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 Turkey and from Calgary.
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 1963 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Sao Paulo and Cairo.
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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Last Poets to the grunge kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Pantaleimon. All the underground hits.
All Kenny Larkin tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jacques Brel record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Brass Construction record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Grauzone,
Cecil Taylor,
Ronnie Foster,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Bush Tetras,
Bizarre Inc.,
Reuben Wilson,
Echospace,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Hardrive,
The Young Rascals,
The Litter,
Ponytail,
Cameo,
The Martian,
David Axelrod,
Television Personalities,
Camberwell Now,
cv313,
The Buckinghams,
Scientists,
Lou Christie,
Guru Guru,
Roxette,
Slick Rick,
Kenny Larkin,
Joey Negro,
New Age Steppers,
Quantec,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Lucky Dragons,
The Gladiators,
The Leaves,
Judy Mowatt,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Audionom,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Mandrill,
Cymande,
Radiohead,
Kerrie Biddell,
Joe Finger,
Roger Hodgson,
Dave Gahan,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Yusef Lateef,
Delta 5,
Alphaville,
Sun Ra,
Curtis Mayfield,
Amon Düül II,
Eve St. Jones,
Soul Sonic Force,
Lalann,
Sun City Girls,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Surgeon,
Marshall Jefferson,
Trumans Water,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
a-ha,
The Divine Comedy,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Lightning Bolt, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Bolt.
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.