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 Malawi and from Portland.
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 1966 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Copenhagen 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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Joensuu 1685 to the crunk kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Kevin Saunderson. All the underground hits.
All Bobby Womack tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Victims 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Slave record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Negative Approach,
Erykah Badu,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Funky Four + One,
Warren Ellis,
Darondo,
Pharoah Sanders,
Johnny Osbourne,
Stiv Bators,
The Dirtbombs,
Bronski Beat,
Slick Rick,
Electric Prunes,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Barbara Tucker,
Marine Girls,
Byron Stingily,
Cybotron,
Neu!,
Pole,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Joey Negro,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Wolf Eyes,
Patti Smith,
Bobby Byrd,
Ornette Coleman,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Scan 7,
Masters at Work,
Cluster,
Lightning Bolt,
Scientists,
Zapp,
DJ Sneak,
Marvin Gaye,
Guru Guru,
Public Image Ltd.,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Panda Bear,
Ice-T,
The Velvet Underground,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Angry Samoans,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Harpers Bizarre,
Inner City,
John Cale,
The Raincoats,
Ronan,
Andrew Hill,
Ponytail,
Eurythmics,
Roy Ayers,
Peter and Kerry,
Quando Quango,
Ludus,
Malaria!,
Sight & Sound,
Grey Daturas,
Das Ding, Das Ding, Das Ding, Das Ding.
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.