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 Chad and from Portland.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bremen and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the 808 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 Lou Reed & John Cale to the electroclash kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Basic Channel. All the underground hits.
All Howard Jones tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Mandrill record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James White and The Blacks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
DJ Style,
Carl Craig,
Jeff Mills,
The Barracudas,
Hoover,
Pharoah Sanders,
Lightning Bolt,
Rod Modell,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Byron Stingily,
Jerry's Kids,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
World's Most,
Public Enemy,
The Slits,
Kenny Larkin,
The Buckinghams,
Pagans,
The Gladiators,
a-ha,
the Soft Cell,
Drive Like Jehu,
Accadde A,
Nik Kershaw,
Con Funk Shun,
Tommy Roe,
Morten Harket,
Boredoms,
Magazine,
Iggy Pop,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Panda Bear,
Fluxion,
Circle Jerks,
Joyce Sims,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Roxy Music,
Fatback Band,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Gerry Rafferty,
Harry Pussy,
MDC,
Freddie Wadling,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
CMW,
Eddi Front,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Neil Young,
The Divine Comedy,
Jawbox,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Amon Düül II,
The Smoke,
Camouflage,
The Motions,
the Bar-Kays,
Suburban Knight,
Average White Band,
FM Einheit,
Marvin Gaye,
Agitation Free,
The Saints,
The Litter, The Litter, The Litter, The Litter.
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.