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 Cuba and from Manchester.
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 1964 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 KRS-One to the funk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Television. All the underground hits.
All James Chance & The Contortions tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Mad Mike record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Black Bananas record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Joy Division,
The Leaves,
The Red Krayola,
The Last Poets,
Bobby Byrd,
Todd Terry,
the Normal,
These Immortal Souls,
Flamin' Groovies,
Slave,
Public Enemy,
Throbbing Gristle,
Grey Daturas,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Mr. Review,
Adolescents,
Eurythmics,
OOIOO,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
The Skatalites,
Judy Mowatt,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Inner City,
Minnie Riperton,
Joe Finger,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Guru Guru,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Nas,
The Divine Comedy,
This Heat,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Tom Boy,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Ten City,
Skarface,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
The Sound,
Maleditus Sound,
The United States of America,
The Raincoats,
Rod Modell,
The Searchers,
E-Dancer,
China Crisis,
Prince Buster,
June Days,
The Neon Judgement,
Brick,
Angry Samoans,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Section 25,
Brand Nubian,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Shoche,
Cluster,
Heaven 17,
Lucky Dragons,
Sun Ra, Sun Ra, Sun Ra, Sun Ra.
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.