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 Mexico and from Lagos.
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 1967 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Bologna.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the rhodes sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 It's A Beautiful Day to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Reuben Wilson. All the underground hits.
All a-ha tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ken Boothe record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Black Pus record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Absolute Body Control,
Pulsallama,
CMW,
Stereo Dub,
The Beau Brummels,
Blancmange,
Davy DMX,
Bronski Beat,
Dark Day,
Interpol,
Rod Modell,
Eve St. Jones,
The Moleskins,
Agent Orange,
Sight & Sound,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
A Certain Ratio,
The Barracudas,
Alice Coltrane,
Junior Murvin,
Qualms,
The Fire Engines,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Jerry's Kids,
The Skatalites,
DJ Sneak,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Eli Mardock,
Mission of Burma,
Fluxion,
Reuben Wilson,
Electric Prunes,
The Litter,
New Order,
The Human League,
Kerrie Biddell,
Hot Snakes,
John Foxx,
The Evens,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Mary Jane Girls,
Clear Light,
ABC,
Bill Wells,
The Happenings,
Gichy Dan,
Andrew Hill,
Roxy Music,
Robert Wyatt,
EPMD,
the Human League,
Sex Pistols,
The Detroit Cobras,
Sixth Finger,
Barry Ungar,
Spandau Ballet,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Schoolly D,
Con Funk Shun, Con Funk Shun, Con Funk Shun, Con Funk Shun.
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.