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 Uganda and from Toronto.
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 1960 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 David Bowie to the grime 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 Ossler. All the underground hits.
All The Victims tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rufus Thomas record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jacob Miller record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
John Foxx,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
X-102,
Joy Division,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Stereo Dub,
Circle Jerks,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Main Source,
The Smiths,
Eddi Front,
Chris & Cosey,
Deepchord,
New York Dolls,
The Victims,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Minor Threat,
The Pretty Things,
Quantec,
Ice-T,
Henry Cow,
The Names,
Don Cherry,
Robert Görl,
Slave,
Wasted Youth,
Pylon,
The Divine Comedy,
Gang Gang Dance,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Jesper Dahlback,
X-101,
Aloha Tigers,
a-ha,
Sound Behaviour,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
The Gap Band,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Y Pants,
Nils Olav,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Boogie Down Productions,
Make Up,
Bad Manners,
Hardrive,
the Bar-Kays,
Sällskapet,
Sun Ra,
Robert Wyatt,
Bill Near,
Kerrie Biddell,
Groovy Waters,
Jacques Brel,
Fluxion,
Public Enemy,
Swans,
Kenny Larkin,
Byron Stingily,
Spoonie Gee,
The Happenings,
Jacob Miller, Jacob Miller, Jacob Miller, Jacob Miller.
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.