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 Malta and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1965 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 Country Joe & The Fish to the techno 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 Darondo. All the underground hits.
All Cymande tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every EPMD record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Public Enemy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Magazine,
Anakelly,
Matthew Halsall,
Janne Schatter,
Rhythm & Sound,
Bronski Beat,
Scrapy,
Glambeats Corp.,
the Fania All-Stars,
T. Rex,
Sister Nancy,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
a-ha,
The Doobie Brothers,
The Neon Judgement,
Mary Jane Girls,
the Association,
Skriet,
Neu!,
Mo-Dettes,
Marshall Jefferson,
These Immortal Souls,
The Wake,
Flash Fearless,
Cal Tjader,
Marvin Gaye,
Arthur Verocai,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Can,
Deepchord,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Index,
The Modern Lovers,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Absolute Body Control,
Thompson Twins,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Hoover,
Glenn Branca,
LL Cool J,
The Residents,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
The United States of America,
Crispy Ambulance,
Soul II Soul,
Patti Smith,
Hasil Adkins,
ABBA,
Ronan,
Juan Atkins,
Ohio Players,
Porter Ricks,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
The Busters,
The Associates,
Rod Modell,
Unwound,
The Move,
Ituana,
Lalann,
Boogie Down Productions,
Nico,
Hot Snakes, Hot Snakes, Hot Snakes, Hot Snakes.
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.