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 Yemen and from New York.
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 1967 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Sao Paulo and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Toronto 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 Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
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 Second Layer 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 The Last Poets. All the underground hits.
All a-ha tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Agent Orange record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ludus record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Mars,
Schoolly D,
Q65,
Sound Behaviour,
Guru Guru,
Archie Shepp,
Yellowson,
Prince Buster,
New Order,
The Divine Comedy,
Monolake,
Sarah Menescal,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Suburban Knight,
Marvin Gaye,
The Busters,
Roxette,
Pylon,
Terry Callier,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Metal Thangz,
The Cramps,
Sällskapet,
Funkadelic,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Supertramp,
Hasil Adkins,
Wire,
Shuggie Otis,
Hardrive,
The Neon Judgement,
China Crisis,
Tom Boy,
Soul II Soul,
Shoche,
Faraquet,
Pere Ubu,
Sexual Harrassment,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Velvet Underground,
LL Cool J,
The Red Krayola,
June Days,
Eden Ahbez,
L. Decosne,
Dual Sessions,
Ornette Coleman,
Porter Ricks,
The Pretty Things,
DJ Style,
Qualms,
Alison Limerick,
Soulsonic Force,
Marine Girls,
Inner City,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Fugazi,
Audionom,
Tears for Fears,
Kerri Chandler,
Stiv Bators,
Bob Dylan,
Gil Scott Heron,
Marcia Griffiths, Marcia Griffiths, Marcia Griffiths, Marcia Griffiths.
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.