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 Qatar and from Taipei.
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 1965 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 1977 at the first Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Flipper to the dance kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Pussy Galore. All the underground hits.
All The Vogues tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson 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 an oboe and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Arab on Radar record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Victims,
Bronski Beat,
Joe Finger,
A Certain Ratio,
Loose Ends,
Amazonics,
Minny Pops,
Gichy Dan,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Alton Ellis,
Half Japanese,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Depeche Mode,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Gang Gang Dance,
The Barracudas,
Duran Duran,
Carl Craig,
Bootsy Collins,
Lakeside,
Erykah Badu,
Eurythmics,
Black Flag,
ABBA,
The Associates,
Moby Grape,
The Slackers,
Funky Four + One,
The Motions,
Terry Callier,
Peter and Kerry,
Lou Reed,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Absolute Body Control,
New Order,
Excepter,
The Mummies,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Rakim,
The Durutti Column,
Reuben Wilson,
Lightning Bolt,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Patti Smith,
The Fall,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Quadrant,
Wings,
Ultra Naté,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Lower 48,
Johnny Clarke,
Curtis Mayfield,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Jandek,
Outsiders,
Susan Cadogan,
U.S. Maple, U.S. Maple, U.S. Maple, U.S. Maple.
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.