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 Turkey and from Taipei.
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 1966 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 snare 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 Skaos to the dance kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Aaron Thompson. All the underground hits.
All The Busters tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Arcadia record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 güiro and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ultramagnetic MC's record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Agent Orange,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Patti Smith,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Lower 48,
Lalo Schifrin,
Brass Construction,
Matthew Bourne,
Audionom,
Nirvana,
Circle Jerks,
Easy Going,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Chrome,
Nik Kershaw,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Skaos,
Terry Callier,
The Leaves,
Yusef Lateef,
Arab on Radar,
Bobby Byrd,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Theoretical Girls,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Ultravox,
The Sonics,
Lou Reed,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Black Flag,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Bobby Womack,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Soul II Soul,
The Real Kids,
Eric B and Rakim,
Boredoms,
the Slits,
Shuggie Otis,
Accadde A,
Neil Young,
Groovy Waters,
Suicide,
Mars,
Wasted Youth,
The Fall,
Mr. Review,
Flamin' Groovies,
the Sonics,
John Cale,
Robert Wyatt,
Gang of Four,
David Bowie,
The Move,
The Names,
Donny Hathaway,
Soft Machine,
Kas Product,
Alice Coltrane,
June Days,
Cybotron,
Max Romeo,
The Sound, The Sound, The Sound, The Sound.
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.