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 Lesotho and from Lagos.
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 1966 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the organ 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 Bill Wells to the rock 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 Roy Ayers. All the underground hits.
All Clear Light tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Motions record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Todd Rundgren record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Neil Young,
Bobby Byrd,
Byron Stingily,
Vainqueur,
the Human League,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Lakeside,
Jerry's Kids,
The Zeros,
The Victims,
L. Decosne,
The Gun Club,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Anakelly,
Rufus Thomas,
Sandy B,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
The Dirtbombs,
Circle Jerks,
Sixth Finger,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Yusef Lateef,
Johnny Clarke,
Khruangbin,
The Young Rascals,
Ohio Players,
The Real Kids,
Camberwell Now,
The United States of America,
The Busters,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Faust,
Warsaw,
The Detroit Cobras,
Anthony Braxton,
Make Up,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Grauzone,
Blake Baxter,
Al Stewart,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Patti Smith,
The Fire Engines,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Simply Red,
Jesper Dahlback,
Cameo,
Jeru the Damaja,
The Divine Comedy,
the Normal,
Brand Nubian,
The Skatalites,
Rekid,
Ituana,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Roy Ayers,
Zapp,
The Birthday Party,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Pierre Henry,
The Remains, The Remains, The Remains, The Remains.
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.