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.
Requiem
Technoir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quest for stolen fortune
Sister midnight lies to me
Seraphim protect me now
Inquisition torturing
Embraces seem so hollow
Now I lose my trace of you
You abandoned me
Requiem for mercy
You put this down on me
Requiem for mercy
This final kiss for us
Redemption not forthcoming
A call to arms I need
Leave me underwater now
Reputation falls away
In my blood I cannot leave
All these whispers
Will they end?
My heart exploding now
I try to hold you back
The lyrics to "Requiem" by Technoir describe the emotional turmoil of a person who feels lost, abandoned, and betrayed in a brutal world. The opening line, "In the hanging garden another child is lost," refers to the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve were banished from paradise. This line represents the sense of loss and longing for a place where life was perfect and innocent. The following lines reflect a search for something valuable that has been stolen, possibly referring to the search for love, acceptance, or a sense of purpose.
The reference to "Sister Midnight" is likely a metaphor for darkness or evil, as this character is telling the singer lies. The word "seraphim" refers to an angelic being or divine messenger, indicating that the singer is calling out for protection and guidance. However, despite these pleas for help, the inquisition torture and hollow embraces show that the singer is unable to find solace or safety. The final lines reveal the intense pain and sense of abandonment that the singer is experiencing, as they feel like they have lost all trace of the person they were seeking.
Overall, the song paints a picture of a desolate, harsh, and unforgiving world, one in which every step forward is met with obstacles and pain. The singer's struggle to find meaning and purpose in this world is a universal human experience, one that resonates with many people who have felt lost or broken.
Line by Line Meaning
In the hanging garden another child is lost
There is a lost child in a place full of despair
Quest for stolen fortune
Searching for something lost that was valuable
Sister midnight lies to me
I'm told lies by someone I trust
Seraphim protect me now
I need to be saved from danger
Inquisition torturing
Being asked questions that cause pain
Embraces seem so hollow
Hugs feel meaningless
Now I lose my trace of you
I can't find you anymore
In this world, before time
Before the beginning of everything
You abandoned me
You left me alone
Requiem for mercy
Asking for forgiveness
You put this down on me
You made me suffer
This final kiss for us
This is the end of our relationship
Redemption not forthcoming
Not being saved from punishment
A call to arms I need
I need help urgently
Leave me underwater now
Let me drown
Reputation falls away
My good reputation is disappearing
In my blood I cannot leave
I can't escape something that is part of me
All these whispers
Hearing rumors and secrets
Will they end?
Will the rumors ever stop?
My heart exploding now
I feel intense pain and emotion
I try to hold you back
I don't want you to leave me
Contributed by Allison E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
fernet1977
Amazing song.
Jr Flowers
Great Song!!!
𝔏𝔦𝔰𝔞
I wish I could hear this entire album on an underground dark club. 🌹🌑🖤
t73010
Klasse Stück!
Nicklas Andersson
Clearly TN's best song. Just brilliant! :)
Elextro Alan
Excellent !
Elextro Alan
❤
fabrizzio franco
this is real future pop music
InstallShield Wizard
it is
Loni Cash
Super!