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 Bosnia Herzegovina and from Accra.
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 1968 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 1976 at the first Chic practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Organ to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane. All the underground hits.
All Suburban Knight tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Liliput record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Lou Reed & John Cale record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Joe Smooth,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Smoke,
Stockholm Monsters,
This Heat,
Frankie Knuckles,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Panda Bear,
The Fugs,
Warsaw,
Delta 5,
Eden Ahbez,
Magma,
The Moody Blues,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Au Pairs,
The Searchers,
Sun Ra,
Sandy B,
Rites of Spring,
R.M.O.,
Robert Hood,
Model 500,
PIL,
DJ Style,
The Toasters,
Grauzone,
James White and The Blacks,
Man Parrish,
Godley & Creme,
The Pretty Things,
Black Moon,
Bluetip,
Gang Gang Dance,
Livin' Joy,
Young Marble Giants,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
the Fania All-Stars,
D'Angelo,
Eve St. Jones,
Moby Grape,
Skarface,
John Holt,
Neu!,
Echospace,
Bizarre Inc.,
Dave Gahan,
Sarah Menescal,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
The Fall,
The Monks,
Carl Craig,
Pere Ubu,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Gap Band,
Sister Nancy,
The Walker Brothers,
Outsiders,
Supertramp,
X-102,
The Stooges,
Aswad, Aswad, Aswad, Aswad.
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.