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 Ghana and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 2001.
I was there at the first Tiga show in Montreal.
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 Woodstock and Paris.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 808 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 Jeff Lynne to the rap 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 Spoonie Gee. All the underground hits.
All The Music Machine tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Amon Düül II record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Kaleidoscope record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Monochrome Set,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Cecil Taylor,
Das Ding,
Josef K,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Nick Fraelich,
The Divine Comedy,
The Vogues,
Desert Stars,
Country Teasers,
La Düsseldorf,
Sex Pistols,
Clear Light,
Yusef Lateef,
Oblivians,
Althea and Donna,
Agent Orange,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
The Victims,
June Days,
Bobby Womack,
Juan Atkins,
X-101,
The Motions,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Eurythmics,
The Move,
Brass Construction,
LL Cool J,
Pussy Galore,
Aloha Tigers,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
the Bar-Kays,
Swell Maps,
H. Thieme,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Warsaw,
The Smoke,
Colin Newman,
Wally Richardson,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Supertramp,
The Remains,
the Human League,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
One Last Wish,
Sound Behaviour,
Spandau Ballet,
Average White Band,
Tubeway Army,
The Fuzztones,
The Dead C,
Television Personalities,
The Residents,
Rakim,
Stetsasonic,
Sexual Harrassment,
John Foxx,
Carl Craig,
Monolake, Monolake, Monolake, Monolake.
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.