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 Slovakia and from Salvador.
But I was there.
I was there in .
I was there at the first Suicide show in New York.
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 1968 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 Gabor Szabo to the funk kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Derrick Morgan. All the underground hits.
All Outsiders tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Martian record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap 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 mellotron and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Archie Shepp record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Negative Approach,
Dark Day,
Inner City,
Fugazi,
Gabor Szabo,
The Pop Group,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Nik Kershaw,
The Offenders,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
the Germs,
Fat Boys,
Donald Byrd,
Flamin' Groovies,
Zero Boys,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Sarah Menescal,
Pylon,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Television,
The Toasters,
Rufus Thomas,
Pole,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
DNA,
PIL,
The Monks,
The Zeros,
Drexciya,
Big Daddy Kane,
The Fortunes,
Donny Hathaway,
Joy Division,
Das Ding,
Pagans,
Jimmy McGriff,
Freddie Wadling,
Bill Wells,
Camberwell Now,
Nas,
Vainqueur,
Blancmange,
8 Eyed Spy,
Joey Negro,
F. McDonald,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Andrew Hill,
Prince Buster,
The Flesh Eaters,
Marvin Gaye,
Khruangbin,
The Motions,
Terry Callier,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Drive Like Jehu,
Masters at Work,
Agent Orange,
The Velvet Underground,
The Litter, The Litter, The Litter, The Litter.
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.