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 Yemen and from Stockholm.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1967 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Copenhagen and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Talk Talk to the grime kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Joe Smooth. All the underground hits.
All Yusef Lateef tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Saccharine Trust record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 sitar and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Blues Magoos record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
China Crisis,
Dawn Penn,
The Human League,
June of 44,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
The Monochrome Set,
The Beau Brummels,
Monolake,
X-101,
Cecil Taylor,
Q65,
Ken Boothe,
Camouflage,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Todd Terry,
Ultimate Spinach,
Colin Newman,
Charles Mingus,
a-ha,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
New York Dolls,
Pierre Henry,
Yazoo,
Simply Red,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Ten City,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Drive Like Jehu,
Lower 48,
The Motions,
Soul II Soul,
Minnie Riperton,
Alton Ellis,
Negative Approach,
Bobby Sherman,
Inner City,
Jimmy McGriff,
Gichy Dan,
Stereo Dub,
Thee Headcoats,
The Slits,
Rufus Thomas,
Sparks,
Pantaleimon,
Traffic Nightmare,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Bluetip,
Crash Course in Science,
Piero Umiliani,
Iggy Pop,
Letta Mbulu,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Deakin,
The Durutti Column,
48th St. Collective,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Harry Pussy,
B.T. Express,
Whodini,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Aaron Thompson,
Fat Boys,
Moss Icon,
Smog, Smog, Smog, Smog.
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.