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 Vanuatu and from Shanghai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1964 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark to the grime 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 Associates. All the underground hits.
All 10cc tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sonic Youth record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ornette Coleman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Pere Ubu,
Albert Ayler,
FM Einheit,
Accadde A,
Freddie Wadling,
The Walker Brothers,
Cybotron,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Blossom Toes,
The Doors,
Steve Hackett,
Ken Boothe,
June of 44,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Traffic Nightmare,
Jacques Brel,
Nik Kershaw,
Sex Pistols,
Ossler,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Harpers Bizarre,
Hardrive,
Darondo,
Jandek,
Cymande,
Hoover,
The Vogues,
the Fania All-Stars,
Lebanon Hanover,
Suburban Knight,
Soul Sonic Force,
Electric Prunes,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Public Enemy,
New Order,
Nas,
Dave Gahan,
DJ Style,
Brothers Johnson,
A Certain Ratio,
T.S.O.L.,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Delta 5,
Archie Shepp,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Q65,
Porter Ricks,
Jacob Miller,
Warren Ellis,
Bobby Womack,
Absolute Body Control,
Bill Near,
Rotary Connection,
Scratch Acid,
Scott Walker,
Ronan,
Barry Ungar,
Thee Headcoats,
Smog,
The Blackbyrds, The Blackbyrds, The Blackbyrds, The Blackbyrds.
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.