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 South Sudan and from Tehran.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 Edmonton and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 Lou Reed 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 Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud to the dance 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 Rapeman. All the underground hits.
All Pierre Henry tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every cv313 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a June of 44 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sight & Sound,
Ice-T,
Babytalk,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Television Personalities,
the Normal,
DJ Sneak,
Buzzcocks,
The Cowsills,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Johnny Osbourne,
The Martian,
The Gladiators,
B.T. Express,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Dawn Penn,
Negative Approach,
Flipper,
Joyce Sims,
Stiv Bators,
Cluster,
Animal Collective,
Kurtis Blow,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Kevin Saunderson,
Angry Samoans,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
The Fall,
Nation of Ulysses,
MC5,
Fluxion,
Kerri Chandler,
Derrick May,
Absolute Body Control,
Interpol,
The Mojo Men,
Eli Mardock,
Lightning Bolt,
Magma,
Black Pus,
Kas Product,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Crooked Eye,
ABBA,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Amon Düül,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
John Holt,
Scientists,
Lucky Dragons,
Vladislav Delay,
Stockholm Monsters,
Groovy Waters,
Dead Boys,
FM Einheit,
Godley & Creme,
Inner City,
The Golliwogs,
Howard Jones,
Aswad,
Sexual Harrassment,
The Birthday Party, The Birthday Party, The Birthday Party, The Birthday Party.
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.