A cassette, a recording and lots of questions
In 2007, a user uploaded a recording to an internet forum. You can hear a good minute of a song that was recorded on a cassette in the early 1980s. Probably on a broadcast from NDR2. There is no more information. Just the question: Does anyone know the song or the band behind it?
The question is becoming the biggest mystery in the so-called “Lost Media Community“. The internet has been searching for answers for over 17 years. There are tens of thousands of people on Reddit researching and dissecting the song in the hope of finding answers. The presenter, who is said to have played the song back then, plays it again in 2019 and asks if anyone recognizes it. Unfortunately the search remains unsuccessful.
Until a few weeks ago, a user came across a promising lead. In a newspaper article she recognizes a musician from the North German rock scene of the 80s. She writes to him and asks about material from his previous bands. He sends demo recordings, including “The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet”. Behind it is the Kiel band FEX.
FEX and the unnoticed fame
In the 80s, FEX were a small new wave band. They win a talent competition and get on the radio. This is also where the recording is made. Beyond that, however, they are denied a breakthrough.
Nobody at FEX notices that musicians have been using the Internet for years. Things look completely different now. Surprised by their interest, the musicians meet again for the first time in almost 40 years. She play an acoustic version of the song and are now planning to record their demo cassette again.
FEX are perhaps one of the most famous bands that no one ever knew. All because a teenager recorded her song. What a cassette can do in a time when music is almost exclusively digital and vinyl only plays a role, if at all.
You can hear the whole story in today’s episode of Popfilter. If you like this, please subscribe to the podcast here.
