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 Nigeria and from Mexico City.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1963 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Sixth Finger 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 Kurtis Blow. All the underground hits.
All John Lydon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lou Reed & John Cale 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a marimba 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 synthesizer and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Motorama,
Bang On A Can,
Heaven 17,
Warsaw,
Oblivians,
Bill Near,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Josef K,
Davy DMX,
Pharoah Sanders,
Cybotron,
Camouflage,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
The Fortunes,
Kenny Larkin,
The Associates,
Marine Girls,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Easy Going,
June of 44,
Nas,
Banda Bassotti,
Zapp,
Sun City Girls,
Aswad,
Yazoo,
Eric Dolphy,
World's Most,
Mandrill,
The Gap Band,
Brand Nubian,
Hot Snakes,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Tomorrow,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Harry Pussy,
Technova,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Todd Terry,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
The Pop Group,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Monolake,
Rod Modell,
The Victims,
Mark Hollis,
Q and Not U,
Khruangbin,
Terry Callier,
Jeru the Damaja,
Soft Machine,
Matthew Bourne,
Archie Shepp,
Country Teasers,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
the Fania All-Stars,
Altered Images,
Gil Scott Heron,
Lightning Bolt,
Carl Craig,
Surgeon,
Gang Green, Gang Green, Gang Green, Gang Green.
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.