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 Papua New Guinea and from Cairo.
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 1962 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the mellotron 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 Derrick Morgan to the dance kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 The Red Krayola. All the underground hits.
All The Slackers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Black Sheep record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 harpsichord and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Teenage Jesus and the Jerks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Walker Brothers,
Hashim,
The Birthday Party,
Q65,
Fatback Band,
Sun City Girls,
Intrusion,
Pantytec,
Alton Ellis,
Erykah Badu,
New Order,
EPMD,
D'Angelo,
Yusef Lateef,
Suicide,
Nils Olav,
Mission of Burma,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Model 500,
Donny Hathaway,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
La Düsseldorf,
Lee Hazlewood,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
World's Most,
The Alarm Clocks,
Jeff Mills,
Sparks,
Jandek,
Hot Snakes,
Donald Byrd,
Cymande,
Negative Approach,
Organ,
Basic Channel,
the Germs,
Silicon Teens,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Kevin Saunderson,
Jacques Brel,
Second Layer,
Max Romeo,
Cheater Slicks,
Black Sheep,
Whodini,
K-Klass,
The Techniques,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
CMW,
Reagan Youth,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Joey Negro,
Idris Muhammad,
Radio Birdman,
Television Personalities,
Unwound,
Howard Jones,
Vainqueur,
Joensuu 1685,
Neu!,
Henry Cow,
June of 44,
Barbara Tucker,
Lou Reed & John Cale, Lou Reed & John Cale, Lou Reed & John Cale, Lou Reed & John Cale.
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.