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 Grenada and from Cairo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1980.
I was there at the first Cybotron show in Detroit.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 Tom Verlaine 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 Angry Samoans to the grime kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Simply Red. All the underground hits.
All The Modern Lovers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Shadows of Knight 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gichy Dan,
Skaos,
Howard Jones,
Unrelated Segments,
Isaac Hayes,
The Smoke,
Wolf Eyes,
Malaria!,
The Real Kids,
Robert Wyatt,
John Coltrane,
Tears for Fears,
Girls At Our Best!,
Gabor Szabo,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Intrusion,
Saccharine Trust,
Mr. Review,
Archie Shepp,
Jawbox,
Fat Boys,
Joy Division,
Steve Hackett,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
The Slits,
Ornette Coleman,
The Wake,
The Mojo Men,
Gang Starr,
Rod Modell,
Ultravox,
B.T. Express,
Peter and Kerry,
Gang Green,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Niagra,
Underground Resistance,
Amazonics,
Chrome,
the Swans,
Big Daddy Kane,
Chris & Cosey,
Danielle Patucci,
cv313,
Byron Stingily,
KRS-One,
Susan Cadogan,
Bronski Beat,
Japan,
The Moleskins,
T. Rex,
Shuggie Otis,
Bluetip,
Matthew Bourne,
U.S. Maple,
E-Dancer,
This Heat,
Charles Mingus,
Mandrill,
Nas,
Public Enemy, Public Enemy, Public Enemy, Public Enemy.
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.