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 Bosnia Herzegovina and from Toronto.
But I was there.
I was there in 1962.
I was there at the first Guess Who show in Winnipeg.
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 1961 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bremen and Salvador.
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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 T. Rex to the techno 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 Janne Schatter. All the underground hits.
All Minnie Riperton tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Judy Mowatt 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Kango’s Stein Massive record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Fluxion,
Outsiders,
Pere Ubu,
Model 500,
Cecil Taylor,
Tropical Tobacco,
U.S. Maple,
Pantaleimon,
Rekid,
Public Enemy,
The Moleskins,
Ralphi Rosario,
Tommy Roe,
Crispy Ambulance,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Gichy Dan,
Cymande,
The Beau Brummels,
The Red Krayola,
Banda Bassotti,
The Martian,
Quando Quango,
Bob Dylan,
R.M.O.,
Ohio Players,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Sound,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Flash Fearless,
Brass Construction,
Matthew Bourne,
Accadde A,
The Doobie Brothers,
Rotary Connection,
Danielle Patucci,
The Flesh Eaters,
Groovy Waters,
Alton Ellis,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Donny Hathaway,
Cheater Slicks,
The Cramps,
Lakeside,
Quantec,
Franke,
Kas Product,
Quadrant,
Scratch Acid,
The Evens,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Erykah Badu,
Scan 7,
Lindisfarne,
Peter and Kerry,
Swell Maps,
New Order,
Nation of Ulysses,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Glambeats Corp.,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Soul II Soul, Soul II Soul, Soul II Soul, Soul II Soul.
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.