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 Afghanistan and from Glasgow.
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 1961 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 oboe 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 Soul Sonic Force to the rock kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 E-Dancer. All the underground hits.
All Sexual Harrassment tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gang Starr record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno 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 mellotron and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Cecil Taylor record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Thompson Twins,
the Soft Cell,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Moleskins,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
The Wake,
Amon Düül II,
Jacques Brel,
Alton Ellis,
Glambeats Corp.,
Eden Ahbez,
Severed Heads,
Ituana,
EPMD,
Scan 7,
Clear Light,
The Dirtbombs,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Scientists,
Alphaville,
Jeff Lynne,
The Names,
The Saints,
Monolake,
U.S. Maple,
June of 44,
Yazoo,
Lindisfarne,
Bush Tetras,
Masters at Work,
The Gladiators,
PIL,
Boogie Down Productions,
Mandrill,
Depeche Mode,
The Electric Prunes,
The Last Poets,
Scratch Acid,
Delon & Dalcan,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
The Black Dice,
Althea and Donna,
The Mojo Men,
Aswad,
Gil Scott Heron,
The Flesh Eaters,
Blake Baxter,
Talk Talk,
Derrick Morgan,
Aural Exciters,
Dark Day,
Suicide,
The Evens,
Juan Atkins,
Agitation Free,
Absolute Body Control,
The Fuzztones,
Technova,
Darondo,
Main Source, Main Source, Main Source, Main Source.
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.