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 Saudi Arabia and from Madrid.
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 1963 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 1976 at the first Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the marimba 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 Visage to the dance 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 Scion. All the underground hits.
All Davy DMX tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jesper Dahlback 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Saccharine Trust record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Radiohead,
The Evens,
Prince Buster,
The Martian,
The Red Krayola,
James White and The Blacks,
Warren Ellis,
Swell Maps,
Black Flag,
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Seeds,
A Flock of Seagulls,
E-Dancer,
Ultravox,
The Music Machine,
Pantaleimon,
Tres Demented,
Alton Ellis,
Sex Pistols,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Suicide,
The Doobie Brothers,
Masters at Work,
Nirvana,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Stiv Bators,
the Bar-Kays,
Magazine,
the Association,
The Dirtbombs,
Model 500,
Blake Baxter,
Sugar Minott,
Avey Tare,
The Names,
Henry Cow,
Minny Pops,
Eddi Front,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Aural Exciters,
Gichy Dan,
Erykah Badu,
Pere Ubu,
Terry Callier,
FM Einheit,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Unwound,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Fat Boys,
Skriet,
MDC,
Japan,
Danielle Patucci,
Angry Samoans,
Gang of Four,
Idris Muhammad,
Marmalade,
Pantytec,
The Sound,
Barrington Levy,
Judy Mowatt,
Rotary Connection,
Swans,
World's Most,
The Litter, The Litter, The Litter, The Litter.
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.