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 Switzerland and from Winnipeg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1961 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 Robert Palmer 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 A Certain Ratio to the dance kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Real Kids. All the underground hits.
All Drexciya tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Pretty Things 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Oneida record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Swell Maps,
Nation of Ulysses,
The Remains,
Pharoah Sanders,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Kenny Larkin,
kango's stein massive,
Jawbox,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Pylon,
Bobbi Humphrey,
The Last Poets,
Sandy B,
Tropical Tobacco,
Todd Terry,
The Saints,
Popol Vuh,
Chrome,
Bobby Sherman,
Derrick May,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Roger Hodgson,
Laurel Aitken,
The Tremeloes,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Minny Pops,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Television Personalities,
The Skatalites,
Throbbing Gristle,
The Alarm Clocks,
Peter and Kerry,
Althea and Donna,
Soul II Soul,
Guru Guru,
Marshall Jefferson,
Bobby Byrd,
Tubeway Army,
Cal Tjader,
The Invisible,
Joy Division,
Parry Music,
The Mummies,
Yaz,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Electric Prunes,
Gastr Del Sol,
Wolf Eyes,
Subhumans,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Brothers Johnson,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
T.S.O.L.,
Harpers Bizarre,
The Victims,
Arthur Verocai,
Colin Newman,
Pet Shop Boys,
Soul Sonic Force,
AZ,
Maleditus Sound, Maleditus Sound, Maleditus Sound, Maleditus Sound.
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.