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 Tuvalu and from Houston.
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 1960 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Leonard Cohen to the dance kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Kurtis Blow. All the underground hits.
All Prince Buster tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sugar Minott record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a DNA record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Joyce Sims,
Basic Channel,
Nick Fraelich,
The Selecter,
Underground Resistance,
Maurizio,
Quantec,
the Human League,
Sam Rivers,
Pantytec,
Marine Girls,
Slick Rick,
Electric Prunes,
Grandmaster Flash,
Bang On A Can,
EPMD,
The Pop Group,
The Fugs,
Terry Callier,
Alphaville,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Masters at Work,
Model 500,
Soul II Soul,
Bill Near,
Jandek,
Janne Schatter,
Marcia Griffiths,
Desert Stars,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Al Stewart,
Eli Mardock,
X-102,
Jeru the Damaja,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Gong,
The Searchers,
Tom Boy,
The Toasters,
Schoolly D,
Tres Demented,
Mad Mike,
Wire,
8 Eyed Spy,
Aloha Tigers,
Nik Kershaw,
LL Cool J,
Suburban Knight,
Popol Vuh,
Mr. Review,
Frankie Knuckles,
Visage,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Eurythmics,
the Swans,
Deakin,
Bizarre Inc.,
Delon & Dalcan,
Alton Ellis,
OOIOO,
Tomorrow,
Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma.
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.