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 Papua New Guinea and from Columbus.
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 1963 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Archie Shepp to the disco kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Zeros. All the underground hits.
All The Slits tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Absolute Body Control 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Steve Hackett record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Trojans,
Ash Ra Tempel,
The Human League,
Big Daddy Kane,
Skriet,
Eli Mardock,
Unwound,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
The Kinks,
The Skatalites,
Joyce Sims,
Urselle,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Piero Umiliani,
The Seeds,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Funkadelic,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
A Flock of Seagulls,
The Mojo Men,
Brand Nubian,
Glambeats Corp.,
Michelle Simonal,
Jacob Miller,
Althea and Donna,
Stiv Bators,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
The Offenders,
Joensuu 1685,
June Days,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
The Shadows of Knight,
The Evens,
Aloha Tigers,
Drive Like Jehu,
Malaria!,
Stereo Dub,
the Association,
Tim Buckley,
Peter and Kerry,
Severed Heads,
The Last Poets,
John Holt,
Masters at Work,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Scrapy,
The Gladiators,
cv313,
Pet Shop Boys,
Kool Moe Dee,
Depeche Mode,
Joe Finger,
Niagra,
MDC,
A Certain Ratio,
Audionom,
Gang Gang Dance,
U.S. Maple,
Grauzone,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Jeff Mills,
Dawn Penn, Dawn Penn, Dawn Penn, Dawn Penn.
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.