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 Mauritius and from Calgary.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Shanghai.
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 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Gichy Dan to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Theoretical Girls. All the underground hits.
All Rapeman tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Fat Boys record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ludus record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Fat Boys,
A Certain Ratio,
Khruangbin,
New York Dolls,
Mandrill,
Jimmy McGriff,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Mission of Burma,
The Standells,
Marc Almond,
Easy Going,
Section 25,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Johnny Clarke,
Thompson Twins,
Negative Approach,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
The Selecter,
Amon Düül II,
Scion,
Subhumans,
Roger Hodgson,
Pussy Galore,
Half Japanese,
June of 44,
The Mojo Men,
Rod Modell,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Joy Division,
Q and Not U,
Monolake,
Carl Craig,
LL Cool J,
Reagan Youth,
Idris Muhammad,
Minutemen,
Roxy Music,
Harry Pussy,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Gang of Four,
Ornette Coleman,
Lou Christie,
Cluster,
Neil Young,
Basic Channel,
Joyce Sims,
Barbara Tucker,
Goldenarms,
The Flesh Eaters,
Bobby Womack,
Crime,
The Smiths,
Hasil Adkins,
The Litter,
Fugazi,
The Gap Band,
The Knickerbockers,
Quando Quango,
Sam Rivers,
Juan Atkins,
Michelle Simonal, Michelle Simonal, Michelle Simonal, Michelle Simonal.
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.