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 Equatorial Guinea and from Sao Paulo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Deadbeat to the funk 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 Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish. All the underground hits.
All Hashim tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Morten Harket record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Letta Mbulu record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jawbox,
Qualms,
The Buckinghams,
Joe Smooth,
The Last Poets,
Funkadelic,
Letta Mbulu,
Mo-Dettes,
Unrelated Segments,
Spoonie Gee,
Pet Shop Boys,
Mandrill,
Altered Images,
Skarface,
Quando Quango,
The Birthday Party,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Mark Hollis,
China Crisis,
Harpers Bizarre,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Johnny Osbourne,
The Red Krayola,
Young Marble Giants,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Au Pairs,
U.S. Maple,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Isaac Hayes,
Scientists,
Rhythm & Sound,
Trumans Water,
cv313,
Johnny Clarke,
Soul II Soul,
Youth Brigade,
Throbbing Gristle,
Slave,
Yellowson,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
New Age Steppers,
The Litter,
Jacob Miller,
Hot Snakes,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Shoche,
The Raincoats,
Bang On A Can,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
The Mummies,
The Blues Magoos,
The Fortunes,
The Young Rascals,
Nation of Ulysses,
Glenn Branca,
L. Decosne,
The Index,
Kas Product,
The Searchers,
Fort Wilson Riot,
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.