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 Micronesia and from Seoul.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Sao Paulo and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 1976 at the first Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Prince Buster to the rap 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 Eyeless In Gaza. All the underground hits.
All Gregory Isaacs tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Roy Ayers record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jeru the Damaja record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Charles Mingus,
Delta 5,
Dorothy Ashby,
Black Moon,
Scott Walker,
Iggy Pop,
Urselle,
The Seeds,
X-Ray Spex,
John Coltrane,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Cybotron,
The Techniques,
Maurizio,
The J.B.'s,
Matthew Bourne,
48th St. Collective,
Rod Modell,
Nation of Ulysses,
Fluxion,
Sound Behaviour,
Althea and Donna,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Dave Gahan,
The Sonics,
Joensuu 1685,
Pantytec,
The Tremeloes,
Trumans Water,
Harry Pussy,
10cc,
The Searchers,
Rhythm & Sound,
Rakim,
Outsiders,
Crash Course in Science,
Loose Ends,
The Monks,
Jandek,
Eurythmics,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Byron Stingily,
PIL,
Glenn Branca,
Mandrill,
Average White Band,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Frankie Knuckles,
World's Most,
Blossom Toes,
Johnny Clarke,
Stereo Dub,
The Star Department,
Wire,
the Normal,
Half Japanese,
The Motions,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Litter,
Monolake,
U.S. Maple,
Rapeman, Rapeman, Rapeman, Rapeman.
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.