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 Laos and from Madrid.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1967 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 Michael McDonald 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 Smog to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Selector Dub Narcotic. All the underground hits.
All Brick tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ludus record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bobby Hutcherson record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Masters at Work,
Basic Channel,
Cabaret Voltaire,
The Doors,
The Sound,
Reagan Youth,
The Fall,
Rufus Thomas,
FM Einheit,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Lalann,
Circle Jerks,
Morten Harket,
Fat Boys,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Chris & Cosey,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Metal Thangz,
New Age Steppers,
Flash Fearless,
Laurel Aitken,
Shoche,
Eve St. Jones,
X-Ray Spex,
Vladislav Delay,
Letta Mbulu,
Marvin Gaye,
Black Sheep,
James White and The Blacks,
Hashim,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Brothers Johnson,
The Blues Magoos,
These Immortal Souls,
Sonny Sharrock,
Gang Green,
Steve Hackett,
Quantec,
The Mummies,
Animal Collective,
the Slits,
Johnny Osbourne,
48th St. Collective,
Jeff Mills,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Livin' Joy,
Deadbeat,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Schoolly D,
Ultravox,
Barrington Levy,
Davy DMX,
Camberwell Now,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Camouflage,
the Soft Cell,
The Happenings,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
John Holt,
Lucky Dragons,
Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario.
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.