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 Lesotho and from Lyon.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1963 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Copenhagen 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 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 Lalann to the grunge 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 Hashim. All the underground hits.
All The Gladiators tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Public Image Ltd. record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap 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 clarinet and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Smiths record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Nils Olav,
Dark Day,
The Beau Brummels,
Chrome,
Lower 48,
Gang of Four,
One Last Wish,
Stiv Bators,
Dave Gahan,
Fat Boys,
Au Pairs,
Ludus,
David Axelrod,
James White and The Blacks,
Kenny Larkin,
Radio Birdman,
Slick Rick,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Swell Maps,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Lou Reed,
Marvin Gaye,
The Martian,
Pulsallama,
Negative Approach,
The Evens,
Matthew Halsall,
MC5,
Second Layer,
Bootsy Collins,
Yellowson,
The Slackers,
The Techniques,
The Gun Club,
Black Moon,
The Doors,
Franke,
The Stooges,
Gichy Dan,
Sight & Sound,
Procol Harum,
Stockholm Monsters,
The Mojo Men,
The Five Americans,
Loose Ends,
Rod Modell,
Sex Pistols,
Ken Boothe,
Jeff Mills,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Magma,
Eli Mardock,
Sun Ra,
Deadbeat,
Vladislav Delay,
Boz Scaggs,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
John Holt,
Supertramp,
New York Dolls,
Suicide,
X-101, X-101, X-101, X-101.
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.