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 Sri Lanka 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 1961 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school New York 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 Selda practice in a loft in Istanbul.
I was working on the guitar 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 Tomorrow to the rap 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 Pere Ubu. All the underground hits.
All Marshall Jefferson tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Infiniti record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet 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 Sonics,
Camouflage,
Royal Trux,
The Leaves,
Brass Construction,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Soul Sonic Force,
Delon & Dalcan,
Erykah Badu,
Kerri Chandler,
Eurythmics,
Derrick May,
Black Bananas,
The Busters,
Peter & Gordon,
Can,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Bootsy Collins,
The United States of America,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Duran Duran,
Youth Brigade,
Traffic Nightmare,
Robert Görl,
Minny Pops,
The Selecter,
PIL,
Ossler,
Tropical Tobacco,
The Human League,
Stereo Dub,
The Raincoats,
Sister Nancy,
Lou Reed,
Laurel Aitken,
Supertramp,
Mandrill,
Hardrive,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Gang of Four,
Kevin Saunderson,
Bluetip,
Ultra Naté,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Fortunes,
Maurizio,
Eddi Front,
Freddie Wadling,
Mars,
Amon Düül II,
Fat Boys,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Archie Shepp,
Anthony Braxton,
Japan,
Bang On A Can,
World's Most,
Mad Mike,
Icehouse,
Gang Starr,
Ponytail, Ponytail, Ponytail, Ponytail.
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.