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 Tuvalu and from Copenhagen.
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 1964 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Calgary 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Grey Daturas to the rap 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 The Fortunes. All the underground hits.
All EPMD tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Donny Hathaway record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 snare and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Johnny Osbourne record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bush Tetras,
Charles Mingus,
Joensuu 1685,
Infiniti,
Y Pants,
Leonard Cohen,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Music Machine,
Jerry's Kids,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Flesh Eaters,
Stereo Dub,
Khruangbin,
The Tremeloes,
Magma,
Second Layer,
Banda Bassotti,
Adolescents,
Lee Hazlewood,
Can,
Curtis Mayfield,
Anakelly,
Brand Nubian,
Al Stewart,
Wire,
The Dave Clark Five,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
The Fugs,
Gichy Dan,
Johnny Osbourne,
The Fuzztones,
The Martian,
Absolute Body Control,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Dual Sessions,
The Gories,
Jeru the Damaja,
Neil Young,
Brass Construction,
B.T. Express,
Gang Starr,
The Gap Band,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
The Five Americans,
Erykah Badu,
The Fortunes,
The Remains,
the Slits,
Reuben Wilson,
Soul Sonic Force,
Marc Almond,
Deepchord,
Radiopuhelimet,
Arcadia,
Jacques Brel,
The Alarm Clocks,
PIL,
Royal Trux,
Steve Hackett,
Lou Christie,
Lalann, Lalann, Lalann, Lalann.
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.