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 Turkey and from Milan.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Buzzcocks show in Bolton.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines to the techno kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Tremeloes. All the underground hits.
All Sonic Youth tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ultramagnetic MC's 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Agent Orange record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ten City,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
a-ha,
the Bar-Kays,
Al Stewart,
Skaos,
The Durutti Column,
The Motions,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
The Slackers,
10cc,
Wire,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
The Trojans,
Bill Near,
Kurtis Blow,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Vainqueur,
Heaven 17,
Jandek,
Flipper,
Tommy Roe,
Drexciya,
Mr. Review,
Pharoah Sanders,
the Germs,
Gastr Del Sol,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Audionom,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
DJ Style,
Animal Collective,
Main Source,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Desert Stars,
Half Japanese,
Deadbeat,
Moss Icon,
Albert Ayler,
The Grass Roots,
Pylon,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
DNA,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Golliwogs,
Sonny Sharrock,
New Age Steppers,
Magazine,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Yellowson,
Sound Behaviour,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Cheater Slicks,
Neil Young,
Lyres,
Theoretical Girls,
The Sound,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Fall,
Tomorrow,
John Holt,
Nas, Nas, Nas, Nas.
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.