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 Sierra Leone and from Accra.
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 1969 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Soulsonic Force to the jazz kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Kool G Rap & DJ Polo. All the underground hits.
All The Mummies tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sonic Youth record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sonic Youth record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Graham Central Station,
Moebius,
These Immortal Souls,
Pulsallama,
Andrew Hill,
This Heat,
Dave Gahan,
Sun Ra,
Groovy Waters,
Agent Orange,
Funkadelic,
Bobby Byrd,
The Doors,
Technova,
The Golliwogs,
Amon Düül II,
10cc,
Sexual Harrassment,
Lucky Dragons,
Organ,
Shuggie Otis,
the Fania All-Stars,
Drexciya,
Lungfish,
The Gladiators,
The Alarm Clocks,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Youth Brigade,
X-101,
The Selecter,
The Slits,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
KRS-One,
Ultra Naté,
Kool Moe Dee,
Avey Tare,
Fort Wilson Riot,
The Modern Lovers,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
MC5,
Drive Like Jehu,
Traffic Nightmare,
Faraquet,
Eddi Front,
Marcia Griffiths,
Chris Corsano,
Nils Olav,
Funky Four + One,
Yazoo,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Gil Scott Heron,
Bob Dylan,
The Star Department,
Gabor Szabo,
The Flesh Eaters,
Jerry's Kids,
Bad Manners,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
PIL,
June Days,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Gastr Del Sol, Gastr Del Sol, Gastr Del Sol, Gastr Del Sol.
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.