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 Tuvalu and from Spokane.
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 1963 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 1971 at the first Selda practice in a loft in Istanbul.
I was working on the 808 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 Susan Cadogan to the rock 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 Soft Machine. All the underground hits.
All De La Soul & Jungle Brothers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Porter Ricks record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Royal Family And The Poor record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Juan Atkins,
Yaz,
Cecil Taylor,
The Happenings,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Aaron Thompson,
Scion,
The Motions,
Drexciya,
Warren Ellis,
Newcleus,
EPMD,
Severed Heads,
Swans,
Kerrie Biddell,
Matthew Bourne,
Dennis Brown,
The Martian,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
The Trojans,
Idris Muhammad,
The Cowsills,
The Doobie Brothers,
Sonny Sharrock,
Dave Gahan,
Minor Threat,
Easy Going,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Oblivians,
The Knickerbockers,
Radio Birdman,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Moby Grape,
Nirvana,
Average White Band,
Faraquet,
Rotary Connection,
Rosa Yemen,
Ronan,
Audionom,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Depeche Mode,
Eli Mardock,
Yazoo,
T.S.O.L.,
Mandrill,
Cymande,
Public Image Ltd.,
Carl Craig,
The Human League,
Mary Jane Girls,
Pylon,
Josef K,
Loose Ends,
The Monks,
Robert Wyatt, Robert Wyatt, Robert Wyatt, Robert Wyatt.
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.