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 Halifax.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1964 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Funky Four + One to the punk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Yellowson. All the underground hits.
All Grey Daturas tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Trumans Water record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 an arpeggiator and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a CMW record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Moody Blues,
The Standells,
Quando Quango,
Throbbing Gristle,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Spoonie Gee,
the Swans,
Minor Threat,
Darondo,
Dual Sessions,
The Blues Magoos,
The Gun Club,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Oblivians,
Sun City Girls,
Make Up,
The J.B.'s,
Sonny Sharrock,
Nick Fraelich,
Soul Sonic Force,
Procol Harum,
Bluetip,
Metal Thangz,
The Detroit Cobras,
Funkadelic,
Alphaville,
The Sound,
The New Christs,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Archie Shepp,
Drexciya,
World's Most,
Pharoah Sanders,
Zapp,
Rekid,
MC5,
Terrestrial Tones,
The Victims,
The American Breed,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
the Sonics,
Bad Manners,
Juan Atkins,
Fugazi,
Technova,
Lalo Schifrin,
Aloha Tigers,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Desert Stars,
Gong,
Gabor Szabo,
Donny Hathaway,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Silicon Teens,
Livin' Joy,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Guru Guru,
Heaven 17,
Essential Logic,
Don Cherry,
The Sonics, The Sonics, The Sonics, The Sonics.
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.