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 Cape Verde and from Manchester.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1967 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Essential Logic to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Deakin. All the underground hits.
All Quando Quango tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Index 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Deadbeat record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ken Boothe,
Procol Harum,
Hoover,
CMW,
Jimmy McGriff,
Radiohead,
Freddie Wadling,
Delta 5,
Dual Sessions,
Max Romeo,
Kaleidoscope,
Moebius,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Reagan Youth,
Susan Cadogan,
Oblivians,
PIL,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Erasure,
Deepchord,
Schoolly D,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Metal Thangz,
Prince Buster,
The Selecter,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Dawn Penn,
Pylon,
Brick,
The Fortunes,
D'Angelo,
Drive Like Jehu,
Rakim,
MC5,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
The Mummies,
Tears for Fears,
Boz Scaggs,
Kayak,
James White and The Blacks,
Drexciya,
Jerry's Kids,
Minny Pops,
U.S. Maple,
Ash Ra Tempel,
48th St. Collective,
Con Funk Shun,
Eurythmics,
The Vogues,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
ABC,
Pole,
Skriet,
Gang Gang Dance,
Black Flag,
Niagra,
Von Mondo,
The Fire Engines,
New Age Steppers,
Nik Kershaw,
Piero Umiliani, Piero Umiliani, Piero Umiliani, Piero Umiliani.
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.