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 Guinea and from Tokyo.
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 1967 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Paris 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 spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Pantytec to the rap kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Prince Buster. All the underground hits.
All These Immortal Souls tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Prince Buster record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz 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 harpsichord and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Byron Stingily record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Eric B and Rakim,
The Golliwogs,
Intrusion,
Laurel Aitken,
Livin' Joy,
Bobby Womack,
Lucky Dragons,
Yusef Lateef,
8 Eyed Spy,
Rufus Thomas,
The Divine Comedy,
Amon Düül II,
The Dave Clark Five,
Sam Rivers,
The J.B.'s,
Radiohead,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Johnny Osbourne,
Hoover,
Crispian St. Peters,
Cybotron,
Deakin,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Das Ding,
Swans,
Duran Duran,
AZ,
The Moleskins,
Rapeman,
Skaos,
Animal Collective,
The Doobie Brothers,
Minor Threat,
The Doors,
Idris Muhammad,
The Cramps,
Kevin Saunderson,
Rekid,
Second Layer,
The Gap Band,
Slick Rick,
Gang Gang Dance,
Suicide,
Dennis Brown,
Altered Images,
Crime,
China Crisis,
Nils Olav,
The Saints,
The Searchers,
Kaleidoscope,
New York Dolls,
Yellowson,
Donald Byrd,
Alison Limerick,
Jawbox,
DNA,
Sparks,
Gong,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Youth Brigade, Youth Brigade, Youth Brigade, Youth Brigade.
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.