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 Djibouti and from Seoul.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1968 at the first Bowie practice in a loft in Bromley.
I was working on the 808 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 Johnny Clarke to the grime kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Camouflage. All the underground hits.
All Fela Kuti tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every A Certain Ratio record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Danielle Patucci record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Standells,
Aaron Thompson,
Henry Cow,
The Mummies,
The Leaves,
Fugazi,
Severed Heads,
the Association,
MDC,
Robert Wyatt,
Mission of Burma,
The Associates,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Anakelly,
Popol Vuh,
Lucky Dragons,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Suburban Knight,
Eurythmics,
FM Einheit,
The Doors,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
kango's stein massive,
Desert Stars,
Harpers Bizarre,
Eric Dolphy,
Main Source,
The Pop Group,
Lakeside,
The Fuzztones,
Funkadelic,
Adolescents,
Jesper Dahlback,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Deadbeat,
The Skatalites,
Bizarre Inc.,
Arthur Verocai,
Johnny Clarke,
The Busters,
Cluster,
Jeff Mills,
Mantronix,
Archie Shepp,
The Selecter,
The Sonics,
Patti Smith,
Marine Girls,
KRS-One,
The Golliwogs,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Stetsasonic,
Terrestrial Tones,
Can,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Flash Fearless,
Nick Fraelich,
Jeru the Damaja,
Rod Modell,
Infiniti,
Ohio Players,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Jacques Brel, Jacques Brel, Jacques Brel, Jacques Brel.
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.