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 Liechtenstein and from Taipei.
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 1961 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Fad Gadget to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Sarah Menescal. All the underground hits.
All Depeche Mode tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ornette Coleman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Robert Wyatt,
Matthew Halsall,
Joyce Sims,
Bobby Byrd,
Basic Channel,
The Grass Roots,
Aaron Thompson,
Minnie Riperton,
Schoolly D,
Gichy Dan,
Colin Newman,
Glambeats Corp.,
Maurizio,
Judy Mowatt,
These Immortal Souls,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
the Swans,
Barrington Levy,
The Five Americans,
The Cure,
Parry Music,
Erykah Badu,
Cecil Taylor,
Visage,
The Mojo Men,
Radio Birdman,
The Walker Brothers,
Metal Thangz,
Crispy Ambulance,
Babytalk,
Marvin Gaye,
Au Pairs,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Birthday Party,
Black Bananas,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Gregory Isaacs,
Talk Talk,
Laurel Aitken,
Blancmange,
The Associates,
Rapeman,
Popol Vuh,
New York Dolls,
Harmonia,
Panda Bear,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Pharoah Sanders,
Fat Boys,
Nils Olav,
Jandek,
The Dead C,
Sun City Girls,
Blake Baxter,
Dark Day,
Yaz,
Throbbing Gristle,
Moebius,
LL Cool J,
Nation of Ulysses, Nation of Ulysses, Nation of Ulysses, Nation of Ulysses.
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.