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 Vietnam and from Halifax.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
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 1967 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Toronto 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 808 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 The Doobie Brothers to the grime kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Juan Atkins. All the underground hits.
All Joy Division tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sam Rivers record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 chamberlin and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Index record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Camberwell Now,
Scientists,
Second Layer,
Gong,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Goldenarms,
The Fortunes,
Jerry's Kids,
The New Christs,
Don Cherry,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Soul II Soul,
Tears for Fears,
Jerry Gold Smith,
The Slackers,
Tubeway Army,
Intrusion,
The Saints,
Blake Baxter,
The Blues Magoos,
Saccharine Trust,
The Wake,
The Trojans,
Babytalk,
Byron Stingily,
The United States of America,
Quantec,
Sister Nancy,
Mission of Burma,
Fad Gadget,
Ponytail,
Heaven 17,
X-Ray Spex,
Blossom Toes,
Arab on Radar,
Minny Pops,
Mantronix,
Supertramp,
Ice-T,
Sparks,
One Last Wish,
F. McDonald,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Visage,
Harpers Bizarre,
Eddi Front,
The Moody Blues,
Livin' Joy,
Jacques Brel,
Al Stewart,
Laurel Aitken,
New Age Steppers,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Chris & Cosey,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Cure,
Sugar Minott,
Barry Ungar,
Jeff Lynne,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Johnny Osbourne, Johnny Osbourne, Johnny Osbourne, Johnny Osbourne.
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.