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 Oman and from Winnipeg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1960 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Bologna.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Stockholm 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 PIL to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Joe Smooth. All the underground hits.
All 48th St. Collective tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bootsy's Rubber Band 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Crispian St. Peters record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Andrew Hill,
Wire,
DJ Style,
Marcia Griffiths,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Eve St. Jones,
Lucky Dragons,
Audionom,
Funkadelic,
Ponytail,
Laurel Aitken,
The Wake,
A Certain Ratio,
Can,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Camouflage,
Young Marble Giants,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Kurtis Blow,
Kerri Chandler,
Reuben Wilson,
The Blackbyrds,
Heaven 17,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Rod Modell,
Livin' Joy,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Negative Approach,
New Age Steppers,
Echospace,
the Slits,
Joy Division,
Boz Scaggs,
Man Eating Sloth,
Maleditus Sound,
The Dirtbombs,
The Monochrome Set,
Eric Copeland,
Brand Nubian,
Godley & Creme,
Black Sheep,
Reagan Youth,
Kool Moe Dee,
Soul Sonic Force,
This Heat,
Delta 5,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Tres Demented,
Minutemen,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Moleskins,
Black Moon,
U.S. Maple,
Judy Mowatt,
Robert Hood,
Tropical Tobacco,
Brass Construction,
Althea and Donna,
Dave Gahan,
Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico.
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.