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 St Lucia and from Columbus.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Copenhagen and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 London Community Gospel Choir to the techno kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Barry Ungar. All the underground hits.
All Arthur Verocai tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Todd Rundgren 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Grey Daturas,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Thompson Twins,
Sun City Girls,
Lou Reed,
The Move,
Franke,
F. McDonald,
Qualms,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Inner City,
The Neon Judgement,
Barrington Levy,
Bob Dylan,
Prince Buster,
Harmonia,
Lalann,
Quantec,
Black Bananas,
Dennis Brown,
The Toasters,
The Doobie Brothers,
Black Flag,
Funky Four + One,
Scientists,
Flash Fearless,
the Human League,
Cymande,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Lalo Schifrin,
John Lydon,
Steve Hackett,
Eddi Front,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Make Up,
Stockholm Monsters,
Isaac Hayes,
Das Ding,
Todd Terry,
Moebius,
Charles Mingus,
Bang On A Can,
Marcia Griffiths,
Gabor Szabo,
The Divine Comedy,
Fort Wilson Riot,
The Index,
Kenny Larkin,
Kaleidoscope,
Rosa Yemen,
John Cale,
The Velvet Underground,
Mo-Dettes,
The New Christs,
Nils Olav,
Black Pus,
Boogie Down Productions,
The Remains, The Remains, The Remains, The Remains.
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.