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 Thailand and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Detroit Cobras to the funk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Dawn Penn. All the underground hits.
All Gichy Dan tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Royal Family And The Poor record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Scan 7 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Alice Coltrane,
Bush Tetras,
The Litter,
Scientists,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
New York Dolls,
Ken Boothe,
The Velvet Underground,
Josef K,
The Modern Lovers,
OOIOO,
Don Cherry,
Archie Shepp,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Danielle Patucci,
Pharoah Sanders,
Black Moon,
Agitation Free,
Harry Pussy,
Fela Kuti,
Motorama,
LL Cool J,
Roger Hodgson,
Ohio Players,
Silicon Teens,
James White and The Blacks,
Gabor Szabo,
the Slits,
Freddie Wadling,
Subhumans,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Grey Daturas,
Ultravox,
Second Layer,
The Star Department,
Sugar Minott,
B.T. Express,
Smog,
Black Pus,
The Raincoats,
Bill Near,
John Coltrane,
Livin' Joy,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Marshall Jefferson,
Dead Boys,
Yazoo,
The Buckinghams,
Technova,
Sparks,
Alton Ellis,
Ponytail,
Sun Ra,
Groovy Waters,
Hashim,
Bobby Sherman,
Cybotron,
Lou Reed,
Maurizio,
Gerry Rafferty,
The Gladiators,
H. Thieme, H. Thieme, H. Thieme, H. Thieme.
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.