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 Russia 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 1964 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 marimba 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 The Peanut Butter Conspiracy to the crunk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Curtis Mayfield. All the underground hits.
All Outsiders tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every U.S. Maple 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The United States of America record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Skatalites,
June Days,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Bobby Womack,
Bill Near,
Reagan Youth,
Blancmange,
DJ Style,
Niagra,
Black Bananas,
The Dirtbombs,
Stetsasonic,
Sun Ra,
Robert Hood,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Lebanon Hanover,
Marine Girls,
New Age Steppers,
Judy Mowatt,
Pet Shop Boys,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Silicon Teens,
Lou Christie,
Animal Collective,
Rapeman,
H. Thieme,
Quando Quango,
The Wake,
Sarah Menescal,
Brass Construction,
Joensuu 1685,
Cal Tjader,
The Victims,
Vainqueur,
The Smoke,
Rufus Thomas,
Los Fastidios,
UT,
The Leaves,
Lou Reed,
X-102,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Visage,
Cheater Slicks,
Archie Shepp,
Bootsy Collins,
The Moody Blues,
The Toasters,
Eli Mardock,
Curtis Mayfield,
Masters at Work,
Parry Music,
Swell Maps,
Soulsonic Force,
D'Angelo,
Maurizio,
Scientists,
Ossler,
OOIOO,
Ultravox,
Traffic Nightmare,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Radio Birdman, Radio Birdman, Radio Birdman, Radio Birdman.
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.