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 Taiwan and from Mexico City.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 2001 at the first Tiga practice in a loft in Montreal.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Bobby Hutcherson to the jazz 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 Unrelated Segments. All the underground hits.
All Bluetip tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Accadde A 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Tears for Fears record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Five Americans,
Mantronix,
Amazonics,
Nas,
Boogie Down Productions,
Underground Resistance,
Sällskapet,
Flash Fearless,
Traffic Nightmare,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Man Eating Sloth,
Whodini,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Skaos,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Eden Ahbez,
Symarip,
Nation of Ulysses,
Robert Hood,
Fad Gadget,
The Count Five,
Scion,
Harmonia,
Soft Machine,
Soft Cell,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
This Heat,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Jerry's Kids,
Public Enemy,
Unwound,
Sun Ra,
Cymande,
Eric Dolphy,
Archie Shepp,
The Blackbyrds,
The Invisible,
Crispy Ambulance,
Boz Scaggs,
Pere Ubu,
Khruangbin,
Zero Boys,
Judy Mowatt,
The Toasters,
Freddie Wadling,
Ten City,
Funky Four + One,
Lakeside,
Animal Collective,
Glenn Branca,
Spandau Ballet,
Neu!,
The Beau Brummels,
Pierre Henry,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Brand Nubian,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Eric B and Rakim,
Derrick Morgan,
Sex Pistols,
KRS-One,
The Gories,
Young Marble Giants, Young Marble Giants, Young Marble Giants, Young Marble Giants.
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.