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 Iraq and from Stockholm.
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 1968 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Accra.
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 marimba 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 Mandrill to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Visage. All the underground hits.
All Los Fastidios tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every New Order record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rufus Thomas record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Eve St. Jones,
Ohio Players,
Cecil Taylor,
The Vogues,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Kerrie Biddell,
The Invisible,
Jeff Lynne,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
R.M.O.,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Tomorrow,
Barclay James Harvest,
Outsiders,
The Doobie Brothers,
Ultimate Spinach,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
The Divine Comedy,
Tim Buckley,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Rosa Yemen,
Newcleus,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Bad Manners,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Absolute Body Control,
Sugar Minott,
Skriet,
Accadde A,
X-102,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Motions,
Bill Near,
Jawbox,
Jerry Gold Smith,
U.S. Maple,
the Normal,
The Fire Engines,
Pet Shop Boys,
Easy Going,
Gil Scott Heron,
Inner City,
Mark Hollis,
Silicon Teens,
The Grass Roots,
Magazine,
Franke,
Bang On A Can,
Swell Maps,
Cheater Slicks,
John Cale,
Idris Muhammad,
Sister Nancy,
Echospace,
Davy DMX,
Minny Pops,
Sex Pistols,
Erasure,
The Neon Judgement,
The Gap Band,
The Detroit Cobras,
Wolf Eyes,
The Alarm Clocks,
Goldenarms, Goldenarms, Goldenarms, Goldenarms.
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.