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 Nauru and from Bremen.
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 1966 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Winnipeg 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Lonnie Liston Smith to the crunk 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 The Real Kids. All the underground hits.
All D'Angelo tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Pagans record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 an organ and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Yusef Lateef record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Lower 48,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Liliput,
Marmalade,
The Doors,
Absolute Body Control,
Stereo Dub,
the Human League,
Gichy Dan,
Sight & Sound,
Brick,
Hoover,
Skarface,
Jacques Brel,
Bill Wells,
Lungfish,
Kool Moe Dee,
Khruangbin,
Marcia Griffiths,
Susan Cadogan,
The Busters,
Drexciya,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Gang of Four,
Vladislav Delay,
The United States of America,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
the Slits,
The Dead C,
L. Decosne,
Bobby Sherman,
Das Ding,
Scion,
Connie Case,
Rod Modell,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
The Angels of Light,
Donny Hathaway,
Procol Harum,
Rhythm & Sound,
David Axelrod,
The Sonics,
Duran Duran,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Goldenarms,
Scrapy,
Brothers Johnson,
Stockholm Monsters,
Aswad,
Avey Tare,
Ornette Coleman,
DJ Style,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Masters at Work,
Marine Girls,
Colin Newman,
The Cosmic Jokers,
DJ Sneak,
Chris Corsano,
Fort Wilson Riot,
The Mojo Men,
David Bowie,
Eric B and Rakim,
Main Source, Main Source, Main Source, Main Source.
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.