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 Mexico and from Edmonton.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Velvet Underground to the punk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Oblivians. All the underground hits.
All Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Five Americans 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 spring reverb and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sam Rivers record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Pagans,
Joe Finger,
Arthur Verocai,
Graham Central Station,
Brothers Johnson,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
The Stooges,
Iggy Pop,
Qualms,
Quantec,
Ossler,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Sugar Minott,
Fatback Band,
World's Most,
The Beau Brummels,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
The Velvet Underground,
Leonard Cohen,
OOIOO,
The Evens,
Michelle Simonal,
Young Marble Giants,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Jeff Lynne,
The Sonics,
June of 44,
Eve St. Jones,
8 Eyed Spy,
Popol Vuh,
Erykah Badu,
Minny Pops,
Camberwell Now,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Sparks,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Mission of Burma,
Robert Görl,
Girls At Our Best!,
Josef K,
Oblivians,
The Doobie Brothers,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Stereo Dub,
Unrelated Segments,
The Trojans,
Andrew Hill,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
EPMD,
Yellowson,
Sonny Sharrock,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
The Last Poets,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Birthday Party,
Mo-Dettes,
Cabaret Voltaire,
PIL,
Half Japanese,
The New Christs,
Nils Olav, Nils Olav, Nils Olav, Nils Olav.
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.