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 Tajikistan and from Winnipeg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia show in London.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Alarm Clocks to the disco kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Shuggie Otis. All the underground hits.
All Donny Hathaway tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gang Gang Dance 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Skaos record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Aural Exciters,
The Golliwogs,
Tubeway Army,
Silicon Teens,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Todd Rundgren,
Black Flag,
The Remains,
KRS-One,
These Immortal Souls,
Ice-T,
The Selecter,
Half Japanese,
Lakeside,
Ultimate Spinach,
Janne Schatter,
Black Sheep,
Agitation Free,
Ohio Players,
Jeru the Damaja,
Roy Ayers,
Carl Craig,
The Electric Prunes,
The Real Kids,
Mission of Burma,
Lee Hazlewood,
Gang Starr,
Throbbing Gristle,
The Associates,
Lou Christie,
Soul II Soul,
Marshall Jefferson,
The Offenders,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
World's Most,
The Happenings,
Deadbeat,
The Blues Magoos,
Kayak,
Avey Tare,
The United States of America,
The Five Americans,
Crispy Ambulance,
Gil Scott Heron,
Ituana,
Eve St. Jones,
The Moleskins,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Howard Jones,
Kool Moe Dee,
Rekid,
The Fuzztones,
Jacques Brel,
L. Decosne,
Desert Stars,
Pagans,
David McCallum,
Neu!,
Dead Boys,
Zapp,
Surgeon, Surgeon, Surgeon, Surgeon.
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.