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 Tokyo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Ten City to the techno kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Aural Exciters. All the underground hits.
All Eric B and Rakim tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Larry & the Blue Notes 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a David Axelrod record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Sonics,
Sonny Sharrock,
Rekid,
Easy Going,
Bronski Beat,
Agent Orange,
Funky Four + One,
The Human League,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Minnie Riperton,
The Standells,
Warsaw,
the Bar-Kays,
Nils Olav,
Television Personalities,
The Moleskins,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Bluetip,
Fela Kuti,
Arcadia,
Khruangbin,
The Victims,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
The Alarm Clocks,
Alton Ellis,
Sandy B,
Cybotron,
Nico,
The Star Department,
Silicon Teens,
Connie Case,
Donald Byrd,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Sun City Girls,
Rites of Spring,
X-101,
One Last Wish,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Y Pants,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Ultravox,
Cameo,
The Wake,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Model 500,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Lightning Bolt,
Junior Murvin,
The Sound,
Joensuu 1685,
Lee Hazlewood,
the Fania All-Stars,
Vladislav Delay,
The Monks,
DJ Style,
Stiv Bators,
Henry Cow,
Prince Buster, Prince Buster, Prince Buster, Prince Buster.
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.