Fex (band)

Fex (stylized as FEX) is a German new wave band based and formed in Kiel in late 1983. They are best known for the song " Subways of Your Mind", also known as "The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet", the subject of a 17-year-long internet search to identify the song title and original artist.

Although the band only released a six-track demo tape during their original tenure, keyboard player Michael Hädrich revealed during a Reddit AMA that Fex "had songs for a full 2 set concert". One of the tape's songs, "Jenny", also appeared on the compilation album ''Zeus Top Hits'' in 1985. Fex reformed in the wake of the search for "Subways of Your Mind" and began releasing more songs in late 2024, the first being "Goldrush", a B-side of the tape. In December 2024, Hädrich discovered the NDR version of "Subways of Your Mind" in his storage; it was made available for streaming in early 2025.

History

Formation and original tenure (1983–1988)

According to guitarist Ture Rückwardt, Fex started in a rehearsal room in the Heikendorf industrial area. The original lineup featured his wife Ilona as the lead vocalist as well as bassist Volker Schenk and keyboardist Kalle Eckert. Volker left in 1983, while Kalle left in spring 1984. They were replaced by Jörg Lemcke on bass and Michael Hädrich on keyboard. Ilona and Jörg left in 1984 when Ilona went on maternity leave, while the reason for Lemcke's departure is due to the band's growing professional commitments, which clashed with his university studies. Ilona's departure prompted Ture to become the singer. The name of the band derives from the Southern German slang word Fex, akin to "zealot" or "nerd", regarding someone passionately enthusiastic about something. 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 nationwide, Fex performed at the Glocke concert hall in Bremen and managed to beat seven other bands. One of the rewards was the contribution of a track, "Jenny", recorded at Planet Wave Studio, then released on the ''Top-Hits'' compilation album in April 1985. In late 1984, Fex entered the newly built Hawkeye Studios in Ganderkesee to record a six-track demo tape. A newspaper report on this undertaking also mentioned their plans to release a vinyl sometime in spring and tour Northern and Central Germany in March 1985.Casiello, Pete; Hädrich, Michael. (2024-11-11)
After Hours Café
''WRDV-FM.'' Retrieved 2024-11-12 - via SgtStevePH on YouTube. While a vinyl release did not materialize, the band toured various venues across Germany from March to May. The tour culminated in an appearance as the opening act of the in Bruchhausen-Vilsen on May 26. Not long after the tour, Hädrich decided to relocate to Munich and left the band. Fex continued with a varying constellation of band members, most notably Dirk Reichardt as Hädrich's replacement and the return of Ilona Rückwardt as vocalist, but eventually disbanded in 1988.

Reunion (2024–present)

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 1980s. 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. The four musicians eventually got together in a Hamburg studio in December, with the recording sessions including a new version of "Subways of Your Mind".

On December 9, Berlin-based label The Outer Edge announced a 7" vinyl release of the original demo version of "Subways of Your Mind" as a single, with "Heart in Danger" on the B-side, for a January 2025 release. It was put up for pre-order on the label's Bandcamp page on December 12. The digital version of the single was released on the 20th. On Christmas Day 2024, a tape containing the original NDR version of "Subways of Your Mind" was found by the band and made available on streaming platforms in January. Sievers would also announce shortly after that he would be leaving FEX due to personal and family commitments.

On 16 May 2025, The Outer Edge announced FEX' full length debut album ''Skyscraper'' for release on 8 July, containing remastered versions of all six songs from the 1983 demo tape and three new tracks, "Skyscraper", "Strange Feeling" and "Dirty Slapstick", also recovered from original 1980s recordings. The original 1984 recording of "Subways of Your Mind" from the cassette owned by Darius S., whose sister Lydia had initiated the search for the track, was also included as a bonus track - Darius was brought in to do the cover art.

Band members

Current members
* Michael Hädrich – keyboard, vocals, guitar (1983–1985; 2024–present)
* Ture Rückwardt – composer, vocals, guitar (1983–1988; 2024–present)
* Norbert Ziermann – bass (1984–1988; 2024–present)

Former members
* Ilona Rückwardt – vocals (1983–1984; 1986–1988)
* Dirk Reichardt – keyboard (1985–1988)
* Jörg Lemcke – bass (1983–1984)
* Hans-Reimer Sievers – drums (1983–1988; 2024–2025)
* Volker Schenk – bass (1983)
* Kalle Eckert – keyboard (1983-1984)

Timeline

Discography

* ''Fex'' (demo tape, c. 1983/4; limited repress 2025)
::# " Subways of Your Mind"
::# "Heart in Danger"
::# "Talking Hands"
::# "Jenny"
::# "I Got My Eyes on You"
::# "Goldrush"
* "Jenny" (1985; on compilation album ''Zeus Top-Hits'')
* "Subways of Your Mind" b/w "Heart in Danger" (2024; remastered versions of demo songs)
* "Subways of Your Mind (Live)" (2024; live version recorded in May 1985 at the Roxy in Paderborn)
* "Subways of Your Mind" (2025; original "most mysterious song" that aired on NDR)
* "Subways of Your Mind" b/w "Talking Hands" (2025; remastered versions of original "most mysterious song" and demo song)
* ''Skyscraper: Waves From The Past'' (2025; full-length debut album, including original "most mysterious song" as a bonus track)
::# "Skyscraper"
::# " Subways of Your Mind"
::# "Goldrush"
::# "Heart in Danger"
::# "I Got My Eyes on You"
::# "Dirty Slapstick"
::# "Talking Hands"
::# "Strange Feeling"
::# "Jenny"
::# "Subways of Your Mind" (original "most mysterious song on the internet", recovered from Darius' tape)
* ''More Waves from the Past'' (2025; 10-inch EP containing extra unreleased tracks)
::# "Promise" (ft. Ilona Rückwardt)
::# "Persecution Mania"
::# "Cold Dreams"
::# "It's Good to Know"

Other songs

* "Right and Wrong"
* "Hard Ride"
* "Second Hand Love"
* "Influence"
* "Talk About"
* "Killing Joke"
* "Dead End"
* "Epcot"
* "We Don't Want It No More"

References

{{Reflist

German post-punk music groups
German new wave musical groups
German synth-pop groups
German musical quartets
Musical groups established in 1983
Musicians from Kiel