The Techno Twins (later known simply as The Technos) were a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
duo formed in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
Career
The band, consisting of husband-wife duo
Steve Fairnie and
Bev Sage
Bev Sage is a British artist, singer/songwriter and Creative Director. Sage and Steve Fairnie were the 1980s electronic pop-duo the Techno Twins (also known as The Technos). Sage had UK chart success with " Falling in Love Again" and was a feat ...
, formed in 1977. In the 1990s, ''
Mixmag
''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights.
History
The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was prin ...
'' magazine credited the Techno Twins with coining the phrase 'techno' and starting the
techno
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
music revolution.
Separating from the band Writz, the duo decided that they would combine old songs with modern electronic sounds, and in December 1982 they were signed by
PRT Records
Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherhoo ...
. Their debut
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
was a
cover
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** Book design
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of "
Falling in Love Again", and the song received airplay and critical acclaim from the press. It peaked at No. 70 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, their only appearance in any
UK chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...
.
An
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
, ''Technostalgia'' followed, made up of songs from the 1930s and 1940s, and some self-composed songs with
Dave Hewson. Later in the year, their version of
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
's "
Can't Help Falling in Love" was released.
In 1983, following the name change to the Technos, the single "Foreign Land" produced by Joe Glasman was released, and reached the top 10 of the
US Hot Dance Club Play
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
chart. Later that year, the Technos began work with producer
Anne Dudley
Anne Jennifer Dudley (née Beckingham; born 7 May 1956) is an English composer, keyboardist, conductor and pop musician. She was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in the classical and pop genre ...
, and recorded an album at
AIR Studios
Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...
.
In early 1984, the single "Nighttime Heaven" was released, along with a
board game
Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well.
Many board games feature a comp ...
invented by Steve Fairnie called "Hype", a
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
career game. In August 1984, their last single, "Spirit of the Thing", was released.
Sage was guest vocalist on the
Modern Romance song "Queen of the Rapping Scene (Nothing Goes the Way You Plan)", which reached No. 37 in 1982 on the UK Singles Chart.
It was performed on ''
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'' that year.
[
]
Discography
Albums
*1982: Techno Twins - ''Technostalgia'':
**"Swing Together (
I Wanna Be Loved by You/
In the Mood
"In the Mood" is a popular big band-era jazz standard recorded by American bandleader Glenn Miller. "In the Mood" is based on the composition "Tar Paper Stomp" by Wingy Manone. The first recording under the name "In the Mood" was released by E ...
)"
**"Beautiful Women in Bermuda Shorts"
**"Gone with the Wind"
**"Hi-Tech"
**"Donald & Julie Go Boating"
**"
I Got You Babe
"I Got You Babe" is a song performed by Sonny & Cher and written by Sonny Bono. It was the first single taken from their debut studio album ''Look at Us''. In August 1965, their single spent three weeks at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...
"
**"
Falling in Love Again"
**"Romantic Nights"
**"Kings & Queens of Pleasure"
**"
Can't Help Falling in Love"
**"Angels of Mercy"
*1982: Techno Orchestra - ''Casualtease''
**"Let There Be Neon"
**"Mechanical Ballet"
**"Berlin Ballerina"
**"Observation"
**"Techno Refugee"
**"Lunatic Republic"
**"When Is Pleasure Pain?"
**"Boy"
**"Lily Marlene"
**"Military Business (Muscle Culture II)"
*1983: Various Artists - ''Curious Collection'' (
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
)
**Pietro Dinzee - "When You Get What You Wanted"
**Famous Names - "You're the Cream in My Coffee"
**Steve Rowles - "Venetian Blind"
**Steve Fairnie - "Button Up"
**Bev Sage - "Blind Girl"
**Nick Battle - "Big Boy"
**Early Warning - "Escape from Emotion"
**Click - "Touch Too Much"
**P.S. Personal - "Compassion"
**Writz - "Downtown"
**Techno Orchestra - "Dance On"
**Crocodile Tears - "Angel Station"
*1985: The Technos - ''Foreign Land''
**"Falling in Love Again"
**"Spirit of the Thing"
**"Prisoner of Love"
**"Crying in the Rain"
**"Visions of the Night"
**"Foreign Land"
**"Nighttime Heaven"
**"Lunatic Republic"
**"Clowns on the Ground"
**"Slowboats to China"
*1988: The Technos - ''Songs for a Nervous World''
**"Friends & Frontiers"
**"Dare to Dance"
**"Share Food Like the Bees"
**"Beat the Wings"
**"Mechanical Ballet"
**"Half a Story"
**"War: One Voice"
**"Pioneer's Song"
**"Walk into the Light"
**"What You Believe"
Singles
*1981: Techno Twins - "Falling in Love Again" b/w "Donald & Julie Go Boating"
#70 UK Singles Chart
*1981: Techno Twins - "Can't Help Falling in Love" b/w "Kings & Queens of Pleasure"
*1982: Techno Twins - "Swing Together" b/w "Beautiful Women in Bermuda Shorts"
*1983: The Technos - "Foreign Land"
#10 Billboard Dance Charts
*1984: The Technos - "Hype" b/w "Nighttime Heaven"
*1984: The Technos - "Spirit of the Thing" b/w "Visions of the Night"
*1985: The Technos - "Falling in Love Again" b/w "Prisoner of Love"
*1985: The Technos - "Foreign Land"
References
{{Reflist
External links
Technos TimelineTechno Twins Discography
Musical groups established in 1977
English electronic music duos
English new wave musical groups
Male–female musical duos
Married couples
New wave duos