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 Tuvalu and from Philadelphia.
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 1964 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 clarinet 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 Chris Corsano to the rap kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 E-Dancer. All the underground hits.
All Bill Wells tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ultra Naté record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Cybotron record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Curtis Mayfield,
The Skatalites,
Kenny Larkin,
Josef K,
DJ Style,
Piero Umiliani,
Lucky Dragons,
The Searchers,
Ultravox,
Wolf Eyes,
Amon Düül,
Roxy Music,
Scott Walker,
Sex Pistols,
Lungfish,
Graham Central Station,
F. McDonald,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Bluetip,
Simply Red,
The Black Dice,
Soul II Soul,
Soft Machine,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Tomorrow,
Thee Headcoats,
John Foxx,
Swans,
Howard Jones,
Country Joe & The Fish,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Joey Negro,
Blossom Toes,
Ituana,
Terrestrial Tones,
The Fall,
Stiv Bators,
Oblivians,
Niagra,
The Move,
Glambeats Corp.,
Arcadia,
The Fugs,
the Soft Cell,
Ohio Players,
Eli Mardock,
Minnie Riperton,
Black Bananas,
Chrome,
Nico,
Eve St. Jones,
ABC,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Sight & Sound,
Scion,
Clear Light,
Public Enemy,
John Lydon,
Cybotron,
Barry Ungar,
Skarface,
The Victims, The Victims, The Victims, The Victims.
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.