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 Malaysia 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 1964 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 1968 at the first Bowie practice in a loft in Bromley.
I was working on the synthesizer 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 Eddi Front to the grime 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 The Pop Group. All the underground hits.
All Byron Stingily tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Index record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Half Japanese record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Soul Sonic Force,
The Toasters,
Lakeside,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Unrelated Segments,
In Retrospect,
Niagra,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Big Daddy Kane,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
X-Ray Spex,
Bush Tetras,
Sunsets and Hearts,
The Flesh Eaters,
Warren Ellis,
Ronnie Foster,
David Bowie,
Faust,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
UT,
Danielle Patucci,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Pantaleimon,
Cecil Taylor,
Bluetip,
The Young Rascals,
One Last Wish,
the Slits,
The Black Dice,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Half Japanese,
X-101,
Minor Threat,
Tears for Fears,
Supertramp,
The Fire Engines,
Barrington Levy,
Eric Dolphy,
Brass Construction,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Peter and Kerry,
Mr. Review,
Heaven 17,
Jacques Brel,
DJ Sneak,
Throbbing Gristle,
Yusef Lateef,
Albert Ayler,
Anakelly,
The Motions,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Isaac Hayes,
Agent Orange,
The Doors,
Depeche Mode,
Slave,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Matthew Bourne,
Japan,
Idris Muhammad,
The Raincoats, The Raincoats, The Raincoats, The Raincoats.
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.