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 Syria and from Lyon.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1968 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Paris.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Stockholm 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 808 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 Marmalade to the grime 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 DJ Style. All the underground hits.
All R.M.O. tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Metal Thangz 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
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 Bad Manners record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Associates,
Mo-Dettes,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Crime,
The Happenings,
Lou Christie,
H. Thieme,
The Fuzztones,
Eric B and Rakim,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Rotary Connection,
Severed Heads,
Darondo,
Camouflage,
Hot Snakes,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Roy Ayers,
Echospace,
Oneida,
Magazine,
The Divine Comedy,
Fear,
June of 44,
Deadbeat,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Guru Guru,
Audionom,
AZ,
Con Funk Shun,
Eden Ahbez,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Lower 48,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Don Cherry,
Dawn Penn,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Brothers Johnson,
Loose Ends,
The Modern Lovers,
Cheater Slicks,
Parry Music,
The Dead C,
Max Romeo,
Erykah Badu,
The Victims,
The United States of America,
Suburban Knight,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Fat Boys,
Moss Icon,
Wolf Eyes,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Detroit Cobras,
Quadrant,
Mad Mike,
Johnny Clarke,
Donny Hathaway,
Talk Talk,
Scott Walker,
X-102,
Gang of Four, Gang of Four, Gang of Four, Gang of Four.
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.