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 Jordan and from Johannesburg.
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 1964 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the sitar 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 Jandek to the disco kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Ice-T. All the underground hits.
All Qualms tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bluetip record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a R.M.O. record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
DJ Sneak,
New Age Steppers,
Massinfluence,
Bobby Byrd,
Rhythm & Sound,
Curtis Mayfield,
Joensuu 1685,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
8 Eyed Spy,
Judy Mowatt,
Nas,
Gang Green,
Visage,
Frankie Knuckles,
the Fania All-Stars,
Traffic Nightmare,
Duran Duran,
Bill Near,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Spoonie Gee,
The Angels of Light,
Quadrant,
Little Man,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Symarip,
The Busters,
Ultimate Spinach,
Sister Nancy,
Funkadelic,
Suicide,
Aloha Tigers,
The Fall,
MC5,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
the Sonics,
Arthur Verocai,
Bob Dylan,
Johnny Clarke,
Harpers Bizarre,
Cheater Slicks,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Brothers Johnson,
Grey Daturas,
Fugazi,
Rod Modell,
Boogie Down Productions,
The Seeds,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Derrick May,
Lou Reed,
Thee Headcoats,
Wolf Eyes,
Pagans,
Gang of Four,
Goldenarms,
Make Up,
Ultravox,
the Association,
Fear,
Sam Rivers,
Japan, Japan, Japan, Japan.
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.