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 Congo 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 1963 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 1977 at the first Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Average White Band to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Bluetip. All the underground hits.
All Duran Duran tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Searchers record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ludus record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Groovy Waters,
Faust,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Pierre Henry,
James White and The Blacks,
The Gladiators,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Tropical Tobacco,
The Shadows of Knight,
Crash Course in Science,
a-ha,
Archie Shepp,
Bob Dylan,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Darondo,
Suicide,
Grey Daturas,
Tommy Roe,
Zapp,
Juan Atkins,
Los Fastidios,
Michelle Simonal,
Sugar Minott,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Khruangbin,
Grauzone,
Tim Buckley,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Anakelly,
Lungfish,
The Detroit Cobras,
Harpers Bizarre,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Silicon Teens,
Nik Kershaw,
Marmalade,
Bobby Byrd,
Newcleus,
Bootsy Collins,
Andrew Hill,
Girls At Our Best!,
Rotary Connection,
Pantytec,
Ornette Coleman,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
The Slackers,
Sällskapet,
The Invisible,
Quando Quango,
Fifty Foot Hose,
The Doors,
Public Image Ltd.,
The Cowsills,
Spandau Ballet,
A Certain Ratio,
Joe Smooth,
Ohio Players,
Cal Tjader,
CMW,
Traffic Nightmare,
Hashim,
Dennis Brown, Dennis Brown, Dennis Brown, Dennis Brown.
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.