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 Morocco and from Tokyo.
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 1960 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Paris 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 chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 the Association to the punk kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Niagra. All the underground hits.
All X-Ray Spex tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ronnie Foster record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 theremin and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a B.T. Express record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Los Fastidios,
Yusef Lateef,
Archie Shepp,
Excepter,
Crime,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The Human League,
June Days,
The Fall,
Lower 48,
Kurtis Blow,
Spandau Ballet,
Gil Scott Heron,
The Leaves,
Stereo Dub,
T. Rex,
The Fire Engines,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Boredoms,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Godley & Creme,
Thompson Twins,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
The United States of America,
The Grass Roots,
Unwound,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Sonny Sharrock,
Chris Corsano,
Moby Grape,
The Count Five,
The Alarm Clocks,
The Beau Brummels,
Peter and Kerry,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Monolake,
Joey Negro,
ABC,
Au Pairs,
Dual Sessions,
Hoover,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Loose Ends,
The Standells,
Mark Hollis,
Smog,
Deepchord,
Lungfish,
The Zeros,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Erykah Badu,
Alton Ellis,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Altered Images,
Hardrive,
The Dave Clark Five,
Franke,
The Misunderstood,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Eric Dolphy,
Gang Green,
Rufus Thomas,
The Busters, The Busters, The Busters, The Busters.
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.