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 Egypt and from Columbus.
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 1969 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Arab on Radar 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 Negative Approach. All the underground hits.
All Sarah Menescal tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every MC5 record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Frankie Knuckles record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Porter Ricks,
Pere Ubu,
E-Dancer,
Technova,
Guru Guru,
The Angels of Light,
Monolake,
Crispy Ambulance,
Charles Mingus,
Dave Gahan,
Unwound,
Easy Going,
Ronan,
The Beau Brummels,
The Fortunes,
Brand Nubian,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Negative Approach,
The Litter,
Derrick Morgan,
The Offenders,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
The Martian,
Swans,
Gong,
Yaz,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
These Immortal Souls,
Rotary Connection,
Joe Smooth,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Misunderstood,
Circle Jerks,
K-Klass,
China Crisis,
New Age Steppers,
Lalo Schifrin,
Lightning Bolt,
Shuggie Otis,
Flash Fearless,
Harpers Bizarre,
The Cowsills,
Juan Atkins,
Sällskapet,
Todd Terry,
Massinfluence,
Deadbeat,
Schoolly D,
Moebius,
Icehouse,
Angry Samoans,
Smog,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Ultra Naté,
Brick,
Monks,
Intrusion,
Al Stewart,
Hoover,
Robert Wyatt,
Fat Boys,
The Divine Comedy, The Divine Comedy, The Divine Comedy, The Divine Comedy.
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.