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 South Africa and from Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Lewis show in Vancouver.
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 1965 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 R.M.O. to the grime kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Manfred Mann's Earth Band. All the underground hits.
All Cluster tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Juan Atkins 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Qualms record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Pop Group,
The Smoke,
AZ,
The Gories,
Slave,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Barrington Levy,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Grass Roots,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
John Lydon,
Parry Music,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Drive Like Jehu,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Thee Headcoats,
The United States of America,
Joey Negro,
Terry Callier,
The Stooges,
Pantytec,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Wolf Eyes,
Eden Ahbez,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Au Pairs,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
The Shadows of Knight,
Scrapy,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Drexciya,
Dual Sessions,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Mad Mike,
Lalo Schifrin,
Trumans Water,
the Slits,
The Divine Comedy,
Yaz,
Cybotron,
Faraquet,
Slick Rick,
The Searchers,
Peter and Kerry,
The Birthday Party,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Flesh Eaters,
The Remains,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Junior Murvin,
Ituana,
Popol Vuh,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Blake Baxter,
Curtis Mayfield,
Patti Smith,
The Techniques,
Warren Ellis,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
In Retrospect,
Silicon Teens,
Masters at Work, Masters at Work, Masters at Work, Masters at Work.
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.