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 Cairo.
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 1965 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Aural Exciters to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Flash Fearless. All the underground hits.
All Public Image Ltd. tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every T.S.O.L. 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Smoke record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Cymande,
Lyres,
Intrusion,
The Tremeloes,
Aural Exciters,
DJ Sneak,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Martian,
PIL,
Grauzone,
Colin Newman,
The Flesh Eaters,
DNA,
Kaleidoscope,
Dark Day,
Ornette Coleman,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Nick Fraelich,
Pere Ubu,
Skaos,
The Stooges,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Minutemen,
Negative Approach,
Suicide,
10cc,
Liliput,
Gil Scott Heron,
Lalo Schifrin,
Nas,
Warsaw,
The New Christs,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Ralphi Rosario,
Von Mondo,
Kas Product,
Juan Atkins,
Boredoms,
Brick,
James Chance & The Contortions,
David Axelrod,
Alice Coltrane,
Patti Smith,
Sister Nancy,
Technova,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
a-ha,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Five Americans,
Michelle Simonal,
Iggy Pop,
The Names,
Delon & Dalcan,
DJ Style,
The Star Department,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Barbara Tucker, Barbara Tucker, Barbara Tucker, Barbara Tucker.
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.