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 Honduras and from Houston.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 In Retrospect to the rock kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Matthew Halsall. All the underground hits.
All Desert Stars tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rekid record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gerry Rafferty record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Smiths,
The Angels of Light,
Joey Negro,
Sarah Menescal,
Easy Going,
The Smoke,
Boz Scaggs,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Cybotron,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Black Bananas,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Absolute Body Control,
Yellowson,
Erykah Badu,
These Immortal Souls,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
the Association,
The Standells,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Ossler,
Roxette,
R.M.O.,
Idris Muhammad,
Eve St. Jones,
Nik Kershaw,
The Real Kids,
Sandy B,
The United States of America,
Country Teasers,
The Shadows of Knight,
Hot Snakes,
Albert Ayler,
Ronnie Foster,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Gang of Four,
Nick Fraelich,
Popol Vuh,
The Star Department,
Grauzone,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Ludus,
Adolescents,
Gabor Szabo,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
The Residents,
Johnny Osbourne,
Skaos,
Brand Nubian,
The Victims,
Gastr Del Sol,
Soft Cell,
the Fania All-Stars,
Ralphi Rosario,
Lalann,
Jacob Miller,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Slave,
Animal Collective,
Max Romeo,
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.