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 Sudan and from Calgary.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Paris 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 1971 at the first Neu! practice in a loft in Düsseldorf.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience to the jazz 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 Jacob Miller. All the underground hits.
All Terror Squad Feat. Camron tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Richard Hell and the Voidoids 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a John Coltrane record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Colin Newman,
Gang of Four,
the Soft Cell,
Tim Buckley,
Swans,
Hasil Adkins,
The Count Five,
Jimmy McGriff,
The Leaves,
Intrusion,
Duran Duran,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Underground Resistance,
Wings,
Fluxion,
It's A Beautiful Day,
The Blues Magoos,
Yellowson,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Davy DMX,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Sonic Youth,
MDC,
Eden Ahbez,
Motorama,
Lalo Schifrin,
Terrestrial Tones,
Delon & Dalcan,
Roxy Music,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Amon Düül II,
Curtis Mayfield,
Alison Limerick,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Pantaleimon,
Inner City,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Skaos,
Ultimate Spinach,
Marc Almond,
Symarip,
Organ,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Grauzone,
Sound Behaviour,
Cal Tjader,
B.T. Express,
Schoolly D,
Juan Atkins,
Unwound,
Newcleus,
The American Breed,
The Gap Band,
The Last Poets,
Soft Cell,
Japan,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Ice-T,
Byron Stingily,
Lightning Bolt, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Bolt.
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.