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 Tanzania and from Calgary.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South 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 1965 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Winnipeg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 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 Cameo to the dance kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Bobby Byrd. All the underground hits.
All Bizarre Inc. tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Heavy D & The Boyz 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a L. Decosne record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Barry Ungar,
Babytalk,
Public Enemy,
Charles Mingus,
Little Man,
AZ,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Joyce Sims,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
DJ Sneak,
Yazoo,
Terrestrial Tones,
Sound Behaviour,
Mandrill,
Todd Terry,
La Düsseldorf,
Man Eating Sloth,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Fluxion,
Yellowson,
Carl Craig,
Robert Görl,
Avey Tare,
Terry Callier,
Bluetip,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
This Heat,
Radio Birdman,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Drexciya,
Mary Jane Girls,
Index,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Buzzcocks,
DNA,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
The Fuzztones,
Spandau Ballet,
The Moleskins,
Moebius,
Oblivians,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Rufus Thomas,
Accadde A,
Amon Düül II,
The Grass Roots,
Sarah Menescal,
Wire,
Lungfish,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Walker Brothers,
Laurel Aitken,
Lakeside,
Gang of Four,
Agent Orange,
Quantec,
Ultravox,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Kevin Saunderson,
Livin' Joy, Livin' Joy, Livin' Joy, Livin' Joy.
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.