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 Afghanistan and from Beijing.
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 1964 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Winnipeg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 1968 at the first Bowie practice in a loft in Bromley.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Inner City to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Jeru the Damaja. All the underground hits.
All X-102 tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Throbbing Gristle record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Skatalites record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Wire,
Animal Collective,
Circle Jerks,
Gang Gang Dance,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
New Age Steppers,
Laurel Aitken,
Von Mondo,
Infiniti,
the Slits,
Fela Kuti,
Young Marble Giants,
Gerry Rafferty,
Glambeats Corp.,
Sonny Sharrock,
Cal Tjader,
Sexual Harrassment,
Big Daddy Kane,
the Fania All-Stars,
H. Thieme,
Angry Samoans,
Television Personalities,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Tomorrow,
Hoover,
Marmalade,
Franke,
The Skatalites,
Sight & Sound,
Soul Sonic Force,
Bill Wells,
Q65,
Aaron Thompson,
The Saints,
Kenny Larkin,
Joey Negro,
Q and Not U,
The Remains,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
The Red Krayola,
Depeche Mode,
Pulsallama,
Model 500,
Man Eating Sloth,
Todd Rundgren,
Ralphi Rosario,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Gregory Isaacs,
Gil Scott Heron,
Erasure,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Tears for Fears,
Buzzcocks,
Terry Callier,
Excepter,
Talk Talk,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Move,
Derrick May,
Subhumans,
The Evens,
R.M.O.,
Johnny Clarke, Johnny Clarke, Johnny Clarke, Johnny Clarke.
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.