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 Uganda and from Madrid.
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 1969 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Salvador and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 1984 at the first Arcadia practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Hashim to the crunk 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 Inner City. All the underground hits.
All Surgeon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Anakelly record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Graham Central Station,
Juan Atkins,
Josef K,
The Last Poets,
The Slackers,
Stetsasonic,
Drive Like Jehu,
Ultimate Spinach,
Icehouse,
The Index,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Andrew Hill,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Jandek,
Radiopuhelimet,
Dennis Brown,
Funky Four + One,
E-Dancer,
Peter & Gordon,
Ossler,
Wolf Eyes,
Smog,
Ice-T,
Piero Umiliani,
Fad Gadget,
The Moleskins,
Donald Byrd,
Nation of Ulysses,
Jawbox,
The Smiths,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Lyres,
The Human League,
Dawn Penn,
Rites of Spring,
Blake Baxter,
10cc,
Brothers Johnson,
Babytalk,
Lalann,
Royal Trux,
The Litter,
Lucky Dragons,
Q and Not U,
Crispy Ambulance,
The Star Department,
Talk Talk,
Reagan Youth,
Con Funk Shun,
Soft Machine,
Glambeats Corp.,
Eve St. Jones,
the Germs,
Hardrive,
Be Bop Deluxe,
the Human League,
Half Japanese,
Essential Logic,
Unwound,
Rotary Connection,
Gang Gang Dance,
cv313,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
X-102, X-102, X-102, X-102.
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.