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 Eritrea 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 1969 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1968 at the first Bowie practice in a loft in Bromley.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Black Flag to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Marc Almond. All the underground hits.
All Iggy Pop tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Fatback Band record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Essential Logic record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
F. McDonald,
Big Daddy Kane,
The Young Rascals,
Jeff Lynne,
Laurel Aitken,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
The Seeds,
Slick Rick,
The Leaves,
Nik Kershaw,
Jawbox,
Black Flag,
Accadde A,
Lakeside,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Neu!,
the Soft Cell,
Dorothy Ashby,
Negative Approach,
Can,
The Fortunes,
Barrington Levy,
Sugar Minott,
Chris & Cosey,
Oblivians,
The Beau Brummels,
Technova,
Sparks,
Amazonics,
The Motions,
Circle Jerks,
10cc,
Flipper,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Marmalade,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Jimmy McGriff,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Second Layer,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Anthony Braxton,
John Coltrane,
Wire,
Alton Ellis,
The Misunderstood,
Jandek,
Ten City,
One Last Wish,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Gang of Four,
Bluetip,
Blake Baxter,
Rufus Thomas,
Das Ding,
Frankie Knuckles,
Max Romeo, Max Romeo, Max Romeo, Max Romeo.
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.