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 Italy and from Tehran.
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 1969 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 1977 at the first Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 8 Eyed Spy to the grime 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 Blake Baxter. All the underground hits.
All Prince Buster tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Michelle Simonal record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Tropical Tobacco record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Eddi Front,
OOIOO,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Angels of Light,
Big Daddy Kane,
Thee Headcoats,
Audionom,
Curtis Mayfield,
Cecil Taylor,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Lou Christie,
the Fania All-Stars,
Cal Tjader,
Moby Grape,
Bang On A Can,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Moody Blues,
Animal Collective,
Chris & Cosey,
The Fire Engines,
Desert Stars,
Rhythm & Sound,
the Swans,
Jesper Dahlback,
Eurythmics,
Porter Ricks,
The Kinks,
Ten City,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Brass Construction,
H. Thieme,
Simply Red,
the Human League,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Zeros,
Altered Images,
Sister Nancy,
The Offenders,
Accadde A,
Supertramp,
The Move,
Wally Richardson,
Sun City Girls,
Fatback Band,
The Gap Band,
Gang of Four,
Au Pairs,
Oblivians,
Crooked Eye,
Wire,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Last Poets,
EPMD,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Cowsills,
Bill Near,
Fear,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Gang Gang Dance,
New York Dolls,
Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus.
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.