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 Dominica and from Madrid.
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 1965 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Woodstock.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 sitar 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 Ultramagnetic MC's to the jazz kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Chocolate Watch Band. All the underground hits.
All Heaven 17 tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every X-101 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 808 and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Soft Cell record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Cymande,
A Certain Ratio,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
ABC,
Radio Birdman,
Scion,
Delta 5,
Marvin Gaye,
Mars,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Faraquet,
The Divine Comedy,
Reagan Youth,
Girls At Our Best!,
Skriet,
Boogie Down Productions,
Warren Ellis,
The Neon Judgement,
Talk Talk,
Rekid,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Derrick Morgan,
Boz Scaggs,
Depeche Mode,
Eli Mardock,
Mission of Burma,
The Seeds,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Kool Moe Dee,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Frankie Knuckles,
Thompson Twins,
Duran Duran,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Y Pants,
Fugazi,
The Martian,
Joy Division,
Vainqueur,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Siglo XX,
Chris Corsano,
Flipper,
Hashim,
Colin Newman,
Liliput,
Wolf Eyes,
Drexciya,
Franke,
Jeff Lynne,
The J.B.'s,
Anthony Braxton,
Urselle,
Thee Headcoats,
John Holt,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Fatback Band,
The Walker Brothers,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Crooked Eye,
Barclay James Harvest, Barclay James Harvest, Barclay James Harvest, Barclay James Harvest.
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.