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 Nepal and from Portland.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1969 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Delhi and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Calgary 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Andrew Hill to the electroclash 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 Sunsets and Hearts. All the underground hits.
All Ken Boothe tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every DJ Sneak record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gregory Isaacs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Panda Bear,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
The Real Kids,
UT,
the Fania All-Stars,
Skriet,
Franke,
Henry Cow,
Porter Ricks,
Nas,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Angry Samoans,
Lightning Bolt,
Erykah Badu,
Wally Richardson,
Eric Dolphy,
The Blues Magoos,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Sonny Sharrock,
China Crisis,
Rekid,
Babytalk,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
The Gladiators,
Minnie Riperton,
Little Man,
Godley & Creme,
Can,
Aural Exciters,
The Vogues,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Girls At Our Best!,
Fatback Band,
David Axelrod,
Loose Ends,
DJ Style,
Graham Central Station,
Warren Ellis,
Wire,
Donny Hathaway,
Donald Byrd,
the Normal,
Shuggie Otis,
Johnny Osbourne,
Ronnie Foster,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Bobbi Humphrey,
The Tremeloes,
Lalo Schifrin,
Circle Jerks,
Mad Mike,
The Smiths,
PIL,
This Heat,
Lakeside,
Faust,
Crispian St. Peters,
Sugar Minott, Sugar Minott, Sugar Minott, Sugar Minott.
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.