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 Iran and from Madrid.
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 1965 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 harpsichord 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 Rod Modell to the rock kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 The Searchers. All the underground hits.
All Interpol tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Pole 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Fela Kuti record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Severed Heads,
Susan Cadogan,
The Techniques,
Ossler,
Pierre Henry,
The Moody Blues,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Excepter,
Liliput,
The Dave Clark Five,
Gang of Four,
Moby Grape,
Pussy Galore,
Schoolly D,
Jesper Dahlback,
Rosa Yemen,
Cluster,
Amon Düül II,
Graham Central Station,
The Cure,
Dawn Penn,
Connie Case,
Fat Boys,
the Human League,
Crispy Ambulance,
DJ Sneak,
Thompson Twins,
Fad Gadget,
Silicon Teens,
Motorama,
Crispian St. Peters,
Quadrant,
Glenn Branca,
Donald Byrd,
Zapp,
Todd Terry,
Aaron Thompson,
Colin Newman,
Tomorrow,
Iggy Pop,
U.S. Maple,
Monolake,
Nirvana,
Sun Ra,
Hardrive,
The Raincoats,
Gastr Del Sol,
The Barracudas,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Ronnie Foster,
Darondo,
B.T. Express,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Chris & Cosey,
Black Sheep,
The Velvet Underground,
Prince Buster,
Lindisfarne,
Mars,
Oblivians,
Eli Mardock,
John Holt, John Holt, John Holt, John Holt.
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.