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 Zambia and from New York.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 oboe 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 Yazoo to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Hasil Adkins. All the underground hits.
All Donny Hathaway tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ultra Naté record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Detroit Cobras record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Metal Thangz,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Marvin Gaye,
The Alarm Clocks,
Goldenarms,
Pole,
The Misunderstood,
The Grass Roots,
the Human League,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
The Knickerbockers,
Alton Ellis,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Gastr Del Sol,
H. Thieme,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Model 500,
The Blackbyrds,
L. Decosne,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Mark Hollis,
Eve St. Jones,
Country Teasers,
Barry Ungar,
Fugazi,
Bang On A Can,
Japan,
Niagra,
The Electric Prunes,
Pagans,
These Immortal Souls,
The Walker Brothers,
Motorama,
Scratch Acid,
X-102,
The Mummies,
Brothers Johnson,
The Associates,
Bob Dylan,
Fela Kuti,
Maurizio,
Jerry's Kids,
The Music Machine,
The Doors,
Arcadia,
Second Layer,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Groovy Waters,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Youth Brigade,
Rosa Yemen,
Zapp,
The Cramps,
Tears for Fears,
Echospace,
Reagan Youth,
Glenn Branca,
Todd Terry,
Laurel Aitken,
Lungfish,
The Wake,
Avey Tare, Avey Tare, Avey Tare, Avey Tare.
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.