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 Solomon Islands and from London.
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 1964 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 sitar 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 Trumans Water to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Bronski Beat. All the underground hits.
All Yusef Lateef tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gabor Szabo record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Move record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Pylon,
Rapeman,
Ornette Coleman,
OOIOO,
Ossler,
DJ Style,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
The Doobie Brothers,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
T.S.O.L.,
Vainqueur,
Soft Cell,
Fear,
The Residents,
The Grass Roots,
Moby Grape,
Sun City Girls,
Junior Murvin,
Joensuu 1685,
D'Angelo,
Das Ding,
Royal Trux,
Mantronix,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Bush Tetras,
Amon Düül,
The Detroit Cobras,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Deakin,
Curtis Mayfield,
The Young Rascals,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
The Birthday Party,
Black Flag,
The Golliwogs,
K-Klass,
Throbbing Gristle,
Carl Craig,
Gerry Rafferty,
Radio Birdman,
the Slits,
Davy DMX,
Bizarre Inc.,
The Searchers,
Kerri Chandler,
Chris & Cosey,
Rhythm & Sound,
Gregory Isaacs,
Minor Threat,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Suburban Knight,
Bluetip,
Peter & Gordon,
Anthony Braxton,
Janne Schatter,
The Modern Lovers,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Warren Ellis,
a-ha,
The Seeds,
Grey Daturas,
Young Marble Giants,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Bill Near, Bill Near, Bill Near, Bill Near.
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.