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 Zimbabwe and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1969 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Sao Paulo and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 808 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 New Age Steppers to the punk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Derrick Morgan. All the underground hits.
All The Human League tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Albert Ayler record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Tropical Tobacco record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Sound,
Royal Trux,
Harpers Bizarre,
Agitation Free,
Quantec,
The Motions,
Jacob Miller,
Animal Collective,
Minor Threat,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Bauhaus,
the Normal,
CMW,
Sound Behaviour,
DNA,
Sun Ra,
the Soft Cell,
John Lydon,
Oneida,
Kas Product,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Los Fastidios,
Cheater Slicks,
Rotary Connection,
Au Pairs,
Intrusion,
Public Image Ltd.,
The Moody Blues,
The Mojo Men,
L. Decosne,
Alton Ellis,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
The Busters,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Letta Mbulu,
Juan Atkins,
The Smiths,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Motorama,
Hoover,
Model 500,
Delon & Dalcan,
Derrick May,
Lucky Dragons,
X-101,
Tropical Tobacco,
Eden Ahbez,
Kaleidoscope,
It's A Beautiful Day,
The Dead C,
Charles Mingus,
Malaria!,
Max Romeo,
Bill Wells,
Ash Ra Tempel,
The Happenings,
Arcadia,
Unrelated Segments,
Vainqueur,
Sexual Harrassment,
Subhumans,
Anakelly,
Joey Negro, Joey Negro, Joey Negro, Joey Negro.
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.