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 Iceland and from Jakarta.
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 1961 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Sao Paulo and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 1976 at the first Chic practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 The Moleskins to the rap 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 Bobby Byrd. All the underground hits.
All Scan 7 tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Drexciya 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a ABC record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Standells,
Bobby Hutcherson,
The American Breed,
Siglo XX,
Arcadia,
10cc,
Carl Craig,
Pantaleimon,
Gong,
Chris & Cosey,
Don Cherry,
Guru Guru,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Gap Band,
Scott Walker,
Black Flag,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Urselle,
Cheater Slicks,
The Slackers,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Deadbeat,
Stereo Dub,
The Residents,
Little Man,
Anakelly,
Yellowson,
Harpers Bizarre,
Soul Sonic Force,
Visage,
Kevin Saunderson,
Maleditus Sound,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
The Evens,
Icehouse,
Jandek,
Erykah Badu,
The Victims,
Skriet,
Jesper Dahlback,
Ponytail,
Unwound,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Brass Construction,
Patti Smith,
Bill Wells,
Bobby Byrd,
Underground Resistance,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Infiniti,
the Association,
Barry Ungar,
Letta Mbulu,
Y Pants,
Grey Daturas,
Marvin Gaye,
David Bowie,
Mad Mike,
Franke,
Blake Baxter,
Oblivians, Oblivians, Oblivians, Oblivians.
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.