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 Cuba and from Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South 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 1966 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Edmonton and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 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 Von Mondo to the funk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Grass Roots. All the underground hits.
All Soft Machine tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Scratch Acid record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Reuben Wilson record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Colin Newman,
Half Japanese,
The Buckinghams,
Qualms,
Basic Channel,
Chris Corsano,
Eve St. Jones,
Glenn Branca,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Charles Mingus,
K-Klass,
Donald Byrd,
Infiniti,
Q and Not U,
The Star Department,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
ABC,
Albert Ayler,
Gregory Isaacs,
R.M.O.,
Scratch Acid,
Cluster,
Cecil Taylor,
kango's stein massive,
Jerry's Kids,
New York Dolls,
Bauhaus,
David Bowie,
Spoonie Gee,
Masters at Work,
Porter Ricks,
Funky Four + One,
Max Romeo,
Joy Division,
Tropical Tobacco,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Terrestrial Tones,
Gang Gang Dance,
Radiopuhelimet,
Ronnie Foster,
Parry Music,
Con Funk Shun,
a-ha,
Tomorrow,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The Velvet Underground,
Mary Jane Girls,
Aloha Tigers,
Technova,
Inner City,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Popol Vuh,
Juan Atkins,
The Motions,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Fear,
Moebius,
Vainqueur,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
KRS-One,
Boogie Down Productions, Boogie Down Productions, Boogie Down Productions, Boogie Down Productions.
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.