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 Indonesia and from Mexico City.
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 1968 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Copenhagen 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 arpeggiator 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 The Human League to the rock kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks. All the underground hits.
All Sister Nancy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Altered Images 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Chocolate Watch Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Max Romeo,
The Gladiators,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
The Pop Group,
Jeff Mills,
Model 500,
Barclay James Harvest,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Black Bananas,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Drive Like Jehu,
Yusef Lateef,
The Cowsills,
Gang of Four,
Cecil Taylor,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Sonny Sharrock,
Sun Ra,
Stereo Dub,
Desert Stars,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Excepter,
Fluxion,
the Soft Cell,
The New Christs,
FM Einheit,
Schoolly D,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Slick Rick,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Unrelated Segments,
Oneida,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
James Chance & The Contortions,
DJ Sneak,
Main Source,
The Angels of Light,
Kevin Saunderson,
Donald Byrd,
The Victims,
Sonic Youth,
Barbara Tucker,
Infiniti,
Cymande,
Deakin,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Spoonie Gee,
Letta Mbulu,
Tomorrow,
Bill Near,
Jesper Dahlback,
Lower 48,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Con Funk Shun,
The Offenders,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Bad Manners,
Derrick May,
Sun Ra Arkestra, Sun Ra Arkestra, Sun Ra Arkestra, Sun Ra Arkestra.
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.