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 Dominican Republic and from Cairo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1967 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 rhodes sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 The Names to the techno kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 The Knickerbockers. All the underground hits.
All The Black Dice tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nik Kershaw record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sad Lovers and Giants record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Martian,
Minnie Riperton,
Warren Ellis,
Ultra Naté,
Von Mondo,
Susan Cadogan,
Popol Vuh,
Sun City Girls,
Josef K,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Stereo Dub,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Sandy B,
Subhumans,
Tubeway Army,
The Pop Group,
Gerry Rafferty,
Radiopuhelimet,
The Mighty Diamonds,
The Skatalites,
The Detroit Cobras,
Saccharine Trust,
Heaven 17,
Janne Schatter,
The Zeros,
Q and Not U,
Bobby Byrd,
Accadde A,
Yaz,
A Certain Ratio,
Gil Scott Heron,
kango's stein massive,
The Fire Engines,
The Saints,
Section 25,
The Cowsills,
David Axelrod,
Public Enemy,
John Holt,
Con Funk Shun,
Anakelly,
The Buckinghams,
Royal Trux,
Andrew Hill,
Kevin Saunderson,
Charles Mingus,
Ossler,
Fugazi,
Rakim,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Duran Duran,
The Remains,
Ralphi Rosario,
Matthew Bourne,
The Gap Band,
Kas Product,
Danielle Patucci,
Fad Gadget,
Chris & Cosey,
Agitation Free,
Eve St. Jones,
Supertramp, Supertramp, Supertramp, Supertramp.
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.