Detroit Techno co-founder Juan Atkins dies aged 64

Juan Atkins, Detroit DJ, producer, and pioneer of Techno music has died aged 64.

Atkin's managment, Green Smith Artists, confirmed his death on Sunday. He was due to perform at Yu Yu Club in Mexico City on Saturday, October 31. He was found unresponsive in his hotel room prior to the performance, where he was taken to hospital, and was pronounced dead.

Born in Detroit in 1962, Atkins moved to the rural Michigan suburb of Belleville in his youth. It was here he met Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, who became part of the Belleville Three, along with Atkins. The trio were at the forefront of techno music in Detroit during the genre's rise in popularity.

He was still in high school when he began experimenting with equipment like the Roland TR-808 drum machine and the Korg MS-10 synthesiser. Following this breakthrough with his musical process, he formed Cybotron with Richard Davis.

Cybotron released a number of tracks in the early 1980s, including 'Alleys of the Mind', 'Cosmic Raindance', and 'The Line', before dropping their breakthrough hit 'Clear' in 1983. The single sold 50,000 copies and was later sampled by US rapper Missy Elliott for her single 'Lose Control' in 2005.

The duo released three albums, 1983's Enter, 1993's Empathy, and 1995's Cyber Ghetto. Cybotron split in 1985, however they reunited in 2023 with a new EP, Maintain the Golden Ratio.

In 1985, Juan Atkins began his solo career under the stage name Model 500, he also launched his record label, Metroplex. He dropped numerous singles under the moniker, along with three records; 1995’s Deep Space, 1999’s Mind and Body, and 2015’s Digital Solutions. He used another alias, Infiniti, for live shows along with his 1998 release Skynet.

In the 2010s he created the techno duo Borderland, alongside Moritz von Oswald. They released a self-titled record in 2013, along with their album Transport in 2016.

Kevin Saunderson paid tribute to Atkins in a statement on Instagram.

"Juan was the originator of Techno, a true visionary who opened the door for so many of us, myself included. I’ll never forget how he showed me how to finish my first record, Triangle of Love. That meant a lot to me then, and it still does today."

 

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Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield shared her admiration for the late musician in a statement.

"As a teenager with a synthesizer and a big idea, he imagined what the music of the future could be. Then he built it," she wrote.

"He kept recording, touring, and pushing the music forward for more than four decades. Just as important, he opened doors for generations of Detroit artists who followed him.

"On behalf of the City of Detroit, I extend my deepest condolences to Juan’s family, friends, and collaborators, and to music lovers everywhere who are mourning him tonight. Detroit will honor his memory, and his music will keep moving us forward."