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 Tanzania and from Manila.
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 1962 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Salvador 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 1978 at the first Visage practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the rhodes sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Joe Finger to the punk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Oblivians. All the underground hits.
All Cameo tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every MDC 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jeru the Damaja record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Warren Ellis,
Ralphi Rosario,
Skriet,
Leonard Cohen,
Vainqueur,
the Soft Cell,
8 Eyed Spy,
Johnny Clarke,
Livin' Joy,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Kurtis Blow,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
These Immortal Souls,
Los Fastidios,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
FM Einheit,
Mantronix,
Excepter,
This Heat,
Faraquet,
Metal Thangz,
Boogie Down Productions,
Oblivians,
Radio Birdman,
MDC,
Amon Düül,
Zero Boys,
Dennis Brown,
Pharoah Sanders,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Freddie Wadling,
Lindisfarne,
Gabor Szabo,
Whodini,
Thee Headcoats,
Barbara Tucker,
Archie Shepp,
Tommy Roe,
U.S. Maple,
Roxette,
Tom Boy,
Pulsallama,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Blake Baxter,
Mission of Burma,
Throbbing Gristle,
Aswad,
Babytalk,
The Neon Judgement,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Brass Construction,
Chris & Cosey,
Arab on Radar,
Carl Craig,
Letta Mbulu,
The Walker Brothers,
Scientists,
The Martian,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Rufus Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Rufus Thomas.
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.