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 Ivory Coast and from Halifax.
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 1960 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 Lou Reed 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 Skaos to the rock kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 John Cale. All the underground hits.
All H. Thieme tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Kerri Chandler record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 theremin and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Black Moon record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Groovy Waters,
The Smiths,
Derrick May,
A Certain Ratio,
Ultimate Spinach,
Jeru the Damaja,
The Happenings,
The Mojo Men,
Animal Collective,
The Saints,
Al Stewart,
Robert Görl,
Cameo,
Gang Starr,
The Monochrome Set,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Slave,
Tres Demented,
Marcia Griffiths,
The Buckinghams,
Harpers Bizarre,
Young Marble Giants,
Anakelly,
Flamin' Groovies,
Soulsonic Force,
Chris Corsano,
a-ha,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Sight & Sound,
LL Cool J,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Au Pairs,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Brass Construction,
The Real Kids,
Yazoo,
Dennis Brown,
Malaria!,
Metal Thangz,
X-102,
Barbara Tucker,
Sandy B,
Dual Sessions,
Echospace,
In Retrospect,
Minnie Riperton,
Sexual Harrassment,
Lucky Dragons,
Simply Red,
Nick Fraelich,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Eurythmics,
The United States of America,
The New Christs,
H. Thieme,
The Golliwogs,
Shoche,
Jimmy McGriff,
Smog,
Popol Vuh,
Suicide,
Masters at Work, Masters at Work, Masters at Work, Masters at Work.
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.