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 Qatar and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Halifax.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 1976 at the first Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the organ 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 Supertramp to the techno kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Bill Wells. All the underground hits.
All Hashim tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Evens record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Aswad record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
DJ Sneak,
Howard Jones,
Parry Music,
The Divine Comedy,
a-ha,
Ponytail,
Max Romeo,
Newcleus,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Heaven 17,
Crooked Eye,
Stetsasonic,
Sam Rivers,
Amazonics,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
KRS-One,
The Grass Roots,
Eurythmics,
John Lydon,
Funky Four + One,
Kool Moe Dee,
Fugazi,
Liliput,
Oblivians,
Tears for Fears,
Roxy Music,
Susan Cadogan,
The Mummies,
Marine Girls,
the Normal,
Grauzone,
Crispy Ambulance,
Agent Orange,
Rites of Spring,
The Seeds,
Erykah Badu,
Ultimate Spinach,
Davy DMX,
Ken Boothe,
Drive Like Jehu,
Girls At Our Best!,
Yusef Lateef,
Nils Olav,
the Human League,
Clear Light,
Nik Kershaw,
Audionom,
Hasil Adkins,
Lungfish,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Jimmy McGriff,
Public Image Ltd.,
Sparks,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Prince Buster,
Gang Starr,
Second Layer,
Bronski Beat,
The Happenings,
Terry Callier,
Whodini,
Malaria!, Malaria!, Malaria!, Malaria!.
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.