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 Afghanistan and from Beijing.
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 1960 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Sisters of Mercy to the rap 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 LL Cool J. All the underground hits.
All John Cale tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rotary Connection 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James Chance & The Contortions record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jesper Dahlback,
Bobby Womack,
The Knickerbockers,
Juan Atkins,
Glambeats Corp.,
Wire,
Au Pairs,
Tropical Tobacco,
The Birthday Party,
Eurythmics,
Brand Nubian,
Reagan Youth,
Pierre Henry,
Lower 48,
Ornette Coleman,
The Fuzztones,
ABC,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Can,
Dark Day,
Kurtis Blow,
The Misunderstood,
Skarface,
Sister Nancy,
Newcleus,
Pole,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Sonny Sharrock,
Soul Sonic Force,
Brick,
Gil Scott Heron,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Stockholm Monsters,
Letta Mbulu,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
These Immortal Souls,
Second Layer,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Gong,
Zero Boys,
Robert Görl,
Cecil Taylor,
Iggy Pop,
Nirvana,
The Star Department,
Throbbing Gristle,
World's Most,
Laurel Aitken,
Black Pus,
Buzzcocks,
Gerry Rafferty,
Maurizio,
Quando Quango,
Slave,
Dave Gahan,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Swell Maps,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Deakin,
Camouflage,
Alton Ellis,
Slick Rick, Slick Rick, Slick Rick, Slick Rick.
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.