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 Guinea-Bissau and from Shanghai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bremen and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 The Misunderstood to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Grauzone. All the underground hits.
All Franke tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every One Last Wish record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Judy Mowatt record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Erykah Badu,
The Sonics,
Cymande,
Lalo Schifrin,
Can,
Half Japanese,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Reuben Wilson,
Andrew Hill,
Mantronix,
Excepter,
Nation of Ulysses,
Smog,
Delta 5,
The Monochrome Set,
Avey Tare,
Pylon,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Dark Day,
The Busters,
Marine Girls,
Jawbox,
Faust,
The J.B.'s,
Quando Quango,
Echospace,
The Raincoats,
Rosa Yemen,
Kaleidoscope,
Organ,
Laurel Aitken,
Kurtis Blow,
The Remains,
Michelle Simonal,
Visage,
The Smoke,
James White and The Blacks,
The Litter,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
UT,
Parry Music,
Bronski Beat,
The Blackbyrds,
Arthur Verocai,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Rekid,
Soft Cell,
Chrome,
Make Up,
Eli Mardock,
8 Eyed Spy,
Zapp,
Nik Kershaw,
Kool Moe Dee,
The Black Dice,
Khruangbin,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Count Five,
Deakin,
Reagan Youth, Reagan Youth, Reagan Youth, Reagan Youth.
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.