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 Dominica and from Stockholm.
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 1966 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Dead C to the rock 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 Bobby Hutcherson. All the underground hits.
All Outsiders tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Kenny Larkin 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pagans record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
China Crisis,
Kevin Saunderson,
Flamin' Groovies,
Circle Jerks,
The Residents,
Sam Rivers,
Eddi Front,
Letta Mbulu,
The Grass Roots,
Massinfluence,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Minutemen,
Sun Ra,
Johnny Clarke,
Prince Buster,
Slave,
Pussy Galore,
Sonny Sharrock,
Grey Daturas,
The Barracudas,
X-102,
Eric B and Rakim,
Pantytec,
Josef K,
Interpol,
Bobby Sherman,
Gil Scott Heron,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Y Pants,
Slick Rick,
Eli Mardock,
Sixth Finger,
Flipper,
Vladislav Delay,
The Fall,
Ken Boothe,
The Smoke,
Youth Brigade,
Iggy Pop,
Harpers Bizarre,
Gastr Del Sol,
Juan Atkins,
Nation of Ulysses,
Pere Ubu,
Nick Fraelich,
Franke,
Agent Orange,
Rosa Yemen,
Infiniti,
Mr. Review,
Rakim,
the Normal,
Goldenarms,
Stiv Bators,
Max Romeo,
Scan 7,
Gang Green,
Drexciya,
Erasure,
R.M.O.,
Model 500,
Gang of Four,
Boogie Down Productions, Boogie Down Productions, Boogie Down Productions, Boogie Down Productions.
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.