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 Seychelles and from Sao Paulo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 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 Index to the techno kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 E-Dancer. All the underground hits.
All The Sisters of Mercy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Roy Ayers 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Marmalade record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Star Department,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Dorothy Ashby,
Brass Construction,
The Doobie Brothers,
Eric Dolphy,
Erykah Badu,
Whodini,
Bad Manners,
The Real Kids,
Godley & Creme,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
K-Klass,
Ultra Naté,
The American Breed,
Sandy B,
Pantaleimon,
Yusef Lateef,
Jandek,
Mandrill,
Rites of Spring,
Letta Mbulu,
Soft Cell,
U.S. Maple,
The Velvet Underground,
Drive Like Jehu,
James White and The Blacks,
The Beau Brummels,
the Swans,
Ralphi Rosario,
Nico,
Girls At Our Best!,
Ludus,
Animal Collective,
Ken Boothe,
Quando Quango,
Ossler,
Warsaw,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Cybotron,
Scratch Acid,
Josef K,
The Blues Magoos,
Jawbox,
David Axelrod,
H. Thieme,
Idris Muhammad,
The Toasters,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
48th St. Collective,
Arcadia,
Drexciya,
UT,
Matthew Halsall,
Tomorrow,
Mission of Burma,
Al Stewart,
Piero Umiliani,
Rakim,
Connie Case,
Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies.
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.