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 Mexico and from Johannesburg.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 1971 at the first Neu! practice in a loft in Düsseldorf.
I was working on the 808 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 Rotary Connection to the rap 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 Eric Dolphy. All the underground hits.
All Scientists tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Wire 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a KRS-One record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Dave Clark Five,
Scientists,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Barrington Levy,
Cymande,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Sound,
Harry Pussy,
Cybotron,
Drive Like Jehu,
Underground Resistance,
Mantronix,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
New York Dolls,
Make Up,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Brick,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
The Shadows of Knight,
Ludus,
Shuggie Otis,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Whodini,
Fela Kuti,
John Foxx,
Colin Newman,
Todd Terry,
Suburban Knight,
Ultimate Spinach,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Duran Duran,
The Leaves,
Harmonia,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Half Japanese,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Althea and Donna,
Dawn Penn,
Bizarre Inc.,
Liliput,
Royal Trux,
Moby Grape,
Soul II Soul,
The Mummies,
A Certain Ratio,
Faust,
Alton Ellis,
The Happenings,
The Beau Brummels,
Dark Day,
The Birthday Party,
Barry Ungar,
Robert Görl,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Gabor Szabo,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Kevin Saunderson,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
The Doors, The Doors, The Doors, The Doors.
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.