Juan Atkins, one of the founding figures of techno, has died at the age of 64 in Mexico City. His booking agency, Greensmith Artists, told Resident Advisor that Atkins was found unconscious in his hotel room before a scheduled performance on October 31 at the Yu Yu Cine Club. He was pronounced dead in hospital.
Atkins helped shape the sound and identity of Detroit techno. In 1985, under the name Model 500, he released “No UFO’s” on his Metroplex label. The track is often described as one of the earliest recordings to sound like what is now recognized as techno.
The genre’s name also appeared in Atkins’ work. His track “Techno Music” was included on the influential 1988 British compilation “Techno! The New Dance Sound of Detroit,” which took its title from the song. Atkins was reportedly influenced by futurist Alvin Toffler and his ideas about “technorebels” using new technology in emancipatory ways.
Born in Detroit in 1962, Atkins was inspired during his youth by the P-Funk music of George Clinton. While attending school in the Detroit suburb of Belleville, he met Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson. The three later became known as the Belleville Three, a group credited with helping define Detroit’s techno sound.
In 1980, Atkins and Richard Davis formed Cybotron, combining funk, electronic sounds and futuristic concepts. The project produced tracks including “Techno City” and “Clear,” the latter becoming a dancefloor hit in 1983 and later being prominently sampled by Missy Elliott for “Lose Control.”
After leaving Cybotron, Atkins founded Metroplex and released solo material as Model 500. Two Model 500 albums were later issued by the Belgian label R&S during the 1990s.
Atkins subsequently collaborated with German producer Moritz von Oswald in the project Borderland, which released albums in 2013 and 2016. Atkins had also worked with von Oswald and Thomas Fehlmann on the 1992 album “3MB featuring Magic Juan Atkins.”
Detroit mayor Mary Sheffield paid tribute to Atkins, describing him as a musician who imagined the sound of the future with a synthesizer and then brought that vision to life. She said that over more than four decades he recorded albums, toured and advanced the music, while also opening new paths for generations of Detroit artists.
Sources: Der Spiegel.