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 Egypt and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Neu! show in Düsseldorf.
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 1961 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Toronto 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 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 AZ 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 Dorothy Ashby. All the underground hits.
All Isaac Hayes 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 grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Electric Prunes,
Qualms,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Rotary Connection,
Beasts of Bourbon,
The Techniques,
The Smiths,
Donald Byrd,
Erykah Badu,
Steve Hackett,
Mary Jane Girls,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Model 500,
Bauhaus,
Echospace,
Spoonie Gee,
Matthew Bourne,
Gil Scott Heron,
Franke,
Josef K,
Subhumans,
The Move,
Bizarre Inc.,
The Stooges,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Anthony Braxton,
Marmalade,
Q65,
B.T. Express,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Leonard Cohen,
Black Pus,
Rapeman,
Camberwell Now,
Brass Construction,
New Age Steppers,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Ralphi Rosario,
Skarface,
Bad Manners,
The Residents,
Infiniti,
Roxy Music,
Guru Guru,
A Flock of Seagulls,
the Human League,
The Sound,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
LL Cool J,
Minutemen,
June of 44,
DJ Sneak,
Pantaleimon,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
R.M.O.,
Wally Richardson,
Nico,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Don Cherry,
The Mummies,
Malaria!,
John Holt,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Zero Boys, Zero Boys, Zero Boys, Zero Boys.
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.