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 Burkina and from Manchester.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1966 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Lakeside to the grunge 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 Babytalk. All the underground hits.
All Yaz tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Busters 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Qualms record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Associates,
Frankie Knuckles,
Tubeway Army,
Arthur Verocai,
The United States of America,
ABC,
JFA,
Sonny Sharrock,
Faust,
the Fania All-Stars,
the Association,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Soft Cell,
Rotary Connection,
Henry Cow,
The Doors,
Deakin,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Severed Heads,
Nico,
Josef K,
The Buckinghams,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Japan,
Avey Tare,
X-102,
Dawn Penn,
Danielle Patucci,
The Dave Clark Five,
Robert Wyatt,
Kool Moe Dee,
Lalo Schifrin,
Section 25,
Eurythmics,
Hot Snakes,
Tropical Tobacco,
Skarface,
Nas,
Soul II Soul,
Susan Cadogan,
Cymande,
Sarah Menescal,
Sight & Sound,
The Index,
Public Image Ltd.,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Gregory Isaacs,
Schoolly D,
Man Parrish,
Negative Approach,
The Dead C,
Pet Shop Boys,
Radiohead,
Bang On A Can,
Marvin Gaye,
Lakeside,
Masters at Work,
10cc,
Jacques Brel,
These Immortal Souls,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Electric Prunes, Electric Prunes, Electric Prunes, Electric Prunes.
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.