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 Sudan and from Spokane.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1964 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 Neu! practice in a loft in Düsseldorf.
I was working on the mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Juan Atkins to the techno kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Chris & Cosey. All the underground hits.
All Mars tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ash Ra Tempel record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sun Ra record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Slick Rick,
Hoover,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Guru Guru,
The Remains,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Nils Olav,
Radiopuhelimet,
Easy Going,
Mark Hollis,
Rakim,
The Last Poets,
Hashim,
The United States of America,
Dorothy Ashby,
Rosa Yemen,
Technova,
Black Bananas,
the Human League,
Lalo Schifrin,
The Shadows of Knight,
Mad Mike,
Barbara Tucker,
Gang Gang Dance,
Depeche Mode,
Electric Prunes,
The Moody Blues,
Boredoms,
Flipper,
The Cowsills,
Ossler,
In Retrospect,
Popol Vuh,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Bizarre Inc.,
Rapeman,
The Doobie Brothers,
The Moleskins,
John Coltrane,
Main Source,
Gang of Four,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Misunderstood,
The Wake,
Drexciya,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Pylon,
Neil Young,
Prince Buster,
David McCallum,
H. Thieme,
The Associates,
Accadde A,
The Monochrome Set,
Be Bop Deluxe,
James White and The Blacks,
Outsiders,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
The Grass Roots,
The Mighty Diamonds,
The Cosmic Jokers,
A Certain Ratio,
One Last Wish,
Jeru the Damaja, Jeru the Damaja, Jeru the Damaja, Jeru the Damaja.
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.