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 Armenia and from Delhi.
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 1960 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Copenhagen 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 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Bobby Hutcherson to the rap kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu. All the underground hits.
All The Raincoats tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Cecil Taylor 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 a rhodes and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jeff Lynne record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Erykah Badu,
Sonic Youth,
Camberwell Now,
Pantytec,
These Immortal Souls,
Eddi Front,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Gang Starr,
Ronnie Foster,
Oneida,
Deadbeat,
The Golliwogs,
Eric B and Rakim,
Supertramp,
The New Christs,
Ponytail,
The Monochrome Set,
The United States of America,
Outsiders,
R.M.O.,
Basic Channel,
Das Ding,
Patti Smith,
Piero Umiliani,
The Offenders,
Amon Düül,
Ultravox,
David Axelrod,
In Retrospect,
Unrelated Segments,
48th St. Collective,
Vladislav Delay,
The Gladiators,
A Certain Ratio,
Crime,
Faraquet,
Reagan Youth,
The Divine Comedy,
Sixth Finger,
Ken Boothe,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Rekid,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Make Up,
Carl Craig,
Easy Going,
Skriet,
Popol Vuh,
Second Layer,
Franke,
Audionom,
Arthur Verocai,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Marc Almond,
The Remains,
the Germs,
Brothers Johnson,
Mission of Burma,
Pantaleimon,
Con Funk Shun,
Duran Duran,
Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico.
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.