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 St Lucia and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1973.
I was there at the first Television show in New York.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 marimba 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 Joe Finger to the grime kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Drexciya. All the underground hits.
All Bad Manners tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Japan record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Searchers record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
The Count Five,
June Days,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
kango's stein massive,
10cc,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Scott Walker,
Wings,
The Golliwogs,
The Barracudas,
Gong,
Jandek,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
A Certain Ratio,
Minutemen,
Excepter,
Joey Negro,
Kas Product,
Rekid,
Flash Fearless,
Jawbox,
Chrome,
Shuggie Otis,
The Happenings,
Curtis Mayfield,
Danielle Patucci,
Tommy Roe,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Magazine,
Freddie Wadling,
The Cramps,
Underground Resistance,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Heaven 17,
Glambeats Corp.,
The Selecter,
Pagans,
Alice Coltrane,
Matthew Bourne,
Ossler,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Rakim,
Minny Pops,
Bill Near,
Porter Ricks,
Basic Channel,
The Blackbyrds,
Pulsallama,
Mad Mike,
Boogie Down Productions,
T.S.O.L.,
The Monks,
LL Cool J,
MC5,
Alton Ellis,
Michelle Simonal,
Joy Division,
Cecil Taylor,
Oblivians,
Y Pants,
Ice-T,
Deakin, Deakin, Deakin, Deakin.
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.