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 Seychelles and from Mumbai.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 marimba 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 Das Ding to the punk 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 Essential Logic. All the underground hits.
All Tomorrow tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Maleditus Sound record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Divine Comedy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Depeche Mode,
Siglo XX,
The Sonics,
Dennis Brown,
Fela Kuti,
Boredoms,
10cc,
Vainqueur,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
the Soft Cell,
Dual Sessions,
Sarah Menescal,
Shoche,
Brass Construction,
Black Sheep,
Procol Harum,
Pantytec,
Oblivians,
The United States of America,
Marine Girls,
The Gun Club,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Erykah Badu,
Cymande,
Mark Hollis,
Public Enemy,
The Beau Brummels,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Donny Hathaway,
Eve St. Jones,
Minny Pops,
Amazonics,
Deepchord,
Babytalk,
Thee Headcoats,
Moebius,
Tears for Fears,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Lalo Schifrin,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Reagan Youth,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
MC5,
Erasure,
Sonny Sharrock,
Marshall Jefferson,
Scratch Acid,
Audionom,
Quantec,
Black Moon,
Bang On A Can,
Masters at Work,
Tubeway Army,
Dead Boys,
Average White Band,
X-102,
John Foxx,
Excepter,
Scan 7,
Bootsy Collins, Bootsy Collins, Bootsy Collins, Bootsy Collins.
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.