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 Saudi Arabia and from Hong Kong.
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 1960 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1973 at the first Television practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the rhodes 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 Kayak to the dance kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Eric Dolphy. All the underground hits.
All Donald Byrd tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Pantytec record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 chamberlin and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a David McCallum record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lalo Schifrin,
The Saints,
Q and Not U,
Leonard Cohen,
Lakeside,
Crime,
Roy Ayers,
Cecil Taylor,
Lou Christie,
Eric B and Rakim,
Piero Umiliani,
Tubeway Army,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Supertramp,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Curtis Mayfield,
Khruangbin,
Thee Headcoats,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Trojans,
Brick,
Warren Ellis,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Yusef Lateef,
Harpers Bizarre,
Dennis Brown,
John Coltrane,
Amazonics,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Quantec,
Janne Schatter,
Quando Quango,
T.S.O.L.,
the Germs,
Mandrill,
Alice Coltrane,
The J.B.'s,
Talk Talk,
Rod Modell,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Echospace,
Bluetip,
Lebanon Hanover,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Newcleus,
The Moleskins,
Interpol,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Fela Kuti,
the Fania All-Stars,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
John Holt,
Stiv Bators,
Letta Mbulu,
Pierre Henry,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
L. Decosne,
Easy Going,
Basic Channel, Basic Channel, Basic Channel, Basic Channel.
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.