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 Barbados and from Hong Kong.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 1977 at the first Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the oboe 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 Monks to the disco 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 Matthew Bourne. All the underground hits.
All The Modern Lovers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every These Immortal Souls 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 oboe and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Birthday Party record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Roxy Music,
Bronski Beat,
Young Marble Giants,
The Durutti Column,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Walker Brothers,
Soft Cell,
John Foxx,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Lalo Schifrin,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Bad Manners,
Sam Rivers,
Goldenarms,
Unwound,
Panda Bear,
Glenn Branca,
Kenny Larkin,
the Bar-Kays,
The Dave Clark Five,
Traffic Nightmare,
Ultravox,
La Düsseldorf,
Pantytec,
The Buckinghams,
Grandmaster Flash,
Masters at Work,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Cymande,
L. Decosne,
Bootsy Collins,
The Offenders,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Yaz,
The Star Department,
Radio Birdman,
Pharoah Sanders,
LL Cool J,
The Busters,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Kayak,
Yazoo,
The Victims,
Scan 7,
Amon Düül,
Rod Modell,
Darondo,
Pere Ubu,
R.M.O.,
Mo-Dettes,
Eric B and Rakim,
Cybotron,
Judy Mowatt,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
The Tremeloes,
Brothers Johnson,
Todd Terry,
Bobby Sherman,
Isaac Hayes,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Skarface, Skarface, Skarface, Skarface.
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.