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 Vanuatu and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1973.
I was there at the first Television show in New York.
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 1965 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Seoul.
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 marimba 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 Faraquet to the grime kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Gang Green. All the underground hits.
All The Angels of Light tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bob Dylan record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a New York Dolls record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Goldenarms,
Bill Wells,
Sam Rivers,
Fela Kuti,
Monolake,
Dark Day,
Marvin Gaye,
Blancmange,
David Bowie,
Ten City,
Prince Buster,
Dave Gahan,
Ronnie Foster,
The Fire Engines,
Brand Nubian,
Unrelated Segments,
The Raincoats,
Absolute Body Control,
Lindisfarne,
Sex Pistols,
Drexciya,
The Offenders,
La Düsseldorf,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Loose Ends,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Dead Boys,
Boredoms,
Hashim,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
The Victims,
Barbara Tucker,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
EPMD,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Mars,
Youth Brigade,
Derrick May,
Gregory Isaacs,
Television,
The Mummies,
Archie Shepp,
Minnie Riperton,
The Cramps,
Neil Young,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Mary Jane Girls,
The Seeds,
The Monochrome Set,
The Electric Prunes,
Average White Band,
Grey Daturas,
Sound Behaviour,
Khruangbin,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
the Slits,
The Dave Clark Five,
Fad Gadget,
Boogie Down Productions,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Marcia Griffiths,
David Axelrod,
Piero Umiliani,
Malaria!, Malaria!, Malaria!, Malaria!.
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.