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 Moldova and from Accra.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1966 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 organ 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 The Smoke 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 Black Pus. All the underground hits.
All the Human League tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Darondo record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Davy DMX record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ponytail,
Nico,
Judy Mowatt,
Quando Quango,
The Searchers,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Camouflage,
Stereo Dub,
Barclay James Harvest,
Don Cherry,
Franke,
Nik Kershaw,
Fear,
Sugar Minott,
Camberwell Now,
The Flesh Eaters,
Tomorrow,
Motorama,
Jeff Lynne,
The Slits,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Mary Jane Girls,
Eric Copeland,
Alphaville,
Harmonia,
Brass Construction,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Eric B and Rakim,
Cameo,
Blancmange,
Arthur Verocai,
Metal Thangz,
Johnny Clarke,
Barrington Levy,
DNA,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Zero Boys,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Altered Images,
Delta 5,
Robert Hood,
Scion,
The Misunderstood,
Bobby Byrd,
Joe Finger,
Infiniti,
the Normal,
Subhumans,
Mission of Burma,
The Saints,
Jacques Brel,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Absolute Body Control,
The Barracudas,
The Fuzztones,
Wire,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Al Stewart,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Banda Bassotti,
Faraquet, Faraquet, Faraquet, Faraquet.
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.