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 Suriname and from Madrid.
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 1960 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1980 at the first Cybotron practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Busters to the punk 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 The Red Krayola. All the underground hits.
All Yaz tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Procol Harum record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 synthesizer and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ash Ra Tempel record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Aswad,
In Retrospect,
a-ha,
The Young Rascals,
Sandy B,
Derrick May,
The Smoke,
DJ Sneak,
Connie Case,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
The Dirtbombs,
Patti Smith,
Monks,
Silicon Teens,
The Detroit Cobras,
Howard Jones,
The Invisible,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Sam Rivers,
Agitation Free,
Lebanon Hanover,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Bill Wells,
Ultimate Spinach,
The Offenders,
Fat Boys,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Yellowson,
Laurel Aitken,
Marine Girls,
Dark Day,
Cameo,
Visage,
The Grass Roots,
The Moleskins,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Graham Central Station,
The Kinks,
The Alarm Clocks,
Chris Corsano,
Joe Finger,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Babytalk,
Ituana,
The Cramps,
Eden Ahbez,
Ten City,
Mad Mike,
Gichy Dan,
Bluetip,
Godley & Creme,
Slave,
Glambeats Corp.,
Scan 7,
New Age Steppers,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Maurizio,
Letta Mbulu,
Yazoo,
Johnny Clarke,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Flash Fearless,
Minor Threat, Minor Threat, Minor Threat, Minor Threat.
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.