Fex (band) explained

FEX
Origin:Kiel, West Germany
Current Members:
  • Michael Hädrich
  • Ture Rückwardt
  • Hans-Reimer Sievers
  • Norbert Ziermann
Past Members:

Fex (stylized as FEX) is a German new wave band based and formed in Kiel in 1983. They are best known for the song "Subways of Your Mind", previously unofficially referred to as "The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet", which became notable for being the subject of a 17-year-long internet search to identify the original artist.[1] [2] [3] [4]

During a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" thread, band member Michael Hädrich said that "we had songs for a full 2 set concert", but only 6 songs were recorded by Fex during their initial run in the 1980s. The discovery of "Subways of Your Mind" also unveiled two other songs on the same demo tape, "Heart in Danger" and "Talking Hands". The song "Jenny" was found in a song compilation released by Zeus. Fex eventually put the B-side of the demo tape, "Goldrush", on YouTube, while the possible sixth, "Right and Wrong", is still to be revealed.[5]

History

According to guitarist Ture Rückwardt, Fex started in a rehearsal room in the Heikendorf industrial area. His wife Ilona was the lead vocalist before she went on maternity leave, prompting him to become the singer. The name of the band derives from a Southern German slang word, akin to "zealot" or "nerd", regarding someone passionately enthusiastic about something.[6] By 1984, the band's lineup consisted of Rückwardt, keyboardist Michael Hädrich, drummer Hans-Reimer Sievers and bassist Norbert Ziermann.

Fex started to gain more exposure outside Kiel with their participation in the Newcomer Show music competition, which was hosted in 1984 by radio and television personality Manfred Sexauer and organized by Hamburg-based insurance broker Zeus. The competition was held at the Die Glocke concert hall in Bremen, where the band beat out seven other finalists. One of the rewards was the contribution of a track, "Jenny", to the Top-Hits compilation album that was later released in 1985.[7] [8] In January 1985, they announced a tour of Northern Germany scheduled for that March.[9] [10] Later that year, the band performed at the . The band had recorded only six songs before their dissolution as Hädrich decided to relocate to Munich.

Reunion

On November 7, 2024, Rückwardt, Hädrich and Ziermann reunited to perform a live acoustic version of "Subways of Your Mind" on German radio station NDR 1 Welle Nord. This was the band's first performance since dissolving in the mid-1980s.[11] [12] On November 8, Sievers contacted NDR 1 for an interview after reading about the band's reunion in a local newspaper, and was subsequently put in contact with the other band members.[13]

Members

Current members

Former members

Discography

Songs

Notes and References

  1. Case Closed: One of the internet's biggest musical mysteries has likely been solved. Blistein. Jon. 2024-11-05. Rolling Stone. 2024-11-06. A "lost" New Wave track stumping listeners for over 15 years was identified as "Subways of Your Mind" by the German band FEX. 2024-11-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20241105195851/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/most-mysterious-song-internet-identified-subways-of-your-mind-1235153685/. live.
  2. Web site: Reddit sleuths track down the band behind the internet's most mysterious song. Davis. Wes. 2024-11-05. The Verge. 2024-11-06. Now we know that the song is called "Subways Of the Mind" by a band named FEX. Here's a recording provided by Michael Hädrich, a 68-year-old former band member.. 2024-11-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20241108214940/https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/5/24288782/unidentified-song-mystery-reddit-fex-subways-of-the-mind. live.
  3. Web site: Netzrätsel nach Jahren gelöst: Hinter dem »geheimnisvollsten Lied des Internets« steckt eine deutsche Band. Internet mystery solved after years: A German band is behind the "most mysterious song on the Internet".. Böhm. Markus. Kleinz. Torsten. 2024-11-05. Der Spiegel. de. 2024-11-06. Es ist ein historischer Tag. Nicht etwa wegen der US-Wahl. Sondern, weil etwas anderes geschehen ist, das sich für einige Menschen offenbar ähnlich weltbewegend anfühlt: Das Geheimnis um den »most mysterious Song on the Internet«, und damit eines der bekanntesten Netzrätsel überhaupt, ist gelüftet worden. Nach 17 Jahren. [It's a historic day. Not because of the US election. But because something else happened that apparently felt equally earth-shattering to some people: The secret of the "most mysterious song on the Internet," and thus one of the most famous online mysteries of all time, has been revealed. After 17 years.].
  4. Web site: Band Fex war's - aus Kiel. Rätsel um mysteriösen Internet-Song aus den 80ern gelöst. It was the band Fex - from Kiel. Mystery of mysterious internet song from the 80s solved. 2024-11-07. Süddeutsche_Zeitung. de. 2024-11-07. In den 80ern läuft in einer jungen Radiosendung ein Synthie-Pop-Song mit coolem Sound und markanter tiefer Stimme. Jahrzehnte später sucht eine Frau im Internet die Macher – und löst einen Hype aus. [In the 80s, a young radio show played a synth-pop song with a cool sound and distinctive deep voice. Decades later, a woman searched the internet for the makers – and triggered a hype.]. 2024-11-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20241108220749/https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/band-fex-war-s-aus-kiel-raetsel-um-mysterioesen-internet-song-aus-den-80ern-geloest-dpa.urn-newsml-dpa-com-20090101-241107-930-282218. live.
  5. Goldrush . 2024-11-21 . FEX band . 2024-11-22 . YouTube . 2024-11-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241122103650/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9l33-md--A . live .
  6. Web site: Kommt aus Kiel: „The most mysterious song on the Internet“. Kieler Nachrichten. 2024-11-06. 2024-11-12. 2024-11-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20241112214542/https://www.kn-online.de/lokales/kiel/geloest-von-wem-ist-the-most-mysterious-song-on-the-internet-wirklich-JZBXQUNFPJH63CSBJWYQRT4RAU.html. live.
  7. News: 1984-09-21 . Das Konventionelle dominierte . Weser-Kurier . German.
  8. News: 1984-02-26 . Zeus-Show nach bewährtem Muster . 2024-11-13 . Der Spiegel . de . 2195-1349 . 2024-11-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241118224344/https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/zeus-show-nach-bewaehrtem-muster-a-3469c285-0002-0001-0000-000013509970 . live .
  9. News: 1985-01-19 . Rock mit Wave und vielen Elementen des Pop . Nordwest-Zeitung . German .
  10. Casiello, Pete; Hädrich, Michael. (2024-11-11). After Hours Café. WRDV-FM. Retrieved 2024-11-12 - via SgtStevePH on YouTube.
  11. FEX – Subways Of Your Mind (Live @ NDR 1) . 2024-11-07 . x0jony . 2024-11-07 . YouTube . 2024-11-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241107193518/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7Jw-xSg6o0 . live .
  12. News: Synowski . Lisa . 2024-11-07 . "The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet" von Kieler Band im Radio . 2024-11-07 . NDR . German . 2024-11-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241107194815/https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/The-Most-Mysterious-Song-on-the-Internet-von-Kieler-Band-im-Radio,mostmysterioussong100.html . live .
  13. News: Jänisch . Julia . 2024-11-08 . "The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet": Band FEX nach 40 Jahren wieder komplett . live . 2024-11-08 . NDR . German . 2024-11-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241108200252/https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/Most-Mysterious-Song-on-the-Internet-Band-FEX-nach-40-Jahren-wieder-komplett,mostmysterioussong104.html .
  14. Web site: https://preview.redd…. November 4, 2024.
  15. Web site: We played "Jenny", w…. November 12, 2024.
  16. Web site: FEX - Goldrush. November 22, 2024. YouTube. November 22, 2024. November 22, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20241122103650/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9l33-md--A. live.

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