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 Mexico and from Lagos.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Marvin Gaye to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Jimmy McGriff. All the underground hits.
All Siglo XX tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Metal Thangz record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Magazine record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Danielle Patucci,
Sandy B,
Faraquet,
LL Cool J,
Barry Ungar,
Jacob Miller,
Sound Behaviour,
The Music Machine,
Tubeway Army,
Television,
Aswad,
Hardrive,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Talk Talk,
James White and The Blacks,
Scrapy,
Mantronix,
The Mojo Men,
Brothers Johnson,
The Techniques,
Wally Richardson,
Curtis Mayfield,
Lightning Bolt,
Circle Jerks,
H. Thieme,
Shoche,
Nils Olav,
The Cramps,
Goldenarms,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Boz Scaggs,
Electric Prunes,
Avey Tare,
Khruangbin,
Scan 7,
The Divine Comedy,
Slave,
The Leaves,
Rekid,
Whodini,
Das Ding,
Newcleus,
The Monochrome Set,
Gil Scott Heron,
Cecil Taylor,
Gabor Szabo,
Young Marble Giants,
Mr. Review,
Severed Heads,
Sällskapet,
Mark Hollis,
Black Moon,
Gang Green,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Technova,
the Soft Cell,
The Raincoats,
Qualms,
The American Breed,
Charles Mingus,
The Residents,
Desert Stars,
Yaz, Yaz, Yaz, Yaz.
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.