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 Sweden and from Spokane.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1963 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Shadows of Knight to the rap 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 Henry Cow. All the underground hits.
All Electric Prunes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Larry & the Blue Notes record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 clarinet and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rakim record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Masters at Work,
Suicide,
Con Funk Shun,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Echospace,
Monolake,
The Red Krayola,
Minny Pops,
Oneida,
Hot Snakes,
The Human League,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
The Young Rascals,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Loose Ends,
The Fire Engines,
The Dirtbombs,
The Doobie Brothers,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
The Offenders,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Chrome,
Pantytec,
Yusef Lateef,
Grey Daturas,
Moebius,
Wings,
Dennis Brown,
EPMD,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
MDC,
ABBA,
Scan 7,
Laurel Aitken,
Rapeman,
The Grass Roots,
The Birthday Party,
Q65,
the Fania All-Stars,
Mr. Review,
Bobbi Humphrey,
UT,
Tim Buckley,
David McCallum,
Lyres,
The Fall,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Maurizio,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Aloha Tigers,
Surgeon,
Archie Shepp,
Qualms,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Cal Tjader,
Derrick Morgan,
Patti Smith,
Marvin Gaye,
The Doors, The Doors, The Doors, The Doors.
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.