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 Qatar and from Copenhagen.
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 1963 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and Tokyo.
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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Smooth 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 R.M.O.. All the underground hits.
All Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rod Modell record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Selector Dub Narcotic record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Hardrive,
Second Layer,
Animal Collective,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Marcia Griffiths,
Marmalade,
Ralphi Rosario,
The American Breed,
Jawbox,
Warren Ellis,
Massinfluence,
Thompson Twins,
Ice-T,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Slits,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Delta 5,
Aaron Thompson,
The Moody Blues,
Barclay James Harvest,
Lindisfarne,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Traffic Nightmare,
ABC,
Donald Byrd,
Harry Pussy,
Sandy B,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Zapp,
Gregory Isaacs,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Byron Stingily,
Das Ding,
Todd Terry,
Porter Ricks,
Camberwell Now,
AZ,
Marc Almond,
Derrick May,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Zeros,
Carl Craig,
The Beau Brummels,
Derrick Morgan,
Black Bananas,
Nick Fraelich,
Roxy Music,
Aural Exciters,
Barrington Levy,
JFA,
Jeff Mills,
Minutemen,
Tres Demented,
Darondo,
Blake Baxter,
Glenn Branca,
Boredoms,
Vladislav Delay,
Chrome,
Intrusion,
Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow.
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.