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 Dominican Republic and from Madrid.
But I was there.
I was there in 2001.
I was there at the first Tiga show in Montreal.
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 1960 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Delhi and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Talk Talk to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 DJ Sneak. All the underground hits.
All Q and Not U tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Kinks record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Hoover record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Dorothy Ashby,
Jeru the Damaja,
Khruangbin,
Echospace,
Kayak,
Young Marble Giants,
Roxy Music,
Eric B and Rakim,
The Fugs,
New York Dolls,
Jerry Gold Smith,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Reuben Wilson,
Tears for Fears,
Radio Birdman,
Soft Cell,
Infiniti,
Tomorrow,
Pulsallama,
Barry Ungar,
10cc,
The Black Dice,
Iggy Pop,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Peter and Kerry,
Newcleus,
Black Flag,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
The Happenings,
Urselle,
Darondo,
Joe Smooth,
Quando Quango,
The Barracudas,
Donny Hathaway,
The Saints,
Suburban Knight,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
UT,
Nirvana,
Erasure,
The Motions,
Rapeman,
Hasil Adkins,
Funkadelic,
Harmonia,
Soul Sonic Force,
Das Ding,
The Slackers,
Marine Girls,
Adolescents,
JFA,
Don Cherry,
Cecil Taylor,
Lakeside,
Radiohead,
John Lydon,
Quantec,
Negative Approach, Negative Approach, Negative Approach, Negative Approach.
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.