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 Rwanda and from Shanghai.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Woodstock and Halifax.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 linndrum 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 The Walker Brothers to the techno 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 Selector Dub Narcotic. All the underground hits.
All Bluetip tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every New Age Steppers record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Flash Fearless record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Smoke,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Kool Moe Dee,
Technova,
Avey Tare,
The Trojans,
Easy Going,
Gil Scott Heron,
Aloha Tigers,
Lou Reed,
Porter Ricks,
Glenn Branca,
Procol Harum,
Newcleus,
Jawbox,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Soulsonic Force,
Arab on Radar,
Sugar Minott,
Organ,
The Fall,
Smog,
Ultra Naté,
Nils Olav,
The Velvet Underground,
Theoretical Girls,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Brick,
Kaleidoscope,
Lalann,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Public Image Ltd.,
Howard Jones,
Soul II Soul,
Gang of Four,
Danielle Patucci,
Lalo Schifrin,
Barclay James Harvest,
Eve St. Jones,
The Motions,
Jandek,
Judy Mowatt,
Jeff Mills,
Crime,
Motorama,
Neil Young,
Alphaville,
Gerry Rafferty,
Yazoo,
Excepter,
Radiohead,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Lou Christie,
JFA,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The J.B.'s,
Throbbing Gristle,
Quando Quango,
John Foxx, John Foxx, John Foxx, John Foxx.
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.