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 Oman and from Jakarta.
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 1963 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Cairo.
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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Jacob Miller to the grime kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Gang Starr. All the underground hits.
All Radiopuhelimet tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every the Fania All-Stars record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Y Pants record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bang On A Can,
Newcleus,
Janne Schatter,
Cybotron,
June Days,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Ronan,
Young Marble Giants,
Sound Behaviour,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Simply Red,
Slick Rick,
Kas Product,
Letta Mbulu,
Deakin,
Funky Four + One,
the Sonics,
H. Thieme,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
June of 44,
The Invisible,
the Germs,
Kerri Chandler,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Tears for Fears,
Shuggie Otis,
Metal Thangz,
David McCallum,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Red Krayola,
Drexciya,
Lyres,
Flash Fearless,
Junior Murvin,
Eddi Front,
Nas,
Scratch Acid,
The Gun Club,
The Residents,
Liliput,
Nils Olav,
John Foxx,
Au Pairs,
Fad Gadget,
Animal Collective,
Rites of Spring,
Khruangbin,
John Cale,
Icehouse,
Jerry's Kids,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Gang Starr,
Dennis Brown,
Barbara Tucker,
Sam Rivers,
Urselle,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Dawn Penn,
Tomorrow,
Ponytail,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Lungfish,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Swell Maps, Swell Maps, Swell Maps, Swell Maps.
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.