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 Seychelles and from Cairo.
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 1961 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Manila.
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 1976 at the first Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Interpol to the funk kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Morten Harket. All the underground hits.
All Idris Muhammad tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bill Wells record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 a harpsichord and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Joy Division record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Kurtis Blow,
Yazoo,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Fear,
Ken Boothe,
The Divine Comedy,
Echospace,
The Barracudas,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Eric Copeland,
Glenn Branca,
Rod Modell,
Radio Birdman,
The Detroit Cobras,
DJ Sneak,
Hardrive,
Amon Düül,
Tomorrow,
The Last Poets,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
The Fugs,
Oblivians,
New Order,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Wally Richardson,
Davy DMX,
Lindisfarne,
Bill Wells,
Skriet,
June Days,
The Grass Roots,
The Music Machine,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Essential Logic,
Dead Boys,
Technova,
Bobby Womack,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Fad Gadget,
The Young Rascals,
Nick Fraelich,
Qualms,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Metal Thangz,
The Monochrome Set,
Eddi Front,
Albert Ayler,
CMW,
Stiv Bators,
Sarah Menescal,
Lou Reed,
The Moleskins,
The Pretty Things,
Radiopuhelimet,
Scion,
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.