Section 25,
Gichy Dan,
Severed Heads,
The Vogues,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
the Fania All-Stars,
Scion, Scion, Scion, Scion.
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.