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 Niger and from Manchester.
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 1962 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 1976 at the first Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Robert Görl to the electroclash 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 Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane. All the underground hits.
All Tubeway Army tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Fall record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 harpsichord and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Leonard Cohen record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Index,
The Sonics,
Nirvana,
Bush Tetras,
Andrew Hill,
Quando Quango,
Ten City,
Marine Girls,
Archie Shepp,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Crash Course in Science,
Severed Heads,
The Knickerbockers,
Gichy Dan,
The Dirtbombs,
Jawbox,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
CMW,
The Doors,
Juan Atkins,
The Beau Brummels,
Rekid,
Fifty Foot Hose,
The J.B.'s,
Henry Cow,
Neu!,
The Happenings,
Piero Umiliani,
Quantec,
the Sonics,
Rakim,
Scrapy,
The Mummies,
The Smoke,
Young Marble Giants,
Fatback Band,
Glambeats Corp.,
Livin' Joy,
Model 500,
Leonard Cohen,
The Birthday Party,
Groovy Waters,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Tropical Tobacco,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
U.S. Maple,
Nas,
The Slits,
Swans,
Bizarre Inc.,
X-102,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Gil Scott Heron,
Electric Prunes,
Cecil Taylor,
Iggy Pop,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Main Source,
The Fire Engines,
Marmalade,
Saccharine Trust,
Porter Ricks,
Depeche Mode,
Panda Bear, Panda Bear, Panda Bear, Panda Bear.
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.