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 Malawi and from Cairo.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1976 at the first Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the oboe 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 Fugazi to the crunk 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 Gang Starr. All the underground hits.
All Camouflage tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Absolute Body Control record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Martian record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Agitation Free,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Blancmange,
Cameo,
The Knickerbockers,
The Beau Brummels,
Parry Music,
The Black Dice,
Rotary Connection,
Nick Fraelich,
Stockholm Monsters,
CMW,
June of 44,
Brass Construction,
Aswad,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
X-102,
Bobbi Humphrey,
the Bar-Kays,
Skaos,
Drive Like Jehu,
Outsiders,
Dave Gahan,
Soulsonic Force,
Radiopuhelimet,
Minor Threat,
Janne Schatter,
Camberwell Now,
Nik Kershaw,
Black Sheep,
Connie Case,
Jandek,
Half Japanese,
Infiniti,
Cal Tjader,
The Electric Prunes,
John Coltrane,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Los Fastidios,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
The Smoke,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Lee Hazlewood,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Fat Boys,
Wire,
Dorothy Ashby,
Bluetip,
Hoover,
The Residents,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
DJ Style,
Throbbing Gristle,
World's Most,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Goldenarms,
Minny Pops,
Siglo XX,
Rod Modell,
Jawbox,
Dennis Brown,
Swell Maps, Swell Maps, Swell Maps, Swell Maps.
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.