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 Syria and from Lille.
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 1960 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 The Techniques to the electroclash 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 Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane. All the underground hits.
All Japan tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ajijia Myrayebe record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 harpsichord and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Piero Umiliani record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Happenings,
Idris Muhammad,
Eurythmics,
Ultra Naté,
The Motions,
The Litter,
Scan 7,
Barclay James Harvest,
Shoche,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Spoonie Gee,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Nico,
The Toasters,
Vainqueur,
X-Ray Spex,
Bronski Beat,
Barrington Levy,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Circle Jerks,
H. Thieme,
The Five Americans,
The Smiths,
Quadrant,
Hasil Adkins,
the Normal,
Moby Grape,
The Pop Group,
Cluster,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Scrapy,
Hoover,
A Flock of Seagulls,
the Soft Cell,
Ludus,
Model 500,
Pole,
Dave Gahan,
Gang Starr,
Althea and Donna,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Fluxion,
Sarah Menescal,
Camberwell Now,
Clear Light,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Cecil Taylor,
Robert Wyatt,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
48th St. Collective,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Donny Hathaway,
Q65,
Desert Stars,
Johnny Osbourne,
Nick Fraelich,
Inner City,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Lou Christie,
New Order,
The Durutti Column, The Durutti Column, The Durutti Column, The Durutti Column.
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.