Pioneer of techno music Juan Atkins has passed away at 64

Juan Atkins, one of the three men who started techno music, has died at 64. He was scheduled to perform at a club in Mexico City on Saturday, but the appearance was canceled before news of his death broke.

He helped create techno music in the 1980s with friends in suburban Detroit. His partner, Kevin Saunderson, said he was the originator of techno, a true visionary who opened the door for so many of us, myself included.

He formed a duo called Cybotron with Richard Davis in 1981. In 1983, they released a song called Clear. It was a robotic, futuristic dance track that was played in clubs and in breakdancers’ boomboxes.

Atkins and friends from Belleville High School listened to Kraftwerk, Afrika Bambaataa, breakdancing hip-hop known as electro and the post-disco sound of house music. They also listened to the weird, wild sounds of radio DJ The Electrifying Mojo.

In 1984, they released a song called Techno City. It was a bittersweet ode to a Detroit that was collapsing in places as the U.S. economy recovered from recession.

In 1988, Saunderson’s act, Inner City, released two songs: Big Fun and Good Life. They became club hits in the U.S. and the U.K.

Atkins became the genre’s wiseman. Techno’s origin story as a rebel sound rooted in visions of a dystopian, digital future was born of his fascination with Alvin Toffler’s The Third Wave.

Atkins revived Cybotron with the help of Berlin producer Laurens von Oswald by releasing new music on the Tresor label in 2023.

In the trio’s wake came techno’s telltale, boom-tss sound, as performed by Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin, the Underground Resistance crew, DJ Hell and Carl Cox.

German techno star Sven Väth called the news of Atkins’ death heartbreaking. He said his vision inspired generations and helped build a musical bridge between Detroit and Berlin. Juan was truly ahead of his time. His music, his vision and his spirit will live on.