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 Pakistan and from Johannesburg.
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 1968 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 Donald Fagen 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 Mary Jane Girls to the grime 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 Idris Muhammad. All the underground hits.
All Brothers Johnson tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Vogues record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Dorothy Ashby 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?
Blancmange,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Blues Magoos,
Royal Trux,
Scan 7,
The Divine Comedy,
Symarip,
Fad Gadget,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Mission of Burma,
Cluster,
Harmonia,
John Coltrane,
Amazonics,
Half Japanese,
Nik Kershaw,
the Human League,
The Golliwogs,
Jeru the Damaja,
The Zeros,
LL Cool J,
Masters at Work,
AZ,
A Certain Ratio,
Franke,
E-Dancer,
Thompson Twins,
Sarah Menescal,
Kerri Chandler,
Brick,
Section 25,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Throbbing Gristle,
Cymande,
EPMD,
Eden Ahbez,
Flash Fearless,
Simply Red,
Kaleidoscope,
Soul Sonic Force,
Magma,
Surgeon,
Barry Ungar,
Jesper Dahlback,
the Swans,
Graham Central Station,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Alton Ellis,
Delta 5,
Gabor Szabo,
Nils Olav,
Arcadia,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Matthew Bourne,
Dawn Penn,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Sun Ra,
Shoche,
Alison Limerick,
CMW,
Stereo Dub, Stereo Dub, Stereo Dub, Stereo Dub.
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.