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 South Sudan and from Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South 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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Bologna.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 808 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 CMW to the crunk 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 Bauhaus. All the underground hits.
All Scion tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Electric Prunes record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Letta Mbulu record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Radiohead,
Slave,
Shuggie Otis,
The Pretty Things,
The Black Dice,
The Durutti Column,
The Walker Brothers,
Rites of Spring,
Echospace,
X-101,
The Residents,
The Angels of Light,
Con Funk Shun,
Television Personalities,
The Fire Engines,
Nas,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Interpol,
Minutemen,
New Age Steppers,
D'Angelo,
Loose Ends,
The Sonics,
Mantronix,
The Music Machine,
The Wake,
Kool Moe Dee,
Chris Corsano,
The Litter,
Letta Mbulu,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Ralphi Rosario,
L. Decosne,
the Normal,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Kerrie Biddell,
Bush Tetras,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
The Knickerbockers,
Graham Central Station,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Matthew Bourne,
Main Source,
Funky Four + One,
The Tremeloes,
Fad Gadget,
The Last Poets,
Joy Division,
Donald Byrd,
Stereo Dub,
In Retrospect,
Goldenarms,
This Heat,
The Motions,
Suicide,
Pet Shop Boys,
Circle Jerks,
New York Dolls,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Golliwogs,
Pantytec,
Jacques Brel, Jacques Brel, Jacques Brel, Jacques Brel.
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.