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 South Sudan and from Jakarta.
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 1969 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Toronto.
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 1976 at the first Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Lower 48 to the techno kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Grey Daturas. All the underground hits.
All Bobbi Humphrey tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The New Christs 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Swell Maps record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sound Behaviour,
The Cowsills,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Johnny Osbourne,
Dennis Brown,
Yusef Lateef,
Ultravox,
Amon Düül,
New Order,
Scientists,
Depeche Mode,
Fear,
Be Bop Deluxe,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Gastr Del Sol,
The Walker Brothers,
Echospace,
Soul Sonic Force,
Graham Central Station,
Bill Near,
Thompson Twins,
Quadrant,
Ronan,
The Doors,
Parry Music,
Rhythm & Sound,
Gil Scott Heron,
Traffic Nightmare,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Patti Smith,
Johnny Clarke,
Hardrive,
Toni Rubio,
Yazoo,
Minutemen,
Erasure,
Eddi Front,
Mo-Dettes,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Pussy Galore,
Wally Richardson,
The Associates,
Magazine,
Section 25,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Monks,
Royal Trux,
PIL,
Pagans,
Colin Newman,
Stereo Dub,
The Busters,
The Litter,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Lindisfarne,
Stiv Bators,
June of 44,
Bronski Beat,
Arcadia,
Clear Light,
Bluetip, Bluetip, Bluetip, Bluetip.
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.