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 Seychelles and from Tehran.
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 1965 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the 808 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 Crime to the rap kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Judy Mowatt. All the underground hits.
All Schoolly D tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Terry Callier 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Monks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Prince Buster,
Circle Jerks,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
The American Breed,
Model 500,
Graham Central Station,
Brick,
Organ,
The Human League,
The Standells,
The Evens,
The Remains,
Con Funk Shun,
Nico,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
10cc,
Barry Ungar,
Theoretical Girls,
The Selecter,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Kas Product,
Pussy Galore,
The Litter,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Ice-T,
Amon Düül II,
Excepter,
the Normal,
Aural Exciters,
The Gories,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Neil Young,
Nirvana,
Nation of Ulysses,
Carl Craig,
Unwound,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Leonard Cohen,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
The Leaves,
Reagan Youth,
Camberwell Now,
Idris Muhammad,
Eli Mardock,
Hardrive,
Blancmange,
Blossom Toes,
The New Christs,
the Sonics,
Niagra,
The Mojo Men,
Hasil Adkins,
The Busters,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Soft Cell,
Jeru the Damaja,
Aswad,
Duran Duran, Duran Duran, Duran Duran, Duran Duran.
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.