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 Rwanda and from Bologna.
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 1962 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Sao Paulo and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 1971 at the first Neu! practice in a loft in Düsseldorf.
I was working on the güiro 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 The Monochrome Set to the grime kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Idris Muhammad. All the underground hits.
All Youth Brigade tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Red Lorry Yellow Lorry record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Second Layer record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gil Scott Heron,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Funky Four + One,
Max Romeo,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Lalann,
One Last Wish,
The Fuzztones,
The Durutti Column,
Duran Duran,
Pharoah Sanders,
Girls At Our Best!,
Crime,
Ken Boothe,
Cybotron,
Skarface,
The Music Machine,
Lakeside,
Shuggie Otis,
Easy Going,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
F. McDonald,
Gang Green,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Lalo Schifrin,
Carl Craig,
Gang Starr,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Zapp,
Main Source,
Rites of Spring,
Man Eating Sloth,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Harry Pussy,
Jerry's Kids,
Aswad,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Joensuu 1685,
Bobby Sherman,
Michelle Simonal,
The Alarm Clocks,
Smog,
X-102,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Kenny Larkin,
Bootsy Collins,
Kas Product,
Das Ding,
Black Moon,
The Busters,
U.S. Maple,
Juan Atkins,
T.S.O.L.,
Soft Machine,
Rotary Connection,
the Normal,
H. Thieme,
Make Up,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Reuben Wilson,
FM Einheit,
The Trojans, The Trojans, The Trojans, The Trojans.
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.