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 Singapore and from Columbus.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1965 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Philadelphia.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 John Cale to the crunk 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 Stockholm Monsters. All the underground hits.
All The Searchers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lucky Dragons 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Kango’s Stein Massive record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Dave Clark Five,
Sexual Harrassment,
Essential Logic,
Bang On A Can,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Star Department,
Joey Negro,
Alton Ellis,
Ponytail,
John Cale,
the Sonics,
Outsiders,
Nik Kershaw,
New Order,
10cc,
Negative Approach,
Clear Light,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Maleditus Sound,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
The Smoke,
Urselle,
Inner City,
Rites of Spring,
Boogie Down Productions,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Cymande,
New York Dolls,
Kaleidoscope,
Khruangbin,
Mark Hollis,
Stetsasonic,
Mr. Review,
The Litter,
Sex Pistols,
Dorothy Ashby,
EPMD,
Sällskapet,
Flash Fearless,
Schoolly D,
Cybotron,
Easy Going,
The Real Kids,
Accadde A,
Oneida,
Josef K,
Kevin Saunderson,
James White and The Blacks,
The Velvet Underground,
The Residents,
Reagan Youth,
Dawn Penn,
David Bowie,
Matthew Halsall,
Second Layer,
Nas,
Reuben Wilson,
Marvin Gaye,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Roy Ayers, Roy Ayers, Roy Ayers, Roy Ayers.
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.