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 Nauru and from Manchester.
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 1967 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Kurtis Blow to the jazz 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 Terry Callier. All the underground hits.
All D'Angelo tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Oneida 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Alton Ellis record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Electric Light Orchestra,
Slave,
cv313,
The Remains,
Half Japanese,
Jawbox,
Reagan Youth,
B.T. Express,
Marvin Gaye,
Wally Richardson,
Avey Tare,
Minnie Riperton,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Guru Guru,
Barbara Tucker,
Bootsy Collins,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
The Mojo Men,
Pantaleimon,
John Cale,
Masters at Work,
The Invisible,
Qualms,
the Fania All-Stars,
Ice-T,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Nation of Ulysses,
Section 25,
Kevin Saunderson,
Black Sheep,
Matthew Halsall,
Wings,
The Red Krayola,
Banda Bassotti,
Drive Like Jehu,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
The Detroit Cobras,
Motorama,
Alice Coltrane,
Index,
Stereo Dub,
John Lydon,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
AZ,
Blossom Toes,
Dark Day,
Byron Stingily,
Ituana,
Harmonia,
Sonic Youth,
Eli Mardock,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Skriet,
The Knickerbockers,
John Foxx,
U.S. Maple,
New Order,
This Heat,
Dorothy Ashby,
Crispian St. Peters,
June of 44,
Joey Negro,
Joe Smooth, Joe Smooth, Joe Smooth, Joe Smooth.
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.