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 Saudi Arabia and from Delhi.
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 1962 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the harpsichord 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 X-Ray Spex to the crunk 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 Lungfish. All the underground hits.
All Nico tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pierre Henry record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
James Chance & The Contortions,
Cluster,
The Birthday Party,
The Grass Roots,
Can,
Rufus Thomas,
the Bar-Kays,
The Five Americans,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
The Modern Lovers,
Roger Hodgson,
Black Bananas,
Lightning Bolt,
Smog,
China Crisis,
a-ha,
Scientists,
Parry Music,
Audionom,
Jimmy McGriff,
Ralphi Rosario,
Gerry Rafferty,
Joyce Sims,
Pantytec,
Janne Schatter,
Angry Samoans,
Accadde A,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Main Source,
Arab on Radar,
Make Up,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Fortunes,
David Bowie,
Bizarre Inc.,
Average White Band,
Royal Trux,
Circle Jerks,
The Cure,
Maurizio,
Jeru the Damaja,
cv313,
John Holt,
the Soft Cell,
Skarface,
DNA,
Patti Smith,
JFA,
Cameo,
Hashim,
Tubeway Army,
Letta Mbulu,
June of 44,
Wally Richardson,
Kas Product,
Funkadelic,
Black Pus,
Flipper,
Whodini,
Metal Thangz,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Blake Baxter,
The Slits, The Slits, The Slits, The Slits.
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.