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 Oman and from Cairo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 Delhi and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 808 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 The Smoke to the jazz kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Godley & Creme. All the underground hits.
All Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lou Christie 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Nas record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sun Ra,
Dave Gahan,
Sam Rivers,
The Cramps,
Trumans Water,
Grandmaster Flash,
The Modern Lovers,
Tears for Fears,
New Order,
Curtis Mayfield,
Wally Richardson,
Graham Central Station,
Man Eating Sloth,
Grey Daturas,
Todd Rundgren,
Lou Christie,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Absolute Body Control,
Arcadia,
Gang Gang Dance,
Theoretical Girls,
KRS-One,
Bush Tetras,
Ronnie Foster,
AZ,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Doors,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Carl Craig,
Dawn Penn,
Kenny Larkin,
Big Daddy Kane,
David McCallum,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Johnny Clarke,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
The Toasters,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Underground Resistance,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Robert Wyatt,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Oblivians,
Deakin,
Average White Band,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
kango's stein massive,
Eli Mardock,
Ossler,
Animal Collective,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Saccharine Trust,
Erykah Badu,
Camouflage,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Whodini,
Television Personalities,
New Age Steppers,
Fluxion,
Ten City,
Khruangbin, Khruangbin, Khruangbin, Khruangbin.
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.