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 Qatar and from Portland.
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 1968 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the rhodes 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 KRS-One to the rock kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Stereo Dub. All the underground hits.
All Throbbing Gristle tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ossler record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap 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 güiro and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jawbox record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Stiv Bators,
Grey Daturas,
The New Christs,
Fluxion,
Peter & Gordon,
the Germs,
The Associates,
Metal Thangz,
R.M.O.,
Funkadelic,
The Angels of Light,
The Modern Lovers,
Bobby Sherman,
Byron Stingily,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
the Normal,
Dead Boys,
Cybotron,
Eve St. Jones,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Warren Ellis,
The Skatalites,
Ultimate Spinach,
Oneida,
The Litter,
Pharoah Sanders,
Eric B and Rakim,
The Residents,
Ultra Naté,
Donny Hathaway,
Pantytec,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Nick Fraelich,
Tres Demented,
Vladislav Delay,
Suicide,
The Gap Band,
Brass Construction,
The Knickerbockers,
Hashim,
JFA,
MDC,
Davy DMX,
The Star Department,
Radio Birdman,
The Grass Roots,
Babytalk,
Man Eating Sloth,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Newcleus,
The Music Machine,
Bauhaus,
Motorama,
Sonny Sharrock,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Japan,
Section 25,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Kerri Chandler,
The Real Kids, The Real Kids, The Real Kids, The Real Kids.
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.