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 Bulgaria and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1978.
I was there at the first Visage 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 1963 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 48th St. Collective to the rock kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 The Fuzztones. All the underground hits.
All Ajijia Myrayebe tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Kool G Rap & DJ Polo record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 theremin and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Eli Mardock record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Soft Cell,
Ten City,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
The Trojans,
Skarface,
Sonny Sharrock,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Rites of Spring,
Cluster,
Hashim,
Lalo Schifrin,
Joyce Sims,
Reagan Youth,
Josef K,
Connie Case,
Aswad,
Michelle Simonal,
This Heat,
Judy Mowatt,
Joe Finger,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Television Personalities,
Joey Negro,
Bobby Sherman,
Jawbox,
June of 44,
The Selecter,
Moss Icon,
Marvin Gaye,
the Germs,
Spoonie Gee,
T. Rex,
Anthony Braxton,
The Young Rascals,
New Age Steppers,
The Walker Brothers,
Neu!,
R.M.O.,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Reuben Wilson,
Scientists,
Howard Jones,
Kenny Larkin,
Theoretical Girls,
Al Stewart,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Icehouse,
Ice-T,
Ronnie Foster,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Gap Band,
Scott Walker,
Warsaw,
Isaac Hayes,
Bobby Womack,
The Music Machine,
ABBA,
The Doobie Brothers,
Grauzone,
Country Teasers, Country Teasers, Country Teasers, Country Teasers.
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.