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 Jamaica and from Columbus.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 1965 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 clarinet 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 JFA to the crunk 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 Banda Bassotti. All the underground hits.
All Jeru the Damaja tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rekid record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock 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 808 and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ash Ra Tempel record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Moebius,
Fela Kuti,
Bob Dylan,
The Real Kids,
Chris Corsano,
Ultra Naté,
The American Breed,
The Names,
Cybotron,
Unwound,
Mo-Dettes,
Sarah Menescal,
Graham Central Station,
Boogie Down Productions,
the Slits,
The Smiths,
E-Dancer,
Harmonia,
The Doors,
MC5,
Severed Heads,
B.T. Express,
The Birthday Party,
Minny Pops,
Yazoo,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Pharoah Sanders,
Reagan Youth,
Drexciya,
Kenny Larkin,
Dark Day,
This Heat,
The Busters,
UT,
Neu!,
Soulsonic Force,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Juan Atkins,
Chrome,
Moby Grape,
Zero Boys,
Nils Olav,
Sparks,
Adolescents,
Section 25,
Josef K,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
The Invisible,
Sunsets and Hearts,
FM Einheit,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Zeros,
The Kinks,
Soul Sonic Force,
The Fire Engines,
The New Christs,
Goldenarms,
Lalann,
Simply Red,
Todd Rundgren,
Panda Bear, Panda Bear, Panda Bear, Panda Bear.
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.