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 Bulgaria and from Spokane.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1964 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 808 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 Fluxion to the funk kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Alice Coltrane. All the underground hits.
All Red Lorry Yellow Lorry tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Crash Course in Science record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 808 and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Andrew Hill record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lee Hazlewood,
Niagra,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
These Immortal Souls,
Blake Baxter,
Eve St. Jones,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Radio Birdman,
Danielle Patucci,
Thee Headcoats,
The Red Krayola,
Rites of Spring,
Tropical Tobacco,
New York Dolls,
Y Pants,
E-Dancer,
Masters at Work,
Johnny Clarke,
Black Pus,
Zero Boys,
Hasil Adkins,
Robert Wyatt,
Marvin Gaye,
David McCallum,
Bizarre Inc.,
Funky Four + One,
The Barracudas,
Public Enemy,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Dark Day,
JFA,
Davy DMX,
The Human League,
The Techniques,
Blossom Toes,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Sonic Youth,
Gerry Rafferty,
Sixth Finger,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Doobie Brothers,
The Moody Blues,
Erasure,
Sister Nancy,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Mad Mike,
Subhumans,
Gichy Dan,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Zapp,
Outsiders,
Soft Machine,
Popol Vuh,
Wally Richardson,
The Mojo Men,
Sandy B,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Clear Light,
Gil Scott Heron,
Babytalk,
Japan, Japan, Japan, Japan.
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.