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 Australia and from Mexico City.
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 1965 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the linndrum 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 N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell to the grime kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Bauhaus. All the underground hits.
All New Age Steppers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Absolute Body Control record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Zero Boys record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Dirtbombs,
Todd Terry,
Heaven 17,
The Fortunes,
Susan Cadogan,
Graham Central Station,
X-Ray Spex,
Pylon,
New Order,
Bizarre Inc.,
Freddie Wadling,
Au Pairs,
Judy Mowatt,
X-101,
The Doobie Brothers,
Radiopuhelimet,
Eden Ahbez,
Curtis Mayfield,
Bootsy Collins,
The Mojo Men,
Radio Birdman,
Alphaville,
Motorama,
F. McDonald,
DJ Sneak,
Soft Cell,
Ituana,
MC5,
Rakim,
Von Mondo,
the Fania All-Stars,
Country Teasers,
Ash Ra Tempel,
The Sonics,
Procol Harum,
Clear Light,
Wire,
Marmalade,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Make Up,
Eurythmics,
Drive Like Jehu,
AZ,
Groovy Waters,
Intrusion,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Joe Smooth,
KRS-One,
Scott Walker,
Subhumans,
the Swans,
Blancmange,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Kerri Chandler,
Godley & Creme,
The Martian,
Pantytec,
Robert Wyatt,
Tommy Roe,
Ossler, Ossler, Ossler, Ossler.
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.