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 Paris.
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 1963 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 1980 at the first Cybotron practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Sällskapet to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Moody Blues. All the underground hits.
All The Angels of Light tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Tremeloes record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
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 Symarip record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ten City,
Tropical Tobacco,
Y Pants,
Marvin Gaye,
Glenn Branca,
Simply Red,
The New Christs,
Wally Richardson,
Althea and Donna,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Birthday Party,
the Association,
Girls At Our Best!,
Mandrill,
Shuggie Otis,
Lou Reed,
Maurizio,
Blancmange,
Black Bananas,
Echospace,
Khruangbin,
Arcadia,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Thee Headcoats,
The American Breed,
Gregory Isaacs,
Electric Prunes,
Motorama,
The Fall,
K-Klass,
Davy DMX,
U.S. Maple,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Jandek,
Smog,
Suburban Knight,
Marshall Jefferson,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Public Image Ltd.,
Sarah Menescal,
The Real Kids,
Tres Demented,
Scientists,
Vladislav Delay,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Joensuu 1685,
Swell Maps,
Byron Stingily,
Yazoo,
Soul II Soul,
James White and The Blacks,
Goldenarms,
Sonic Youth,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
FM Einheit,
Joe Finger,
Traffic Nightmare,
Carl Craig,
Alphaville, Alphaville, Alphaville, Alphaville.
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.