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 Jamaica and from Houston.
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 1964 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Halifax.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the snare 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 The Leaves to the dance kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Massinfluence. All the underground hits.
All EPMD tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Tomorrow 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Nation of Ulysses record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Detroit Cobras,
Alphaville,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Blossom Toes,
Cabaret Voltaire,
The Raincoats,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Prince Buster,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Gang Green,
Black Flag,
Malaria!,
Roger Hodgson,
Theoretical Girls,
Kaleidoscope,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Iggy Pop,
Chrome,
The Saints,
CMW,
Qualms,
Oblivians,
AZ,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Anthony Braxton,
Essential Logic,
The Dead C,
Stiv Bators,
Cluster,
The Associates,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Slick Rick,
Saccharine Trust,
Tom Boy,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Rosa Yemen,
Shoche,
Crispian St. Peters,
OOIOO,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Eurythmics,
Charles Mingus,
Magma,
The Remains,
Matthew Halsall,
Agitation Free,
Tears for Fears,
Suburban Knight,
Lakeside,
Moebius,
The Tremeloes,
The Dirtbombs,
Jacques Brel,
The Litter,
Skriet,
Gil Scott Heron,
Lebanon Hanover,
Barry Ungar,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Cymande, Cymande, Cymande, Cymande.
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.