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 Guinea and from Tokyo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1961 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 1976 at the first Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Lyres to the disco kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Radiopuhelimet. All the underground hits.
All The Fortunes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Aswad record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Half Japanese record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Agitation Free,
Kaleidoscope,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Scientists,
Surgeon,
Sexual Harrassment,
Warsaw,
Rod Modell,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
The Motions,
Deadbeat,
Babytalk,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
The Beau Brummels,
Saccharine Trust,
Joe Smooth,
Sandy B,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Kayak,
Dennis Brown,
Radiopuhelimet,
Los Fastidios,
Bizarre Inc.,
The Selecter,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Connie Case,
D'Angelo,
DJ Style,
Toni Rubio,
Chris & Cosey,
Mad Mike,
The Techniques,
The Detroit Cobras,
Loose Ends,
Reagan Youth,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Wire,
Royal Trux,
Jandek,
The Last Poets,
Pantytec,
Q65,
Carl Craig,
Sonic Youth,
The American Breed,
Avey Tare,
Letta Mbulu,
Don Cherry,
Chris Corsano,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
the Soft Cell,
Joey Negro,
Make Up,
The Walker Brothers,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Index,
Grey Daturas,
Iggy Pop,
Johnny Clarke,
Bluetip, Bluetip, Bluetip, Bluetip.
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.