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 Kazakhstan and from Tehran.
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 1965 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 1978 at the first Visage practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Reagan Youth to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 The Mighty Diamonds. All the underground hits.
All The Sound tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Last Poets 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sound Behaviour record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin 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?
The Shadows of Knight,
Marmalade,
Quantec,
Bad Manners,
Man Parrish,
Steve Hackett,
Kurtis Blow,
Dawn Penn,
Urselle,
The Young Rascals,
Sonic Youth,
Groovy Waters,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Gang Green,
Soulsonic Force,
Index,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Smiths,
Brass Construction,
Marshall Jefferson,
The Detroit Cobras,
T.S.O.L.,
Subhumans,
New Age Steppers,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Nico,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Second Layer,
Unrelated Segments,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Pere Ubu,
F. McDonald,
Blake Baxter,
Spoonie Gee,
Todd Terry,
John Lydon,
Lou Christie,
Fort Wilson Riot,
The Offenders,
Flipper,
Faraquet,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Gabor Szabo,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Joy Division,
The Vogues,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Simply Red,
Spandau Ballet,
The Star Department,
Motorama,
The Mummies,
The Birthday Party,
the Germs,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
The Cramps,
Peter and Kerry,
Idris Muhammad,
Sparks,
The Blackbyrds,
Anthony Braxton, Anthony Braxton, Anthony Braxton, Anthony Braxton.
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.