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 Syria and from Winnipeg.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 1965 at the first Beefheart practice in a loft in Lancaster.
I was working on the 808 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 Josef K to the funk 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 The United States of America. All the underground hits.
All Roy Ayers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 synthesizer and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Selector Dub Narcotic record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Pharoah Sanders,
Josef K,
10cc,
Sun Ra,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Porter Ricks,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Glambeats Corp.,
Fat Boys,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Kevin Saunderson,
The Offenders,
Black Moon,
Radiohead,
Frankie Knuckles,
Nico,
Mantronix,
Television,
MDC,
David Bowie,
Joyce Sims,
The Martian,
Inner City,
Khruangbin,
The Cowsills,
The Real Kids,
Bluetip,
the Swans,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Man Parrish,
Icehouse,
X-102,
Kaleidoscope,
a-ha,
Bizarre Inc.,
Section 25,
Fluxion,
Marine Girls,
Neu!,
Royal Trux,
Tim Buckley,
Bobby Womack,
Kenny Larkin,
The Fuzztones,
Fear,
Idris Muhammad,
Theoretical Girls,
The Neon Judgement,
Dead Boys,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
CMW,
Kas Product,
Echospace,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Moebius,
The Doobie Brothers,
The Misunderstood,
David Axelrod,
Arthur Verocai,
ABC,
The Music Machine,
The Divine Comedy,
Agitation Free,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
F. McDonald, F. McDonald, F. McDonald, F. McDonald.
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.