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 Taiwan 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 1969 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Marvin Gaye to the grime 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 Marc Almond. All the underground hits.
All Zapp tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Zero Boys record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Little Man record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Liliput,
the Fania All-Stars,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Rapeman,
Althea and Donna,
Eric B and Rakim,
FM Einheit,
Faust,
The Last Poets,
Young Marble Giants,
Pole,
Bobby Sherman,
The Moleskins,
Man Eating Sloth,
Joe Smooth,
The Blackbyrds,
Drive Like Jehu,
Leonard Cohen,
Arthur Verocai,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Tom Boy,
Kerrie Biddell,
Delon & Dalcan,
Basic Channel,
Swans,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Half Japanese,
Country Teasers,
The Black Dice,
Robert Hood,
The Residents,
The J.B.'s,
Q and Not U,
The Smoke,
Kenny Larkin,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Angry Samoans,
Marcia Griffiths,
Sugar Minott,
The Grass Roots,
Warren Ellis,
Tubeway Army,
The Angels of Light,
The Index,
Make Up,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Ronan,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Vainqueur,
Heaven 17,
Terry Callier,
Goldenarms,
Rufus Thomas,
The Durutti Column,
Mo-Dettes,
Iggy Pop,
Suburban Knight,
Mad Mike,
Lyres,
The Litter,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Quantec, Quantec, Quantec, Quantec.
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.