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 Singapore and from Jakarta.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Lewis show in Vancouver.
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 1961 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 rhodes sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 June of 44 to the jazz kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Heaven 17. All the underground hits.
All Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Infiniti 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Swans record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Yusef Lateef,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Q65,
ABBA,
The Blues Magoos,
Warsaw,
Glambeats Corp.,
The Fugs,
Qualms,
Motorama,
Idris Muhammad,
Urselle,
X-102,
Sixth Finger,
Howard Jones,
Oneida,
Newcleus,
Minnie Riperton,
Loose Ends,
a-ha,
The Sonics,
Hardrive,
David Bowie,
Pantaleimon,
Smog,
Darondo,
The Golliwogs,
Arab on Radar,
Gregory Isaacs,
Girls At Our Best!,
Laurel Aitken,
Agitation Free,
Anakelly,
Soulsonic Force,
Tears for Fears,
Suicide,
Fluxion,
Joey Negro,
Bush Tetras,
Rhythm & Sound,
The Tremeloes,
Todd Terry,
Interpol,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Cal Tjader,
Dawn Penn,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Walker Brothers,
John Coltrane,
Oblivians,
Spoonie Gee,
Main Source,
Khruangbin,
Crime,
Niagra,
the Human League,
Connie Case,
R.M.O.,
Heaven 17,
The Toasters,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
L. Decosne, L. Decosne, L. Decosne, L. Decosne.
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.