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 Netherlands and from Columbus.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 güiro 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 Ronnie Foster to the grime 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 LL Cool J. All the underground hits.
All Eric Copeland tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Scion 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 an arpeggiator and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Doobie Brothers record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Andrew Hill,
Soul Sonic Force,
The Star Department,
Scrapy,
Soulsonic Force,
Spandau Ballet,
Lou Christie,
The Velvet Underground,
Throbbing Gristle,
These Immortal Souls,
Scion,
MC5,
B.T. Express,
Motorama,
DNA,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
David Axelrod,
Jeff Mills,
Reuben Wilson,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
The Gap Band,
Harry Pussy,
Outsiders,
Public Image Ltd.,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Bang On A Can,
Das Ding,
Y Pants,
Al Stewart,
Symarip,
Brick,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Franke,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Wally Richardson,
Sparks,
The Slits,
Eric B and Rakim,
Mantronix,
Wasted Youth,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
La Düsseldorf,
Fela Kuti,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Chrome,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Jawbox,
Unwound,
The Names,
Rapeman,
Michelle Simonal,
Bob Dylan,
Gastr Del Sol,
Sarah Menescal,
Metal Thangz,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Cymande,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Qualms, Qualms, Qualms, Qualms.
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.