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 Kosovo and from Manila.
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 1960 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the synthesizer 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 Pantytec to the rap 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 Main Source. All the underground hits.
All Khruangbin tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Girls At Our Best! 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Music Machine record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Grey Daturas,
Shuggie Otis,
Darondo,
Altered Images,
Avey Tare,
Glenn Branca,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Unwound,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
The Blues Magoos,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Man Parrish,
Bad Manners,
Duran Duran,
Cecil Taylor,
Ultra Naté,
Derrick May,
Flash Fearless,
Kayak,
Organ,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
The Associates,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Minny Pops,
Lebanon Hanover,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Y Pants,
Royal Trux,
Patti Smith,
Gang Starr,
Aloha Tigers,
Make Up,
Eric Dolphy,
Crispy Ambulance,
Radio Birdman,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Minnie Riperton,
Electric Prunes,
Technova,
Suburban Knight,
Donny Hathaway,
This Heat,
The Neon Judgement,
Roy Ayers,
Wire,
Groovy Waters,
Magma,
Jimmy McGriff,
The Fuzztones,
The Leaves,
Neu!,
Johnny Clarke,
Wings,
Gregory Isaacs,
Fugazi,
Pulsallama,
The Star Department,
Intrusion,
The Skatalites,
Oblivians,
Bobby Byrd,
Cluster,
The Offenders,
Deakin, Deakin, Deakin, Deakin.
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.