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 New York.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1969 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Houston.
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 1980 at the first Cybotron practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Aural Exciters to the disco 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 The Wake. All the underground hits.
All Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Saccharine Trust record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bang On A Can record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Archie Shepp,
Hardrive,
Stereo Dub,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Slick Rick,
Skriet,
Johnny Osbourne,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Wolf Eyes,
Rotary Connection,
The Raincoats,
Todd Terry,
Ice-T,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
New York Dolls,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Brass Construction,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Aswad,
Soul II Soul,
The Golliwogs,
The Standells,
Pantytec,
Yellowson,
Symarip,
Kayak,
Laurel Aitken,
The Red Krayola,
Kevin Saunderson,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Radio Birdman,
Lakeside,
Country Teasers,
Robert Wyatt,
Khruangbin,
Johnny Clarke,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Sandy B,
DJ Sneak,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Marshall Jefferson,
Nils Olav,
Ken Boothe,
Amazonics,
Skarface,
Motorama,
Liliput,
Nik Kershaw,
Sexual Harrassment,
Joyce Sims,
James Chance & The Contortions,
KRS-One,
Funkadelic,
Pagans,
Eddi Front,
Vladislav Delay,
Rekid,
Crime,
Amon Düül,
Bill Wells,
Pole,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Tomorrow,
Monolake, Monolake, Monolake, Monolake.
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.