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 Panama and from Jakarta.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Buzzcocks show in Bolton.
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 1962 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 guitar 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 The Smiths to the grime 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 Gil Scott Heron. All the underground hits.
All Pet Shop Boys tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bootsy's Rubber Band record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Piero Umiliani 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?
Nils Olav,
Pet Shop Boys,
The Wake,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Thompson Twins,
CMW,
Altered Images,
Public Enemy,
Amon Düül,
ABBA,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Soul II Soul,
Jacob Miller,
The Mojo Men,
Reuben Wilson,
Fatback Band,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Pierre Henry,
Animal Collective,
A Certain Ratio,
Cecil Taylor,
Hoover,
The Associates,
Lucky Dragons,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Black Flag,
Chris & Cosey,
Darondo,
Graham Central Station,
Jeff Lynne,
Visage,
The Skatalites,
The Black Dice,
Cymande,
Colin Newman,
Fluxion,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Mantronix,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Yusef Lateef,
Gabor Szabo,
Todd Terry,
Tommy Roe,
Brand Nubian,
Bill Near,
Cluster,
Ossler,
Schoolly D,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Flipper,
T. Rex,
Motorama,
Simply Red,
Alphaville,
Khruangbin,
Delon & Dalcan,
cv313,
Glambeats Corp.,
The Five Americans,
Porter Ricks,
Heaven 17,
KRS-One, KRS-One, KRS-One, KRS-One.
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.