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 Iraq and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1968 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Hashim to the disco kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 World's Most. All the underground hits.
All kango's stein massive tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Aural Exciters record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 linndrum and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Fort Wilson Riot record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Absolute Body Control,
Yusef Lateef,
Kayak,
Lucky Dragons,
Severed Heads,
U.S. Maple,
Gong,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Cymande,
kango's stein massive,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Darondo,
Curtis Mayfield,
The Saints,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Junior Murvin,
Graham Central Station,
The Remains,
Lalann,
Supertramp,
Magazine,
the Germs,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Ronan,
The Smoke,
The Trojans,
Cameo,
Second Layer,
Blake Baxter,
Freddie Wadling,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Flamin' Groovies,
Mandrill,
The Durutti Column,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Judy Mowatt,
Amon Düül,
Excepter,
The Buckinghams,
PIL,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Gichy Dan,
Ken Boothe,
Nas,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Sun City Girls,
Gang of Four,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
UT,
Piero Umiliani,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Sarah Menescal,
Yellowson,
Pere Ubu,
Wally Richardson,
One Last Wish,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Fela Kuti,
Unrelated Segments,
Warren Ellis,
Eddi Front, Eddi Front, Eddi Front, Eddi Front.
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.