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 Guinea-Bissau 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 1963 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 1968 at the first Bowie practice in a loft in Bromley.
I was working on the snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Cheater Slicks to the grunge 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 Bobby Womack. All the underground hits.
All The Techniques tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every John Foxx 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a A Certain Ratio 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?
Lucky Dragons,
The Misunderstood,
The Velvet Underground,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Doobie Brothers,
Half Japanese,
Robert Görl,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
The Modern Lovers,
The Dave Clark Five,
Judy Mowatt,
The Blackbyrds,
Althea and Donna,
Donald Byrd,
Graham Central Station,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
The Electric Prunes,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Lalo Schifrin,
Altered Images,
FM Einheit,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Sun Ra,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Real Kids,
Nik Kershaw,
Throbbing Gristle,
Gang Green,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Gerry Rafferty,
The Smoke,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Nick Fraelich,
John Cale,
Alton Ellis,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Eddi Front,
Marvin Gaye,
Swell Maps,
The Techniques,
James Chance & The Contortions,
A Certain Ratio,
Cymande,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Kool Moe Dee,
Ituana,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Junior Murvin,
Pulsallama,
X-102,
Glambeats Corp.,
Gil Scott Heron,
Nils Olav,
Pagans,
Anakelly,
Erykah Badu,
Bill Near,
Crash Course in Science,
L. Decosne,
Peter and Kerry, Peter and Kerry, Peter and Kerry, Peter and Kerry.
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.