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 Mexico and from Cairo.
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 1969 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Faust to the funk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Alison Limerick. All the underground hits.
All The Kinks tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Letta Mbulu record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 sitar and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rapeman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Count Five,
James White and The Blacks,
Spoonie Gee,
A Flock of Seagulls,
the Swans,
Black Bananas,
Absolute Body Control,
Sister Nancy,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Amazonics,
Jeru the Damaja,
Big Daddy Kane,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Ponytail,
Dennis Brown,
Boredoms,
Jawbox,
Ash Ra Tempel,
John Holt,
The Black Dice,
The Evens,
Kenny Larkin,
These Immortal Souls,
The Happenings,
Sugar Minott,
Desert Stars,
Aaron Thompson,
Barry Ungar,
Radio Birdman,
The Tremeloes,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Monks,
The Offenders,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Electric Prunes,
Q and Not U,
Con Funk Shun,
Lou Reed,
Morten Harket,
Bootsy Collins,
Glenn Branca,
Chrome,
Reagan Youth,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Eli Mardock,
Ultimate Spinach,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Soft Machine,
Kerrie Biddell,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
John Coltrane,
Unwound,
EPMD,
Lucky Dragons,
Albert Ayler,
The Beau Brummels,
Jacob Miller,
Second Layer,
Model 500,
Prince Buster,
Lalann,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Stetsasonic, Stetsasonic, Stetsasonic, Stetsasonic.
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.