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 Cuba and from Houston.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Neu! show in Düsseldorf.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Motions to the funk kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. All the underground hits.
All The Tremeloes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every the Swans 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a London Community Gospel Choir record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Walker Brothers,
Gang Gang Dance,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Minny Pops,
X-101,
Albert Ayler,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Bang On A Can,
Rosa Yemen,
Black Moon,
June Days,
Quadrant,
Saccharine Trust,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Guru Guru,
Nas,
Mars,
Sparks,
Scion,
Alphaville,
Visage,
Massinfluence,
Johnny Osbourne,
Crispy Ambulance,
Rufus Thomas,
Roger Hodgson,
June of 44,
Infiniti,
Pantytec,
Anthony Braxton,
Mission of Burma,
The Searchers,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
The Dead C,
Bobby Womack,
Black Sheep,
Johnny Clarke,
Skriet,
Aaron Thompson,
Josef K,
Kayak,
Sarah Menescal,
Soul Sonic Force,
Terrestrial Tones,
Sällskapet,
Ken Boothe,
Fatback Band,
Hot Snakes,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Barbara Tucker,
Neu!,
The Gladiators,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Bill Wells,
Alice Coltrane,
Ossler,
Gabor Szabo,
Arab on Radar,
Stereo Dub,
Alison Limerick,
Surgeon,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Electric Prunes, Electric Prunes, Electric Prunes, Electric Prunes.
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.