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 Estonia and from Taipei.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia show in London.
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 1965 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 synthesizer 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 EPMD to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Oblivians. All the underground hits.
All Newcleus tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Faust record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bad Manners record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jeff Mills,
Duran Duran,
Bang On A Can,
Eurythmics,
Altered Images,
The Barracudas,
Slick Rick,
Robert Hood,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
the Soft Cell,
Joe Finger,
Echospace,
Lindisfarne,
Grey Daturas,
The Tremeloes,
Soul Sonic Force,
Pantaleimon,
The Grass Roots,
PIL,
Intrusion,
Amazonics,
Ponytail,
John Holt,
Max Romeo,
Procol Harum,
Porter Ricks,
Rhythm & Sound,
The Dead C,
John Foxx,
Oneida,
Donny Hathaway,
Eli Mardock,
Eric Dolphy,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Lou Reed,
Yaz,
Youth Brigade,
Arcadia,
Bobby Womack,
Talk Talk,
Michelle Simonal,
Brothers Johnson,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Delon & Dalcan,
The Smoke,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Dorothy Ashby,
Pierre Henry,
These Immortal Souls,
The Vogues,
Alton Ellis,
Grauzone,
Parry Music,
MDC,
Barbara Tucker,
Depeche Mode,
Charles Mingus,
Wasted Youth,
Juan Atkins,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Kurtis Blow,
Shuggie Otis, Shuggie Otis, Shuggie Otis, Shuggie Otis.
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.