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 Tajikistan and from Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia show in London.
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 1968 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 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 The Peanut Butter Conspiracy 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 Little Man. All the underground hits.
All Letta Mbulu tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rosa Yemen 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 synthesizer and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Lou Reed record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Qualms,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Parry Music,
Scratch Acid,
Curtis Mayfield,
Mars,
New Age Steppers,
Monks,
Unwound,
New Order,
Panda Bear,
Judy Mowatt,
Chris Corsano,
Magma,
The Vogues,
Brand Nubian,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
AZ,
Ultimate Spinach,
The Angels of Light,
Electric Prunes,
Kool Moe Dee,
Sonic Youth,
The Cure,
Joe Finger,
The Star Department,
John Foxx,
The Flesh Eaters,
Aloha Tigers,
Porter Ricks,
Absolute Body Control,
The Fire Engines,
Inner City,
Jesper Dahlback,
Grauzone,
Wire,
Pere Ubu,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
The Victims,
Radiohead,
The Real Kids,
Roger Hodgson,
8 Eyed Spy,
Pole,
Pagans,
KRS-One,
Robert Görl,
Dead Boys,
June of 44,
Rufus Thomas,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
B.T. Express,
Gregory Isaacs,
Banda Bassotti,
Skaos,
Adolescents,
The Searchers,
Rhythm & Sound,
Depeche Mode, Depeche Mode, Depeche Mode, Depeche Mode.
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.