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 Philippines and from Beijing.
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 1969 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 Soul Sonic Force to the disco 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 Gregory Isaacs. All the underground hits.
All Aural Exciters tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Fuzztones 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Kings Of Tomorrow record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
The Fortunes,
ABC,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
New Age Steppers,
Absolute Body Control,
Marshall Jefferson,
Dark Day,
Rotary Connection,
Dual Sessions,
Yusef Lateef,
Television Personalities,
Glambeats Corp.,
Schoolly D,
Dennis Brown,
Mission of Burma,
DJ Sneak,
Electric Prunes,
Oblivians,
Suicide,
the Normal,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Josef K,
Amon Düül,
The Neon Judgement,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Brick,
Royal Trux,
Warren Ellis,
Pantaleimon,
R.M.O.,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Blues Magoos,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Andrew Hill,
Glenn Branca,
Cal Tjader,
Jeff Mills,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Pet Shop Boys,
E-Dancer,
Index,
The Red Krayola,
The Toasters,
The Beau Brummels,
The Slackers,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Nils Olav,
A Certain Ratio,
The Fall,
Cameo,
the Bar-Kays,
The Gap Band,
Black Moon,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Agent Orange,
Man Parrish,
Kenny Larkin,
Japan,
Shoche,
Yazoo,
Brass Construction,
The Fugs, The Fugs, The Fugs, The Fugs.
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.