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 Syria and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1966 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Paris 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 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 Trumans Water to the grime kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Bizarre Inc.. All the underground hits.
All A Flock of Seagulls 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 techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bill Near record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Mojo Men,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
48th St. Collective,
B.T. Express,
Rekid,
The Durutti Column,
The Red Krayola,
Underground Resistance,
Traffic Nightmare,
Sam Rivers,
Lindisfarne,
Sparks,
X-102,
Neu!,
Sun Ra,
Sixth Finger,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Gang Green,
Kerri Chandler,
Kenny Larkin,
Q65,
Aloha Tigers,
The Index,
Gabor Szabo,
Fad Gadget,
Ronnie Foster,
Sandy B,
Kas Product,
Ice-T,
Minnie Riperton,
Mary Jane Girls,
The Black Dice,
Visage,
Kool Moe Dee,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Michelle Simonal,
Gong,
Niagra,
The Alarm Clocks,
Ituana,
Lebanon Hanover,
Gang of Four,
Accadde A,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Index,
Bobby Byrd,
Nas,
The Real Kids,
The Fire Engines,
Barclay James Harvest,
Eric Copeland,
Grauzone,
Prince Buster,
JFA,
Dawn Penn,
the Sonics,
Cecil Taylor,
Section 25,
Pierre Henry,
Livin' Joy,
Goldenarms, Goldenarms, Goldenarms, Goldenarms.
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.