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 Ethiopia and from Toronto.
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 1968 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1987 at the first Nirvana practice in a loft in Seattle.
I was working on the guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Sun Ra Arkestra 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 The Selecter. All the underground hits.
All Aswad tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Peanut Butter Conspiracy 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Max Romeo record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Flash Fearless,
The Mummies,
Ohio Players,
Bill Near,
Loose Ends,
Black Sheep,
MC5,
Oblivians,
Half Japanese,
Brick,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Avey Tare,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Marine Girls,
The Music Machine,
Cal Tjader,
Eric B and Rakim,
Saccharine Trust,
The Leaves,
Pierre Henry,
A Certain Ratio,
Prince Buster,
Pantaleimon,
Duran Duran,
Kool Moe Dee,
Adolescents,
Be Bop Deluxe,
The Remains,
FM Einheit,
Das Ding,
Joe Finger,
cv313,
Schoolly D,
Icehouse,
Nirvana,
Eve St. Jones,
Jacob Miller,
Delon & Dalcan,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Move,
Fat Boys,
Josef K,
Panda Bear,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Hashim,
AZ,
The Busters,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Bobby Womack,
Lakeside,
Gang Starr,
Eric Copeland,
Mark Hollis,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Vainqueur,
Ossler,
Lou Christie,
Niagra,
The Gun Club,
Echospace, Echospace, Echospace, Echospace.
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.