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 Costa Rica and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Lewis show in Vancouver.
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 1961 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 synthesizer 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 The Monochrome Set to the rap kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Darondo. All the underground hits.
All The Slackers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Hardrive record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Marvin Gaye record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
AZ,
Q65,
Henry Cow,
Johnny Clarke,
Rufus Thomas,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Curtis Mayfield,
The Evens,
Soul Sonic Force,
Gregory Isaacs,
Lebanon Hanover,
Arab on Radar,
Mo-Dettes,
The Associates,
The Cure,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Technova,
Duran Duran,
Mark Hollis,
Eli Mardock,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Visage,
Delta 5,
Peter and Kerry,
Judy Mowatt,
Trumans Water,
Kerri Chandler,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Make Up,
Excepter,
Dual Sessions,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Soft Machine,
Swans,
the Sonics,
Eric B and Rakim,
a-ha,
The Misunderstood,
Dorothy Ashby,
Zapp,
The Gun Club,
Section 25,
John Cale,
Desert Stars,
Kurtis Blow,
Janne Schatter,
Throbbing Gristle,
Nas,
Bill Wells,
Glenn Branca,
Magma,
CMW,
The Durutti Column,
Wire,
Bobby Byrd,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Yazoo,
Skaos, Skaos, Skaos, Skaos.
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.