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 Congo and from Shanghai.
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 1969 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 Tom Verlaine 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 Max Romeo to the jazz 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 Animal Collective tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every EPMD record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Carl Craig record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Avey Tare,
Easy Going,
Eddi Front,
The Gladiators,
Andrew Hill,
Angry Samoans,
Hoover,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Gichy Dan,
Schoolly D,
Wasted Youth,
Model 500,
Ultra Naté,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Pylon,
Audionom,
Outsiders,
Gil Scott Heron,
Monks,
The Neon Judgement,
Public Image Ltd.,
DNA,
John Holt,
Thompson Twins,
Minny Pops,
Livin' Joy,
Electric Prunes,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Leaves,
Eve St. Jones,
Excepter,
Crash Course in Science,
Tommy Roe,
The Toasters,
Swell Maps,
Royal Trux,
Ohio Players,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Rufus Thomas,
Morten Harket,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Patti Smith,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Fluxion,
Black Moon,
AZ,
Sex Pistols,
The United States of America,
Tom Boy,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Lalo Schifrin,
Kerrie Biddell,
U.S. Maple,
The Moleskins,
Roxette,
Graham Central Station,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Man Parrish,
Glenn Branca,
Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario.
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.