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 Eritrea and from Mumbai.
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 1968 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 Cabaret Voltaire to the electroclash kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Cabaret Voltaire. All the underground hits.
All Barrington Levy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Scientists record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Peanut Butter Conspiracy 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?
Sexual Harrassment,
the Human League,
The Leaves,
Flamin' Groovies,
Absolute Body Control,
The Mojo Men,
Babytalk,
Jawbox,
Pet Shop Boys,
Arthur Verocai,
Motorama,
Graham Central Station,
Dark Day,
Scratch Acid,
Susan Cadogan,
Accadde A,
Ponytail,
Roxy Music,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Ornette Coleman,
In Retrospect,
Pierre Henry,
Black Moon,
The Slits,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
The Monochrome Set,
Pere Ubu,
The Busters,
Glambeats Corp.,
Surgeon,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Country Teasers,
Ronnie Foster,
Drexciya,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Roxette,
Slick Rick,
Idris Muhammad,
Outsiders,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Freddie Wadling,
Lakeside,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Magma,
ABC,
Jeru the Damaja,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Von Mondo,
The Stooges,
The Fuzztones,
Qualms,
Maleditus Sound,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
David Bowie,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Max Romeo,
Visage,
Man Parrish,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Shuggie Otis,
Radiohead,
Scientists,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo.
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.