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 Spokane.
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 1961 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 Lewis practice in a loft in Vancouver.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Offenders to the rap kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Max Romeo. All the underground hits.
All Lonnie Liston Smith tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Kool G Rap & DJ Polo 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Tom Boy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
June of 44,
Bizarre Inc.,
Terry Callier,
the Normal,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Talk Talk,
Aural Exciters,
The Slackers,
The Seeds,
Liliput,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
The Litter,
Cal Tjader,
Reagan Youth,
Porter Ricks,
Dennis Brown,
Ten City,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Mary Jane Girls,
Guru Guru,
The Martian,
The Saints,
The Dave Clark Five,
Joy Division,
Lou Christie,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Niagra,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Smog,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Arab on Radar,
The Selecter,
Magma,
The Raincoats,
Ituana,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Blake Baxter,
Masters at Work,
The Stooges,
Roy Ayers,
Vainqueur,
Barbara Tucker,
The Count Five,
The Walker Brothers,
Maurizio,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Supertramp,
The Slits,
Gregory Isaacs,
Massinfluence,
Kaleidoscope,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Stetsasonic,
Slave,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Blossom Toes,
Traffic Nightmare,
Throbbing Gristle,
Rakim,
Ronnie Foster,
Gang of Four,
Stiv Bators,
Rekid, Rekid, Rekid, Rekid.
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.