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 Egypt and from Edmonton.
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 1965 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Paris and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 United States of America to the jazz 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 Derrick May. All the underground hits.
All 10cc tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Chris Corsano record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Japan record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Brass Construction,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Iggy Pop,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Pylon,
Angry Samoans,
New Age Steppers,
The Leaves,
Make Up,
L. Decosne,
Letta Mbulu,
Harpers Bizarre,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Jerry's Kids,
X-101,
Peter and Kerry,
Easy Going,
Pierre Henry,
Can,
Leonard Cohen,
Adolescents,
Radiohead,
LL Cool J,
Davy DMX,
Youth Brigade,
The Smoke,
Ronan,
The Gap Band,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
The Barracudas,
The Misunderstood,
Crispian St. Peters,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Ituana,
Bluetip,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Whodini,
Delta 5,
Freddie Wadling,
Flamin' Groovies,
Sun City Girls,
Bobby Sherman,
Royal Trux,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Brothers Johnson,
Barrington Levy,
The Zeros,
U.S. Maple,
Lower 48,
Wings,
The Fuzztones,
Nico,
Public Enemy,
Rufus Thomas,
Ralphi Rosario,
Drexciya, Drexciya, Drexciya, Drexciya.
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.