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 Jordan and from Lille.
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 1967 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1977 at the first Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the theremin 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 Cheater Slicks to the funk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Sexual Harrassment. All the underground hits.
All Jawbox tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every DJ Sneak 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a June of 44 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Tommy Roe,
Junior Murvin,
Heaven 17,
The Grass Roots,
The Fire Engines,
Juan Atkins,
Altered Images,
Joe Finger,
Dorothy Ashby,
Colin Newman,
The Blues Magoos,
Todd Rundgren,
Tim Buckley,
Thompson Twins,
The Techniques,
Crash Course in Science,
Lou Christie,
Organ,
Bronski Beat,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Moss Icon,
Joensuu 1685,
Henry Cow,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Ronan,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Kurtis Blow,
John Holt,
Bob Dylan,
Max Romeo,
Grandmaster Flash,
Minutemen,
Main Source,
Nils Olav,
Quantec,
The Misunderstood,
Flash Fearless,
Japan,
Gong,
Dead Boys,
Andrew Hill,
The Pretty Things,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
EPMD,
Talk Talk,
Letta Mbulu,
Avey Tare,
Arab on Radar,
Nas,
Rites of Spring,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
DJ Sneak,
Ohio Players,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Mantronix,
The Mummies,
Ice-T,
Deakin,
Circle Jerks,
Sparks,
Tom Boy, Tom Boy, Tom Boy, Tom Boy.
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.