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 Egypt and from New York.
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 1965 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 at the first Suicide practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Porter Ricks to the disco kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 LL Cool J. All the underground hits.
All Roy Ayers Ubiquity tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nation of Ulysses record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Laurel Aitken record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rosa Yemen,
Yazoo,
Smog,
Boz Scaggs,
Sparks,
Janne Schatter,
Gil Scott Heron,
Nation of Ulysses,
Goldenarms,
Stockholm Monsters,
Arcadia,
Amazonics,
The Leaves,
Roxette,
Kool Moe Dee,
Rites of Spring,
Donald Byrd,
The Vogues,
Cluster,
Pere Ubu,
Chris Corsano,
Danielle Patucci,
Bill Near,
Robert Wyatt,
Livin' Joy,
a-ha,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Happenings,
Yellowson,
John Lydon,
Newcleus,
Minny Pops,
DNA,
Underground Resistance,
The Modern Lovers,
Prince Buster,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Ludus,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Gastr Del Sol,
Tres Demented,
AZ,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Toni Rubio,
Ohio Players,
James White and The Blacks,
The Moleskins,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
the Association,
Average White Band,
The Divine Comedy,
8 Eyed Spy,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Essential Logic,
Qualms,
Nils Olav,
Aswad,
Agent Orange,
Ronan,
Sarah Menescal,
Marvin Gaye, Marvin Gaye, Marvin Gaye, Marvin Gaye.
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.