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 Germany and from Bologna.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia show in 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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Lyon.
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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Donny Hathaway to the crunk kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Joensuu 1685. All the underground hits.
All Subhumans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Pantytec 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ultimate Spinach record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
David Axelrod,
R.M.O.,
Godley & Creme,
Mad Mike,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Anakelly,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Soul II Soul,
Tomorrow,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Erasure,
Cecil Taylor,
Suicide,
Eli Mardock,
the Fania All-Stars,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Vainqueur,
Excepter,
Soft Machine,
Unwound,
Funkadelic,
T. Rex,
Alton Ellis,
the Germs,
Scan 7,
Kas Product,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
The Happenings,
Rekid,
Blossom Toes,
Pulsallama,
Connie Case,
Lee Hazlewood,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Eddi Front,
Siglo XX,
Hashim,
Kaleidoscope,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Piero Umiliani,
Livin' Joy,
Masters at Work,
Pole,
Japan,
The Selecter,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Idris Muhammad,
Q and Not U,
the Human League,
Echospace,
Wolf Eyes,
Flash Fearless,
Massinfluence,
Mark Hollis,
Funky Four + One,
The Vogues, The Vogues, The Vogues, The Vogues.
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.