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 Jordan and from London.
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 1965 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 1978 at the first Visage practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the organ 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 Public Image Ltd. to the grime 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 Notorious Big And Bone Thugs. All the underground hits.
All Japan tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Alton Ellis 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Alarm Clocks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Slackers,
The Gories,
Grey Daturas,
FM Einheit,
The Selecter,
The Saints,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Section 25,
Derrick May,
Aaron Thompson,
Skarface,
Josef K,
Mission of Burma,
Man Parrish,
The Electric Prunes,
Chris & Cosey,
The Raincoats,
Boogie Down Productions,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Crime,
Television,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Soulsonic Force,
Tim Buckley,
Country Teasers,
Absolute Body Control,
Ronan,
Agent Orange,
Eve St. Jones,
Ultimate Spinach,
The Count Five,
Mr. Review,
Dual Sessions,
Fad Gadget,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Joey Negro,
Index,
Animal Collective,
Jawbox,
the Association,
The J.B.'s,
Jeff Mills,
Pierre Henry,
The Techniques,
Porter Ricks,
World's Most,
Boredoms,
The Motions,
Fela Kuti,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
The Black Dice,
Nick Fraelich,
Groovy Waters,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Yaz,
Sex Pistols,
Juan Atkins,
EPMD,
Cecil Taylor,
Chris Corsano,
Underground Resistance, Underground Resistance, Underground Resistance, Underground Resistance.
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.