#Namecheck - LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge (2005)

#Namecheck - LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge (2005)

Songs waarin bij wijze van eerbetoon, grap, vanwege de interessante klank of wat dan ook andere artiesten of bands vernoemd worden. Ze bestaan en wij brengen hen deze week onder de aandacht.

Misschien wel één van de interessantste groepen van na 2000.

James Murphy is een twijfelaar, die alles en zichzelf in vraag stelt en op een gegeven moment daar zover in doorging dat hij gewoon stopte met muziek maken. Maar gelukkig keerde hij op zijn stappen terug. Het vreemde is dat LCD Soundsystem als een hipstergroep kan beschouwd worden. Je weet wel, zo’n groep die je in elk gesprek kan laten vallen om instant interessant bevonden te worden. Maar op de eerste single maakte Murphy daar onmiddellijk komaf mee op een genadeloze en grappige manier.

Uitgegroeid tot een alternatief anthem, dat een beetje lachte met de hipsters, die de naam van elke “coole” groep, die niemand kent, laat vallen, als ze ook maar een schijntje aan bekendheid verwerven. Het lekkere ritmeboxdronetje is geleend van Killing Joke’s Change, dat Murphy vaak als opwarmer gebruikt bij dj-sets.

Passeren de revue in de song: Can, Suicide, Captain Beefheart, Daft Punk, The Modern Lovers, This Heat, Pere Ubu, Outsiders, Nation of Ulysses, Mars, The Trojans, The Black Dice, Todd Terry, The Germs, Section 25, Althea And Donna, Sexual Harrassment, A-ha, Pere Ubu, Dorothy Ashby, PIL, The Fania All-Stars, The Bar-Kays, The Human League, The Normal, Lou Reed, Scott Walker, Monks, Niagra, Joy Division, Lower 48, The Association, Sun Ra, Scientists, Royal Trux, 10cc, Eric B. And Rakim, Index, Basic Channel, Soulsonic Force ("just hit me"!), Juan Atkins, David Axelrod, Electric Prunes, Gil! Scott! Heron, The Slits, Faust, Mantronix, Pharaoh Sanders And The Fire Engines, Swans, Soft Cell, The Sonics, The Sonics, The Sonics, The Sonics en - even adem halen - The Beach Boys.

Murphy over Losing My Edge: "When I was DJing, playing Can, Liquid Liquid, ESG, all that kind of stuff, I became kind of cool for a moment, which was a total anomaly. And when I heard other DJs playing similar music I was like: 'F--k! I'm out of a job! These are my records!' But it was like someone had crept into my brain and said all these words that I hate. Did I make the records? Did I f--k! So, I started becoming horrified by my own attitude. I had this moment of glory though. People would use me to DJ just to get them cool. They'd be like 'It's the cool rock disco guy' and this was really weird. And to be honest I was afraid that this new found coolness was going to go away and that's where Losing My Edge comes from."

"It is about being horrified by my own silliness. And then it became a wider thing about people who grip onto other people's creations like they are their own. There is a lot of pathos in that character though because it's born out of inadequacy and love. Losing My Edge was the perfect narrative song that could have ever come from me. Everything had a layer behind it. Was it making fun of other people? Sure. Was it making fun of myself for making fun of other people? Sure. But it was also about me kind of believing the things I was saying, and it was also about being a little embarrassed for being the kind of person who would believe those kinds of things."

26 september 2021
Laurens Leurs