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 Burkina 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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 2001 at the first Tiga practice in a loft in Montreal.
I was working on the snare 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 Country Joe & The Fish to the funk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 June of 44. All the underground hits.
All The Evens tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Last Poets 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Average White Band,
Liliput,
Jerry's Kids,
Franke,
One Last Wish,
Amon Düül II,
Khruangbin,
FM Einheit,
Bronski Beat,
the Human League,
The Monochrome Set,
Ornette Coleman,
Monolake,
Fela Kuti,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Slick Rick,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
The Searchers,
Bizarre Inc.,
Roger Hodgson,
Eddi Front,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Sun Ra,
Freddie Wadling,
John Lydon,
Donald Byrd,
Cymande,
T.S.O.L.,
Wolf Eyes,
X-101,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Pharoah Sanders,
Mars,
Minor Threat,
Wasted Youth,
Y Pants,
Inner City,
Cybotron,
Accadde A,
Piero Umiliani,
Scan 7,
Popol Vuh,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Yusef Lateef,
ABC,
Fear,
Black Pus,
Cecil Taylor,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
The Pop Group,
Jeff Mills,
Danielle Patucci,
Main Source,
Prince Buster,
R.M.O.,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Associates,
Kenny Larkin,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Aural Exciters,
Bobby Byrd,
Adolescents,
Depeche Mode,
Morten Harket, Morten Harket, Morten Harket, Morten Harket.
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.