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 Russia and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1968 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Bologna.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 clarinet 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 Black Pus to the rap kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 the Fania All-Stars. All the underground hits.
All E-Dancer tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gang of Four record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jeff Mills record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The United States of America,
The Litter,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Main Source,
Ronan,
Faraquet,
Gil Scott Heron,
L. Decosne,
Livin' Joy,
Blancmange,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
The Tremeloes,
The Slackers,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Marvin Gaye,
Desert Stars,
Donald Byrd,
Cluster,
The Dave Clark Five,
Todd Rundgren,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Johnny Osbourne,
Skarface,
JFA,
Glenn Branca,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The Offenders,
Wire,
The Mummies,
Ken Boothe,
Erykah Badu,
Rotary Connection,
Radio Birdman,
Judy Mowatt,
Funkadelic,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Grandmaster Flash,
Freddie Wadling,
The Trojans,
Bootsy Collins,
The Modern Lovers,
Outsiders,
Neil Young,
Alton Ellis,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Johnny Clarke,
Agitation Free,
DJ Sneak,
Rites of Spring,
Ornette Coleman,
The Names,
The Electric Prunes,
Jacob Miller,
The Last Poets,
Derrick May,
Pierre Henry,
Von Mondo,
Dead Boys,
Dark Day,
Slick Rick,
Fugazi,
Y Pants,
Bobbi Humphrey, Bobbi Humphrey, Bobbi Humphrey, Bobbi Humphrey.
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.