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 Malawi and from Bremen.
But I was there.
I was there in 2001.
I was there at the first Tiga show in Montreal.
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 1961 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the organ 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 Spandau Ballet to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Nas. All the underground hits.
All The Smiths tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Q65 record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Grauzone record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Fatback Band,
John Cale,
Au Pairs,
Mission of Burma,
EPMD,
The Searchers,
Mo-Dettes,
K-Klass,
The Young Rascals,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Ten City,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Section 25,
Crispian St. Peters,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Brand Nubian,
Aswad,
Peter and Kerry,
Technova,
The Monks,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Josef K,
the Fania All-Stars,
Nico,
Ohio Players,
The Fortunes,
Crispy Ambulance,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Robert Wyatt,
Magma,
The Trojans,
Sarah Menescal,
Gabor Szabo,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
The Cramps,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Bluetip,
The Birthday Party,
the Sonics,
Arab on Radar,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Marshall Jefferson,
Soul Sonic Force,
Vainqueur,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Essential Logic,
The Last Poets,
Grey Daturas,
Barrington Levy,
Hardrive,
Delon & Dalcan,
Television,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Laurel Aitken,
Brothers Johnson,
Dark Day,
Moss Icon,
Ludus,
Shuggie Otis, Shuggie Otis, Shuggie Otis, Shuggie Otis.
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.