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 Nepal and from Stockholm.
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 1961 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 mellotron 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 48th St. Collective to the grime kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Liliput. All the underground hits.
All Country Joe & The Fish tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Soul II Soul 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Leaves record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Aaron Thompson,
T.S.O.L.,
Barbara Tucker,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Fela Kuti,
Fort Wilson Riot,
the Human League,
The Angels of Light,
Joensuu 1685,
Gichy Dan,
The Residents,
The Dirtbombs,
Black Bananas,
Jerry's Kids,
Blancmange,
Angry Samoans,
The Blackbyrds,
Subhumans,
DNA,
Camberwell Now,
Sonic Youth,
Michelle Simonal,
The Wake,
Dave Gahan,
Yusef Lateef,
John Coltrane,
Kaleidoscope,
Urselle,
Negative Approach,
Curtis Mayfield,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Theoretical Girls,
Vainqueur,
Hashim,
Spandau Ballet,
Spoonie Gee,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Eric Dolphy,
Jeff Lynne,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Piero Umiliani,
Sly & The Family Stone,
D'Angelo,
Jandek,
Blossom Toes,
The Motions,
The Neon Judgement,
AZ,
The Saints,
Marine Girls,
The Alarm Clocks,
Thee Headcoats,
Throbbing Gristle,
Gang Gang Dance,
Thompson Twins,
Ten City,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Harpers Bizarre,
Prince Buster,
LL Cool J, LL Cool J, LL Cool J, LL Cool J.
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.