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 Mauritius and from Taipei.
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 1960 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Delhi and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Harmonia to the disco 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 New Order. All the underground hits.
All The Happenings tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Monks record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Max Romeo record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Y Pants,
Accadde A,
Yellowson,
Technova,
Nils Olav,
The Dirtbombs,
Bronski Beat,
Minnie Riperton,
Nico,
Kool Moe Dee,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Rosa Yemen,
Excepter,
Sparks,
MDC,
Kurtis Blow,
Black Sheep,
Qualms,
Prince Buster,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Nick Fraelich,
Radiopuhelimet,
Tears for Fears,
Sugar Minott,
Quando Quango,
Kas Product,
LL Cool J,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Peter & Gordon,
Camouflage,
The Move,
John Cale,
The Blues Magoos,
David Axelrod,
Lee Hazlewood,
Blake Baxter,
the Association,
Bill Near,
Curtis Mayfield,
Lakeside,
June of 44,
The Buckinghams,
Yusef Lateef,
Sarah Menescal,
Mad Mike,
The Red Krayola,
Soft Machine,
Nation of Ulysses,
Roxy Music,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Eric Copeland,
World's Most,
Television Personalities,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Mission of Burma,
Stockholm Monsters,
Shuggie Otis, Shuggie Otis, Shuggie Otis, Shuggie Otis.
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.