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 Australia and from Lyon.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and New York.
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 1976 at the first Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Arcadia to the grime 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 These Immortal Souls. All the underground hits.
All Erykah Badu tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bobbi Humphrey record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Heaven 17 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Motions,
The Divine Comedy,
Lightning Bolt,
Fear,
Roxy Music,
Fort Wilson Riot,
B.T. Express,
Joy Division,
Black Bananas,
Matthew Bourne,
David Bowie,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Janne Schatter,
Bronski Beat,
Wings,
The Doors,
CMW,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Amon Düül,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Yusef Lateef,
Piero Umiliani,
Lalann,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Lou Reed,
Morten Harket,
Pierre Henry,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Tomorrow,
Cymande,
Reuben Wilson,
Eric Dolphy,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Half Japanese,
Lungfish,
Hashim,
Marvin Gaye,
Interpol,
Patti Smith,
Jesper Dahlback,
Section 25,
Throbbing Gristle,
Brothers Johnson,
Flash Fearless,
Nico,
Goldenarms,
The Monochrome Set,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Happenings,
Adolescents,
Bad Manners,
Pylon,
Guru Guru,
Wolf Eyes,
Blancmange,
New Age Steppers,
Roger Hodgson,
X-Ray Spex,
Jawbox,
The Pop Group,
Gang Starr,
Jeff Mills, Jeff Mills, Jeff Mills, Jeff Mills.
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.