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 Ukraine 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 1963 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 spring reverb 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 Fatback Band 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 Trumans Water. All the underground hits.
All Oppenheimer Analysis tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every EPMD record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Johnny Clarke record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Pantaleimon,
X-101,
Cal Tjader,
Saccharine Trust,
The Names,
Todd Terry,
Tom Boy,
Laurel Aitken,
Fluxion,
F. McDonald,
The Trojans,
Neil Young,
The Blackbyrds,
The Leaves,
Babytalk,
The J.B.'s,
John Coltrane,
Swell Maps,
Dead Boys,
The Sonics,
Byron Stingily,
One Last Wish,
Eric Copeland,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Mr. Review,
Mark Hollis,
Procol Harum,
La Düsseldorf,
Funkadelic,
The Mummies,
Lebanon Hanover,
Jawbox,
Second Layer,
The Mojo Men,
The Toasters,
Ultravox,
JFA,
Don Cherry,
New Age Steppers,
Prince Buster,
The Slackers,
Can,
Jacob Miller,
The Seeds,
The Gap Band,
the Human League,
Circle Jerks,
Peter and Kerry,
Kevin Saunderson,
The Associates,
Chris & Cosey,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Walker Brothers,
Drive Like Jehu,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Theoretical Girls,
T. Rex,
New Order,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Quantec,
The Red Krayola, The Red Krayola, The Red Krayola, The Red Krayola.
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.