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 Swaziland and from Beijing.
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 1960 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Copenhagen 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 1980 at the first Cybotron practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Rufus Thomas to the punk 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 Jeru the Damaja. All the underground hits.
All Harpers Bizarre tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bob Dylan record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 harpsichord and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jimmy McGriff record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sparks,
Joensuu 1685,
Blossom Toes,
Television Personalities,
Fatback Band,
Roger Hodgson,
Los Fastidios,
Jandek,
The J.B.'s,
Negative Approach,
Bush Tetras,
Gang Green,
The Offenders,
Eli Mardock,
Scientists,
D'Angelo,
Angry Samoans,
Scrapy,
New Order,
Bang On A Can,
Gang Starr,
Essential Logic,
Faraquet,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Unrelated Segments,
Donny Hathaway,
Camouflage,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Dennis Brown,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The Electric Prunes,
Bootsy Collins,
Barbara Tucker,
Lucky Dragons,
Cecil Taylor,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Brand Nubian,
Aloha Tigers,
Second Layer,
Maleditus Sound,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Popol Vuh,
Nik Kershaw,
Young Marble Giants,
T.S.O.L.,
The Busters,
Nirvana,
The Star Department,
The Monochrome Set,
Sandy B,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Franke,
Bobby Byrd,
Suburban Knight,
Scan 7,
Nas,
Desert Stars,
Jawbox,
Michelle Simonal,
Lungfish,
Harpers Bizarre,
La Düsseldorf, La Düsseldorf, La Düsseldorf, La Düsseldorf.
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.