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The Archive

The Archive

Written by: Derrick T
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While digitizing tapes for a well known Detroit based audio archive, archivist Derrick Thiecke finds something he can't explain — an unlisted track on a reel marked "Master Duplicate", filed alongside Stevie Wonder, The Doobie Brothers, and The Carpenters. No name. No documentation. No match in any database. The Archive is the real-time investigation into who this artist is, and where this recording came from. Exploring what gets preserved, what gets lost, and whose stories end up on the wrong side of that line.

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Episodes
  • From California to Cass

    From California to Cass
    Jul 11 2026

    Before there was a mystery, there was a move across the country, an unexpected opportunity, and a passion for preserving history.

    In the premiere episode, audio archivist Derrick shares the journey that led him from a career in technology to volunteering with Detroit Sound Conservancy, where he began restoring and digitizing aging reel-to-reel tapes from the archive of legendary recording engineer Dr. Ed Wolfrum.

    What started as a way to connect with Detroit locals and become more aclimated to the area, soon became something much more. During what should have been a routine preservation project, one anonymous recording stood apart from everything else—a professionally recorded song that no one could identify.

    This episode introduces the people, the place, and the preservation work that made the discovery possible, setting the stage for an investigation that would unfold over the years that followed.
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    13 mins
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