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 Korea North and from Jakarta.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Art of Noise show in London.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Grauzone to the dance kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 The Monks. All the underground hits.
All Kerri Chandler tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Monochrome Set record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gregory Isaacs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Swans,
Faust,
Camouflage,
Todd Terry,
Terrestrial Tones,
Kool Moe Dee,
Jimmy McGriff,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Bauhaus,
Ludus,
10cc,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
The Human League,
The Doors,
Gang Green,
Frankie Knuckles,
Little Man,
The Velvet Underground,
Fear,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Hardrive,
The Standells,
H. Thieme,
Janne Schatter,
Archie Shepp,
Main Source,
Index,
Lee Hazlewood,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Severed Heads,
The Evens,
kango's stein massive,
Barclay James Harvest,
Tears for Fears,
Peter & Gordon,
Big Daddy Kane,
the Soft Cell,
Underground Resistance,
Swell Maps,
The Dirtbombs,
Robert Wyatt,
The Grass Roots,
The Remains,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Oblivians,
Electric Light Orchestra,
New York Dolls,
Jerry's Kids,
Peter and Kerry,
Barry Ungar,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
A Certain Ratio,
Mr. Review,
Popol Vuh,
Stetsasonic,
Television,
Visage,
Bobby Womack,
Pharoah Sanders,
Piero Umiliani,
Dawn Penn,
Bill Near,
Trumans Water, Trumans Water, Trumans Water, Trumans Water.
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.