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 Djibouti and from Taipei.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Quadrant to the rock kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Pantytec. All the underground hits.
All CMW tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every It's A Beautiful Day record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Associates record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Niagra,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Loose Ends,
Rotary Connection,
Sixth Finger,
Stereo Dub,
Spoonie Gee,
The Red Krayola,
Pantaleimon,
Todd Terry,
Ralphi Rosario,
Basic Channel,
Monks,
Con Funk Shun,
Soul II Soul,
Pulsallama,
The Detroit Cobras,
The Wake,
The Remains,
Junior Murvin,
Porter Ricks,
The New Christs,
Eddi Front,
the Fania All-Stars,
Aaron Thompson,
Black Bananas,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Motorama,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
The Vogues,
Soft Cell,
Swell Maps,
Deadbeat,
Kerrie Biddell,
Lucky Dragons,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
the Soft Cell,
The Cramps,
Charles Mingus,
Derrick Morgan,
The Durutti Column,
Mad Mike,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Cecil Taylor,
Warsaw,
Thompson Twins,
Big Daddy Kane,
The Monks,
Angry Samoans,
The American Breed,
Technova,
Quadrant,
Ten City,
Groovy Waters,
The Mojo Men,
DJ Sneak,
Eric Copeland,
Flamin' Groovies,
UT,
Alice Coltrane,
Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton.
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.