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 Malawi and from Copenhagen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1968 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Salvador 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 harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Louis and Bebe Barron to the funk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Todd Terry. All the underground hits.
All The Trojans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ash Ra Tempel 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Trojans record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Raincoats,
Easy Going,
Q65,
The Barracudas,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Doors,
Scratch Acid,
Wally Richardson,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Zeros,
Bronski Beat,
Aaron Thompson,
One Last Wish,
Negative Approach,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Youth Brigade,
Arthur Verocai,
Infiniti,
The Toasters,
The Red Krayola,
Rufus Thomas,
Juan Atkins,
Big Daddy Kane,
Agent Orange,
Jeru the Damaja,
Minny Pops,
cv313,
The Blues Magoos,
Flipper,
Alice Coltrane,
The Monks,
Organ,
Roy Ayers,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
June Days,
Marcia Griffiths,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Los Fastidios,
X-Ray Spex,
Barrington Levy,
Spandau Ballet,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Archie Shepp,
Cecil Taylor,
the Swans,
Ten City,
Loose Ends,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Michelle Simonal,
Mark Hollis,
Black Sheep,
Ralphi Rosario,
Crash Course in Science,
Vainqueur,
The Pop Group,
The Pretty Things,
OOIOO,
Unwound,
The Star Department,
MC5, MC5, MC5, MC5.
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.