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 East Timor and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1964 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and New York.
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 snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Dorothy Ashby to the grime kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Glambeats Corp.. All the underground hits.
All Kerrie Biddell tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Max Romeo record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pierre Henry record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Shoche,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
the Sonics,
Ossler,
Flash Fearless,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Alice Coltrane,
Neil Young,
The Gap Band,
Newcleus,
EPMD,
Fifty Foot Hose,
New Age Steppers,
Quantec,
Ultra Naté,
Archie Shepp,
B.T. Express,
Symarip,
the Association,
The Shadows of Knight,
Minny Pops,
China Crisis,
The Busters,
Pet Shop Boys,
the Soft Cell,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Cramps,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Connie Case,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Bootsy Collins,
Chris Corsano,
KRS-One,
Fat Boys,
Joe Finger,
Drexciya,
Alison Limerick,
John Foxx,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Black Moon,
Goldenarms,
Masters at Work,
DJ Style,
The Saints,
T.S.O.L.,
Jeff Lynne,
Ken Boothe,
David Axelrod,
Anakelly,
Eli Mardock,
Max Romeo,
Man Parrish,
Kerrie Biddell,
Crispy Ambulance,
Aural Exciters,
Porter Ricks,
The Alarm Clocks,
Neu!,
X-101,
Carl Craig, Carl Craig, Carl Craig, Carl Craig.
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.