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 Antigua and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1963 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 A Certain Ratio 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 Anthony Braxton. All the underground hits.
All Soft Cell tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sad Lovers and Giants 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Aswad record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Depeche Mode,
The Black Dice,
The Beau Brummels,
Matthew Halsall,
Brothers Johnson,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The United States of America,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Flash Fearless,
Agitation Free,
the Fania All-Stars,
Brand Nubian,
Gastr Del Sol,
Josef K,
The American Breed,
Quando Quango,
The Techniques,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Drive Like Jehu,
Freddie Wadling,
Ultra Naté,
Nas,
Little Man,
Kool Moe Dee,
R.M.O.,
The Detroit Cobras,
Easy Going,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Gang Starr,
Black Sheep,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Tom Boy,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Tommy Roe,
Sister Nancy,
Dark Day,
Suburban Knight,
Con Funk Shun,
Bush Tetras,
The Stooges,
The Monks,
Arthur Verocai,
Prince Buster,
Throbbing Gristle,
Slick Rick,
Isaac Hayes,
Simply Red,
Roxy Music,
Cheater Slicks,
The Durutti Column,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Avey Tare,
Gil Scott Heron,
Bronski Beat,
Kerrie Biddell,
New Age Steppers,
The Standells,
Rapeman,
Porter Ricks,
Roxette,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Essential Logic, Essential Logic, Essential Logic, Essential Logic.
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.