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 Dominican Republic and from Hong Kong.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Sao Paulo and Hong Kong.
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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Radio Birdman to the dance 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 Monolake. All the underground hits.
All Khruangbin tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Grauzone 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a One Last Wish record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Babytalk,
Andrew Hill,
Public Enemy,
Royal Trux,
X-101,
The Gladiators,
Jacques Brel,
The Standells,
The Busters,
Pet Shop Boys,
Pulsallama,
Lebanon Hanover,
Absolute Body Control,
Infiniti,
Michelle Simonal,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Traffic Nightmare,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Derrick May,
Gang Starr,
the Bar-Kays,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Grauzone,
Magma,
Clear Light,
Basic Channel,
The Five Americans,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
The Martian,
The Young Rascals,
Rufus Thomas,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Tres Demented,
The Fall,
Man Eating Sloth,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Victims,
Reagan Youth,
Jesper Dahlback,
The Gun Club,
Godley & Creme,
This Heat,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Jacob Miller,
Anthony Braxton,
EPMD,
48th St. Collective,
Kool Moe Dee,
The Music Machine,
Sandy B,
Interpol,
A Certain Ratio,
Yusef Lateef,
Arthur Verocai,
Soft Cell,
FM Einheit,
Yazoo,
Jawbox,
The Sound,
Ultramagnetic MC's, Ultramagnetic MC's, Ultramagnetic MC's, Ultramagnetic MC's.
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.