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 Nauru and from London.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Dawn Penn to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Skarface. All the underground hits.
All Robert Hood tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell 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 '50s 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 Maurizio record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Roxette,
Das Ding,
Khruangbin,
Cecil Taylor,
Black Bananas,
The Gladiators,
Stetsasonic,
Terrestrial Tones,
Fad Gadget,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Judy Mowatt,
Wally Richardson,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Pet Shop Boys,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
June Days,
Isaac Hayes,
Erykah Badu,
Crime,
The Leaves,
The Trojans,
Tres Demented,
Minny Pops,
Royal Trux,
Moby Grape,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Joe Finger,
Brick,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
The Techniques,
Swans,
Television,
Parry Music,
The Tremeloes,
Hashim,
The Detroit Cobras,
Wasted Youth,
Easy Going,
Big Daddy Kane,
Sonic Youth,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
U.S. Maple,
Max Romeo,
Drive Like Jehu,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Marvin Gaye,
The Martian,
Nils Olav,
Index,
Animal Collective,
a-ha,
Nas,
Sun City Girls,
The Golliwogs,
Bizarre Inc.,
The United States of America,
David Axelrod,
The Cowsills,
The Five Americans,
Can,
Young Marble Giants,
The Dead C, The Dead C, The Dead C, The Dead C.
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.