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 Andorra and from Philadelphia.
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 1968 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 1979 at the first Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Lebanon Hanover 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 Das Ding. All the underground hits.
All Black Moon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Soul Sonic Force record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Lalann record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Dead C,
Y Pants,
The Red Krayola,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Bronski Beat,
CMW,
10cc,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Lungfish,
Max Romeo,
Wally Richardson,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Charles Mingus,
Ultra Naté,
Clear Light,
E-Dancer,
the Swans,
Cecil Taylor,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
James White and The Blacks,
Marc Almond,
The Gap Band,
Sex Pistols,
The Pretty Things,
Outsiders,
Minor Threat,
Make Up,
Basic Channel,
Crispy Ambulance,
U.S. Maple,
The Martian,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Joensuu 1685,
Pulsallama,
Funky Four + One,
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Young Rascals,
Masters at Work,
Morten Harket,
Susan Cadogan,
Stiv Bators,
The Cure,
The Fortunes,
The Mummies,
Angry Samoans,
The Birthday Party,
Piero Umiliani,
Rites of Spring,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Yaz,
Yazoo,
Rekid,
Scan 7,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
the Bar-Kays,
Qualms,
X-Ray Spex,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Animal Collective,
The Leaves,
Idris Muhammad,
Wire, Wire, Wire, Wire.
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.