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 Mali and from Winnipeg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1969 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Yusef Lateef to the techno 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 Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane. All the underground hits.
All Pulsallama tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Saccharine Trust record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jawbox record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Dennis Brown,
Juan Atkins,
Judy Mowatt,
Technova,
Barrington Levy,
Chris & Cosey,
Jandek,
Hot Snakes,
Spandau Ballet,
New Age Steppers,
Bobby Womack,
Youth Brigade,
MDC,
The Neon Judgement,
James White and The Blacks,
the Germs,
Monks,
Dark Day,
Johnny Osbourne,
Idris Muhammad,
EPMD,
a-ha,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
X-102,
Tommy Roe,
Cybotron,
B.T. Express,
Crash Course in Science,
La Düsseldorf,
The Fortunes,
The Mojo Men,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Aural Exciters,
Cluster,
Glambeats Corp.,
Lucky Dragons,
Newcleus,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Rhythm & Sound,
Joe Finger,
Siglo XX,
Organ,
Model 500,
Morten Harket,
Lightning Bolt,
Ituana,
Arcadia,
Erykah Badu,
Sound Behaviour,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Black Bananas,
Avey Tare,
Khruangbin,
The Five Americans,
Sparks,
Eric Copeland,
The Busters,
the Swans,
Soul Sonic Force,
James Chance & The Contortions,
DJ Style,
Ronnie Foster,
New Order,
Faraquet, Faraquet, Faraquet, Faraquet.
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.