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 Chad and from Copenhagen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1966 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Lonnie Liston Smith to the grime kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 10cc. All the underground hits.
All Oblivians tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Camberwell Now 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Darondo record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Masters at Work,
Yaz,
Lalann,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
the Slits,
Ornette Coleman,
Au Pairs,
OOIOO,
The Happenings,
Howard Jones,
Rapeman,
LL Cool J,
The Residents,
Blake Baxter,
Radio Birdman,
Harry Pussy,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Smoke,
Cecil Taylor,
Gang of Four,
Donald Byrd,
Soul II Soul,
The Evens,
David McCallum,
Con Funk Shun,
Agent Orange,
Tim Buckley,
Yellowson,
Pet Shop Boys,
Moss Icon,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Deepchord,
Mandrill,
Bobby Sherman,
Black Sheep,
Black Bananas,
The Velvet Underground,
Kurtis Blow,
The American Breed,
Maurizio,
Second Layer,
Black Moon,
Sunsets and Hearts,
The Saints,
The Pretty Things,
UT,
Tubeway Army,
Eli Mardock,
A Certain Ratio,
Scion,
Ohio Players,
Nick Fraelich,
DJ Sneak,
Lakeside,
Joy Division,
cv313,
U.S. Maple,
Average White Band,
Rod Modell,
Cybotron, Cybotron, Cybotron, Cybotron.
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.