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 Philippines and from Toronto.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Seoul.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the sitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Ponytail to the rap 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 Gang of Four. All the underground hits.
All Gang Gang Dance tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lower 48 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Hashim record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Porter Ricks,
Q and Not U,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Soul Sonic Force,
Deakin,
Jandek,
Half Japanese,
Echospace,
Fad Gadget,
Josef K,
Johnny Osbourne,
Graham Central Station,
Nirvana,
China Crisis,
AZ,
Crispy Ambulance,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Pussy Galore,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Kas Product,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Babytalk,
Davy DMX,
Country Joe & The Fish,
The Fuzztones,
Theoretical Girls,
Guru Guru,
Eli Mardock,
Ohio Players,
Brothers Johnson,
Grauzone,
Tim Buckley,
Livin' Joy,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Dave Gahan,
Funkadelic,
Pagans,
The Saints,
Public Enemy,
Blake Baxter,
Black Flag,
Ossler,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Matthew Bourne,
Johnny Clarke,
X-101,
Stockholm Monsters,
Stetsasonic,
The Last Poets,
The Count Five,
Gang Gang Dance,
Dual Sessions,
Jacob Miller,
Joy Division,
D'Angelo,
The Alarm Clocks,
Pulsallama,
Gregory Isaacs,
Nils Olav,
Schoolly D,
Man Eating Sloth,
Colin Newman, Colin Newman, Colin Newman, Colin Newman.
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.