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 Bhutan and from Spokane.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1969 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 linndrum 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 Jesper Dahlbäck to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Tropical Tobacco. All the underground hits.
All the Slits tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Prince Buster 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Minor Threat,
John Holt,
Ossler,
Gong,
Bill Near,
Darondo,
Alice Coltrane,
Technova,
DNA,
B.T. Express,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Ultra Naté,
Scott Walker,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Wolf Eyes,
Cal Tjader,
The Blackbyrds,
Deakin,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Lebanon Hanover,
Grauzone,
The Cowsills,
Hoover,
Moby Grape,
The Blues Magoos,
Robert Wyatt,
Organ,
Joey Negro,
Alphaville,
Josef K,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
ABBA,
The Real Kids,
Country Teasers,
Sister Nancy,
The American Breed,
Gang of Four,
Scrapy,
Roger Hodgson,
Dawn Penn,
the Human League,
T. Rex,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Depeche Mode,
Bobby Womack,
10cc,
John Cale,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Susan Cadogan,
The Motions,
Excepter,
The Human League,
The Pop Group,
Young Marble Giants,
Tommy Roe,
Q and Not U,
Tres Demented,
Fluxion,
Franke,
Sex Pistols,
Qualms,
Y Pants,
Loose Ends,
The Moleskins, The Moleskins, The Moleskins, The Moleskins.
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.