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 New Zealand and from Shanghai.
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 1968 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Manchester.
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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the 808 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 Gregory Isaacs to the dance kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Michelle Simonal. All the underground hits.
All The Techniques tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every L. Decosne record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ludus record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
These Immortal Souls,
U.S. Maple,
Dark Day,
Newcleus,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Rhythm & Sound,
Anakelly,
Arthur Verocai,
Neil Young,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Ituana,
The Beau Brummels,
Buzzcocks,
David Axelrod,
The Detroit Cobras,
Ultravox,
FM Einheit,
Ultimate Spinach,
Colin Newman,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Slave,
Procol Harum,
The Pop Group,
Jeru the Damaja,
Infiniti,
the Association,
Rufus Thomas,
Gastr Del Sol,
Jesper Dahlback,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Sex Pistols,
Monolake,
Depeche Mode,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Thompson Twins,
Whodini,
Theoretical Girls,
Grandmaster Flash,
Yusef Lateef,
The Gun Club,
Black Sheep,
Panda Bear,
Prince Buster,
Das Ding,
Banda Bassotti,
Angry Samoans,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Soulsonic Force,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Scratch Acid,
Porter Ricks,
Drive Like Jehu,
Symarip,
Lungfish,
Gong,
Electric Prunes,
Rites of Spring,
EPMD,
Fad Gadget,
The Birthday Party,
Isaac Hayes,
Lalann, Lalann, Lalann, Lalann.
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.