Thomas Näfe

Born 1968 in Darmstadt (Germany) and electronic native since the early eighties at the age of 13.

The artist chose the synonym “the artist formerly unknown” because he prefers to remain in the background of his projects. His musical journey began in the mid-1980s, when he started producing electronic music in various projects – sometimes with singers, sometimes solo.

In 1985, together with singer Dirk, he founded his first project, “Perspex Hearts in the Fog” (PHF). Inspired by OMD but more experimental in character, the music was programmed on a Commodore 64 using Sound Monitor software and an early sampling module. The results were low-quality synthpop tracks, attempts to blend the styles of Art of Noise, The Human League, and OMD.

Two years later, in 1987, he launched “Delete Delete” with singer Manfred. This project leaned towards harder, industrial and EBM sounds, drawing influence from Klinik, aGrumh, Skinny Puppy, Throbbing Gristle, Non, Current 93, and Severed Heads, alongside pop icons such as OMD, Depeche Mode, The Human League, and New Order. A wide range of analog and digital gear shaped the sound, including the Korg MS20, Roland TB303, Casio SK1, Commodore Amiga 500, and many others. In 1988, two tapes were released, and the duo performed several unusual live shows. In 1989, keyboardist Axel joined, making the music more accessible. However, before a third tape could be completed or a potential record deal signed, the band split due to musical differences.

Between 1990 and 1995, he wrote a large number of pop songs with the Roland JD800, Korg PolySix, and an Amiga 500 sequencer. Some of these tracks later resurfaced in projects such as “Commercial” and “The artist formerly unknown.”

In 1996, together with singer Kai, he started the project “Banality.” They produced the demo CD Demonstration and tried to pitch it to various London-based labels, but without success, as classic 80s synthpop was out of fashion at the time. Later that year, the project was renamed “Commercial”, shifting towards a more 90s-oriented sound. Their mini-album Concepts (500 copies) was sent to numerous labels, but the feedback remained discouraging: the vocals were considered “too 80s” and the sound “not compatible with chart productions.” In 1998, the single “Forever” was released, featuring female vocalist Antonia to give it a more 90s feel. The track reached No. 1 in the local radio charts and No. 2 in the station’s year-end chart of 1998 – yet again, no label interest followed. After additional recordings and live performances, the project came to an end later that year.

Since the mid-90s, his setup shifted entirely to Cubase on Mac, and in 2000 he transitioned to Logic. At first, he experimented with trance but soon decided to ignore strict genre boundaries. Under the alias “The artist formerly unknown”, he produced melodic, danceable instrumental tracks somewhere between trance, ambient, synthpop, and soundtrack.

Today, he continues to produce electronic music under the name “Elekthromas” and is currently seeking a singer (male or female) to continue creating electronic pop music.