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 Barbados and from Shanghai.
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 1961 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 1976 at the first Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
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 Sarah Menescal to the electroclash kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Banda Bassotti. All the underground hits.
All Fear tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Icehouse 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 theremin and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Leaves record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Porter Ricks,
Toni Rubio,
Marc Almond,
Gregory Isaacs,
Laurel Aitken,
Nico,
The Last Poets,
The Durutti Column,
Vladislav Delay,
Kaleidoscope,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Judy Mowatt,
Jimmy McGriff,
Lakeside,
Symarip,
Freddie Wadling,
The Young Rascals,
Siglo XX,
Mission of Burma,
Drive Like Jehu,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Unrelated Segments,
Nation of Ulysses,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Nils Olav,
Rhythm & Sound,
Livin' Joy,
Joy Division,
Bill Wells,
Black Flag,
Marine Girls,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Lou Reed,
D'Angelo,
Boz Scaggs,
John Coltrane,
Wasted Youth,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
The New Christs,
Chris & Cosey,
Junior Murvin,
The Dead C,
Rites of Spring,
Harmonia,
The Invisible,
Mantronix,
Gang Gang Dance,
The Dirtbombs,
10cc,
Avey Tare,
Bluetip,
Theoretical Girls,
Soul Sonic Force,
Derrick May,
Robert Wyatt,
Josef K,
Inner City,
Make Up,
Eric B and Rakim,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Prince Buster,
Loose Ends, Loose Ends, Loose Ends, Loose Ends.
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.