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 Fiji and from Sao Paulo.
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 1964 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1971 at the first Selda practice in a loft in Istanbul.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Searchers to the punk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Grandmaster Flash. All the underground hits.
All Quando Quango tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Dirtbombs 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 linndrum and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Maleditus Sound record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Das Ding,
Anakelly,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Donald Byrd,
Radio Birdman,
David Axelrod,
Wally Richardson,
Rod Modell,
The J.B.'s,
Boz Scaggs,
Sam Rivers,
Glambeats Corp.,
X-Ray Spex,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
The Doobie Brothers,
Cybotron,
Matthew Halsall,
Can,
Flipper,
Jeru the Damaja,
Hot Snakes,
The Sonics,
Shuggie Otis,
Gabor Szabo,
Au Pairs,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Mandrill,
Blancmange,
Black Sheep,
Animal Collective,
Scion,
The Dave Clark Five,
the Fania All-Stars,
Aaron Thompson,
The Offenders,
Harpers Bizarre,
cv313,
Bobby Byrd,
Livin' Joy,
Rapeman,
Wasted Youth,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
The Barracudas,
Brass Construction,
Skriet,
Sun Ra,
Boogie Down Productions,
Heaven 17,
Blossom Toes,
the Swans,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
The Fire Engines,
Sun City Girls,
Funky Four + One,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Stetsasonic,
LL Cool J,
Soulsonic Force,
Vladislav Delay, Vladislav Delay, Vladislav Delay, Vladislav Delay.
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.