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 Mali and from Lagos.
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 1967 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Lalann to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 EPMD. All the underground hits.
All Jeff Mills tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lalann record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz 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 synthesizer and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Basic Channel record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Arcadia,
Sarah Menescal,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Bronski Beat,
Moss Icon,
Soft Cell,
Joey Negro,
Jimmy McGriff,
Malaria!,
Mantronix,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
The Monks,
Cheater Slicks,
Camberwell Now,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
the Sonics,
Monks,
The Walker Brothers,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Zapp,
Bob Dylan,
U.S. Maple,
The Electric Prunes,
Eric Copeland,
X-101,
The Red Krayola,
Sixth Finger,
Flipper,
Black Moon,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Ten City,
Index,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Camouflage,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Todd Terry,
Todd Rundgren,
Kenny Larkin,
The Vogues,
Donald Byrd,
Anakelly,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Sonny Sharrock,
Marc Almond,
Bad Manners,
the Slits,
Stereo Dub,
Don Cherry,
Fugazi,
The United States of America,
Jeff Mills,
Mandrill,
The Velvet Underground,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Heaven 17,
Brothers Johnson,
A Certain Ratio,
Alphaville,
Sugar Minott,
Make Up,
Silicon Teens, Silicon Teens, Silicon Teens, Silicon Teens.
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.