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 Nigeria and from Lille.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Salvador and Mumbai.
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 1973 at the first Television practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Sonic Youth to the crunk 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 Royal Family And The Poor. All the underground hits.
All Royal Trux tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Grandmaster Flash record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Essential Logic record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Brothers Johnson,
Dennis Brown,
Lou Christie,
The Motions,
Harry Pussy,
Jeff Lynne,
Rites of Spring,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Neon Judgement,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
The Barracudas,
Mantronix,
Sun Ra,
Lou Reed,
Sly & The Family Stone,
The Walker Brothers,
Basic Channel,
Youth Brigade,
The Offenders,
This Heat,
Sixth Finger,
Frankie Knuckles,
Drexciya,
Roy Ayers,
Gregory Isaacs,
June of 44,
Hashim,
Duran Duran,
MDC,
The Fire Engines,
Brass Construction,
Lucky Dragons,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Black Pus,
Slave,
Clear Light,
Crispy Ambulance,
Matthew Halsall,
The Human League,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Davy DMX,
Crash Course in Science,
Arab on Radar,
Gang Green,
Black Bananas,
the Human League,
The Tremeloes,
Robert Wyatt,
Delon & Dalcan,
Ultimate Spinach,
The Leaves,
Sarah Menescal,
Charles Mingus,
Max Romeo,
Scott Walker,
Suicide,
Avey Tare,
Lalann,
Electric Light Orchestra,
The Toasters, The Toasters, The Toasters, The Toasters.
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.