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 Cape Verde and from Bremen.
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 1969 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Stockholm 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 synthesizer 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 Can to the funk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Inner City. All the underground hits.
All Gregory Isaacs tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Prince Buster 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Cameo record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Byron Stingily,
Jawbox,
The Evens,
Kevin Saunderson,
Unrelated Segments,
Ronan,
Malaria!,
Sun City Girls,
Sister Nancy,
Davy DMX,
The Saints,
Rapeman,
Bootsy Collins,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Desert Stars,
Tommy Roe,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Motorama,
Mad Mike,
Mary Jane Girls,
Neil Young,
The Pop Group,
the Human League,
Zero Boys,
Popol Vuh,
Crime,
F. McDonald,
Graham Central Station,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Bluetip,
The Flesh Eaters,
The Toasters,
Crooked Eye,
Nas,
Todd Rundgren,
Roxy Music,
the Germs,
Alton Ellis,
Agitation Free,
Barclay James Harvest,
Arcadia,
June Days,
The Dead C,
Mo-Dettes,
The Sound,
Avey Tare,
The Index,
Soulsonic Force,
Ultra Naté,
Scratch Acid,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Gong,
Flipper,
Gerry Rafferty,
Trumans Water,
Soft Machine,
Negative Approach,
Brick,
Public Enemy,
Nico,
The Litter,
Joe Smooth, Joe Smooth, Joe Smooth, Joe Smooth.
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.