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 Bhutan and from Glasgow.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the marimba 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 Hashim to the dance kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Monolake. All the underground hits.
All The Smiths tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Major Organ And The Adding Machine record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 sitar and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Delta 5 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Saints,
Ludus,
The Velvet Underground,
The Barracudas,
Suicide,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
the Normal,
Lightning Bolt,
Throbbing Gristle,
La Düsseldorf,
David Axelrod,
The Mojo Men,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Quando Quango,
Aural Exciters,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Chris & Cosey,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
The Black Dice,
Newcleus,
The Fall,
Matthew Halsall,
Excepter,
Eli Mardock,
Ornette Coleman,
Magma,
Jesper Dahlback,
The Selecter,
Danielle Patucci,
Bronski Beat,
Pere Ubu,
Liliput,
June of 44,
Howard Jones,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Bobby Womack,
The Litter,
Lalann,
Aaron Thompson,
EPMD,
Mantronix,
Lee Hazlewood,
Pet Shop Boys,
Jandek,
Arab on Radar,
Severed Heads,
Moss Icon,
Model 500,
Black Sheep,
Ultra Naté,
Arthur Verocai,
Flash Fearless,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Faust,
Roxy Music,
The Doors,
Dead Boys,
the Bar-Kays,
Eden Ahbez,
U.S. Maple,
The Five Americans,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
The Pretty Things,
Banda Bassotti, Banda Bassotti, Banda Bassotti, Banda Bassotti.
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.