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 Cape Verde and from Milan.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 at the first Suicide practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Scientists to the rap kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Kango’s Stein Massive. All the underground hits.
All Tommy Roe tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Buckinghams 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Derrick May record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Public Enemy,
Rufus Thomas,
Glambeats Corp.,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Idris Muhammad,
Hoover,
Harpers Bizarre,
Eric B and Rakim,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Radiopuhelimet,
Man Parrish,
Babytalk,
James White and The Blacks,
The Motions,
Camberwell Now,
Kayak,
The Remains,
Wolf Eyes,
Ten City,
Cabaret Voltaire,
The Offenders,
Smog,
Lee Hazlewood,
Franke,
Country Teasers,
U.S. Maple,
The Wake,
Piero Umiliani,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
The Searchers,
Lalo Schifrin,
Gang Green,
The Knickerbockers,
Bang On A Can,
Little Man,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Oblivians,
Isaac Hayes,
Nils Olav,
Average White Band,
Sugar Minott,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
The Cure,
Peter and Kerry,
The Red Krayola,
The Sonics,
Inner City,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Dead Boys,
The Last Poets,
Scrapy,
Khruangbin,
The Human League,
Cymande,
Amon Düül,
Faraquet,
Maleditus Sound,
Johnny Osbourne,
Basic Channel,
Spoonie Gee,
Rhythm & Sound,
The Names, The Names, The Names, The Names.
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.