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 Guinea and from Jakarta.
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 1963 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 The Music Machine to the crunk 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 Sam Rivers. All the underground hits.
All Jacob Miller tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lower 48 record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno 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 snare and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Cymande record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Malaria!,
Main Source,
Althea and Donna,
The Monochrome Set,
Scan 7,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Nik Kershaw,
Scott Walker,
Urselle,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
The Cure,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Bootsy Collins,
Cybotron,
the Slits,
MC5,
Sparks,
Man Eating Sloth,
The Five Americans,
Rod Modell,
Essential Logic,
David Bowie,
A Certain Ratio,
The Toasters,
Amon Düül,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Fear,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Chris & Cosey,
DJ Style,
Gil Scott Heron,
Nas,
Marshall Jefferson,
Amon Düül II,
Wings,
Grauzone,
FM Einheit,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Q65,
Bauhaus,
Skriet,
The Birthday Party,
The Techniques,
EPMD,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
F. McDonald,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Charles Mingus,
Depeche Mode,
Maleditus Sound,
Desert Stars,
Wasted Youth,
The Pretty Things,
The Grass Roots,
Grey Daturas,
Parry Music,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Stereo Dub,
Joyce Sims,
DJ Sneak,
The Dead C,
Maurizio, Maurizio, Maurizio, Maurizio.
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.