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 Laos and from Tehran.
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 1966 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 1976 at the first Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Delta 5 to the crunk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Urselle. All the underground hits.
All Robert Hood tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Archie Shepp 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pierre Henry record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Cluster,
Agitation Free,
Pussy Galore,
James White and The Blacks,
The Flesh Eaters,
The United States of America,
James Chance & The Contortions,
New Order,
The Durutti Column,
John Foxx,
Zero Boys,
H. Thieme,
Accadde A,
Tres Demented,
Moby Grape,
Jesper Dahlback,
Sound Behaviour,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Prince Buster,
The Music Machine,
Joey Negro,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Derrick Morgan,
Kayak,
Scrapy,
The Cure,
Hasil Adkins,
Sun Ra,
The Searchers,
New Age Steppers,
Second Layer,
Desert Stars,
Joyce Sims,
Gastr Del Sol,
The Gories,
Marine Girls,
Aloha Tigers,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Urselle,
The Vogues,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Aaron Thompson,
Suburban Knight,
Japan,
June Days,
Bill Near,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Brothers Johnson,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Chris & Cosey,
Sight & Sound,
Ronan,
Dual Sessions,
Michelle Simonal,
Camouflage,
Wally Richardson,
Hot Snakes,
MC5,
Surgeon,
Brand Nubian, Brand Nubian, Brand Nubian, Brand Nubian.
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.