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 Mozambique and from Lille.
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 Johannesburg and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
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 Cal Tjader to the jazz 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 Kayak. All the underground hits.
All Ken Boothe tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lebanon Hanover record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Anakelly record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Sight & Sound,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Techniques,
One Last Wish,
Cecil Taylor,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Altered Images,
Qualms,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Masters at Work,
The Skatalites,
Buzzcocks,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Youth Brigade,
Section 25,
Arab on Radar,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
MDC,
K-Klass,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
The Zeros,
The Young Rascals,
Pierre Henry,
Darondo,
Donald Byrd,
Johnny Clarke,
Liliput,
Freddie Wadling,
Yusef Lateef,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Kurtis Blow,
the Slits,
Panda Bear,
Marc Almond,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Camouflage,
The Dead C,
Surgeon,
Kerrie Biddell,
Groovy Waters,
The Searchers,
China Crisis,
Arcadia,
R.M.O.,
New Order,
Black Bananas,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Eric B and Rakim,
Alison Limerick,
Minny Pops,
Subhumans,
Aswad,
Chris & Cosey,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Dead Boys,
Kevin Saunderson, Kevin Saunderson, Kevin Saunderson, Kevin Saunderson.
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.