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 Jordan and from Shanghai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia show in London.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Stockholm.
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 arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 The Techniques to the rap 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 Mantronix. All the underground hits.
All Surgeon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Sound record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Freddie Wadling record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
X-Ray Spex,
Unrelated Segments,
Sam Rivers,
Man Eating Sloth,
Tomorrow,
Prince Buster,
Bill Wells,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Alice Coltrane,
Kayak,
The Stooges,
Joyce Sims,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
June Days,
Nik Kershaw,
Surgeon,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Royal Trux,
Eddi Front,
JFA,
Tres Demented,
Derrick Morgan,
Tim Buckley,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Ludus,
the Bar-Kays,
Danielle Patucci,
Marvin Gaye,
Shoche,
The Detroit Cobras,
Das Ding,
Joe Finger,
Big Daddy Kane,
UT,
Yazoo,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Jeff Mills,
Joensuu 1685,
Man Parrish,
Sonic Youth,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Althea and Donna,
Fear,
Todd Rundgren,
Inner City,
Lower 48,
PIL,
Minnie Riperton,
Main Source,
Rites of Spring,
Pussy Galore,
Alphaville,
Sparks,
Terrestrial Tones,
Deakin,
Crispy Ambulance,
Fat Boys,
The Fortunes,
Depeche Mode,
8 Eyed Spy,
Sugar Minott,
Ituana,
Nirvana, Nirvana, Nirvana, Nirvana.
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.