The band name "Technoir" came into Steffen's mind while watching the film "The Terminator", in which a club with this name played a role. In the following time he produced the album "Sea Level" in his home studio. "Sea Level" features dark, almost frightening hard electro sounds, but has never been released. Together with Stephan Kalwa from Plastic Noise Experience the very atmospheric instrumental album "Eigenspace" was recorded, also unreleased. Knowing not to create something new with hard electro and dark and distorted male voices, Steffen started looking around for a female singer which he found in Julia Beyer that he met in 1999 at a concert of the band Inside (defunct project of Psyche singer Darrin Huss) where Julia was singing background vocals.
With a lot of both musical and live experience made prior to Technoir, Steffen and Julia began developing new songs as a team. The first song they recorded was "Last Tears". Julia had been singing in several bands before joining Technoir (e.g. Inside) where she could make use of what she learned from many years in a professional choir. Steffen is not a newcomer on the scene either: He has been live-keyboarder for electro-heroes Plastic Noise Experience and comes from a musical family in which a classical piano education is both obligatory and cherished.
Shortly after sending out the first demos, they found a partner in the German label Bloodline. The first releases "Requiem" (MCD 27.08.2001) and "Groundlevel" (CD 15.10.2001) hit the German alternative charts immediately, also the press showed themselve impressed. This also attracted the attention of bigger companies and so in 2002 Sony published a very danceable Coverversion of the Killing Joke-Song "Love Like Blood" which has been produced by Olaf Wollschläger under the project name Blacklight feat. Technoir. The Single was released on vinyl and is featured on the well-known and very popular Dream Dance-Compilation 25. In the same year the duo could present themselves on bigger festivals like the Eurorock Indoor and the Wave-Gotik-Treffen.
In 2003, Julia joined the reborn Eternal Afflict and contributed vocals to the album "Katharsis" whereas Steffen supports again the Band Plastic Noise Experience at live gigs after a long break. After the appearance of Eternal Afflict on the Pluswelt Festival in 2004, Julia left the band to fully concentrate on Technoir.
Besides writing new songs, Steffen also proved his remixing skills with providing intriuging Technoir-versions of songs from bands like Psyche, Eternal Afflict, O.V.N.I. (Seize side-project) and Agonised By Love. Meanwhile Julia has been in demand as a guest singer with adding some soaring vocals to Melotron's "Folge mir ins Licht" that soon became a proper single and club hit. Furthermore, she delivered guest vocals to releases of In Strict Confidence, Rotersand and Distorted Reality. After the release of the "Manifesto EP" in August 2006, the band has now in stock their second album "Deliberately Fragile".
In the meantime, Julia Beyer left Technoir in 2008 to join the heavenly voices band Chandeen and collaborated with English band Mesh on the song Who Says from their album A Perfect Solution.
Nightmare
Technoir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Please try to understand the world I used to call my own
My angel is still falling and I won't catch him this time
Thoughts deep like an ocean are never meant for you
I guess that it's just something I must do
The nightmare has come true for me
So wave a last good-bye
I'm calling you again
Is there something I should know?
Every time we fall apart
Every time it hurts me less
I guess that it's just something that I have to do
Heaven waits for me someday but I can't find piece of mind
I am blinded by the night while I'm walking through the rain
The lights talk softly to me trying to guide me on my way
I am losing my direction while I see your face
The lyrics to Technoir's song Nightmare describe a sense of fear and confusion that comes with losing something deeply important to oneself. The singer describes how they used to understand the world a certain way, but now that understanding is slipping away. They are watching someone they love, symbolized as an "angel," fall and they feel powerless to help. The singer is struggling to cope with these overwhelming thoughts and feelings that they feel are too deep for the listener to comprehend. They feel like they must go through this experience, even if it's painful. The pain of the nightmare, or the fear of losing something or someone precious, has come true for them.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of loss and desperation, as the singer calls out to the person they love, asking if there is anything else they need to know. They feel like they are losing faith, and that they are alone in a world that is guiding them in the wrong direction. The lyrics suggest that the singer is searching for peace of mind, but that seems out of reach at the moment. The imagery of walking through the rain while blinded by the night is a powerful metaphor for feeling hopeless and lost.
Overall, the song is a deep exploration of the fear and confusion that comes with losing someone or something deeply precious to oneself. The lyrics suggest that the only way to work through these emotions is to let oneself experience and come to terms with the pain. Through it all, the singer is still hopeful, looking towards a better future where they can find peace.
Line by Line Meaning
It is my silent fear what happens to us now
I am afraid of what will happen to us, but I am keeping it inside and not speaking aloud
Please try to understand the world I used to call my own
I am asking you to understand the world I used to inhabit, as it has now changed and I am struggling
My angel is still falling and I won't catch him this time
I have failed to help the one I care for, and I cannot help them this time either
Thoughts deep like an ocean are never meant for you
These complicated thoughts and emotions are not meant for you to understand, as they belong to me alone
I guess that it's just something I must do
I believe that facing this difficult situation is something I must do, regardless of the outcome
The nightmare has come true for me
My fears have now become reality and I am living in a nightmare
Faith is leaving me tonight
I am losing my sense of faith and belief in something greater than myself
So wave a last good-bye
I am saying farewell, perhaps for the last time
I'm calling you again
I am reaching out to you once more, in the hopes of finding support or understanding
Is there something I should know?
I am asking if there is any information or insight that could help me in this situation
Every time we fall apart, Every time it hurts me less
Although our relationship is falling apart and causing me pain, I am becoming more desensitized to the pain each time
I guess that it's just something that I have to do
I feel like I am obligated to go through this hardship, even if it is difficult and painful
Heaven waits for me someday but I can't find peace of mind
I am struggling with inner peace, even if I know that there may be hope for me in the future (heaven)
I am blinded by the night while I'm walking through the rain
I am struggling to navigate through a difficult situation, feeling as though I am lost in darkness while surrounded by hardship
The lights talk softly to me trying to guide me on my way
Although there are sources of guidance and support around me, I am struggling to see and hear them clearly
I am losing my direction while I see your face
Despite trying to navigate through this situation, seeing you (perhaps a loved one) is making me feel more lost and uncertain
Contributed by Audrey M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Emmanuel Suárez
Me encanta este tema!
Sven D.
Geniales Album...
Red Crystal
Super good music that aged well