Juan Atkins, one of the creators of techno music, dies at 64
Detroit-born musician Juan Atkins, widely called the Godfather of Techno, has died at the age of 64. His booking agency shared the news on Sunday.
Atkins helped shape a new sound in Detroit in the 1980s, mixing electronic music with funk, soul, jazz and science fiction ideas. At Belleville High School he met Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, and the three later became known as the Belleville Three.
With Richard Davis he formed Cybotron. Their 1981 single Alleys of Your Mind found an audience in Detroit, and their 1983 track Clear later became a blueprint for techno. In 1985 he started Model 500 and founded the Metroplex label.
Tributes have come from his fellow pioneers. Kevin Saunderson wrote on Instagram that Atkins was more than a friend and a brother. Derrick May called him an innovator and a trailblazer.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Source: NBC News
#JuanAtkins #Techno #DetroitTechno #GodfatherOfTechno #CelebrityNews
Detroit-born musician Juan Atkins, widely called the Godfather of Techno, has died at the age of 64. His booking agency shared the news on Sunday.
Atkins helped shape a new sound in Detroit in the 1980s, mixing electronic music with funk, soul, jazz and science fiction ideas. At Belleville High School he met Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, and the three later became known as the Belleville Three.
With Richard Davis he formed Cybotron. Their 1981 single Alleys of Your Mind found an audience in Detroit, and their 1983 track Clear later became a blueprint for techno. In 1985 he started Model 500 and founded the Metroplex label.
Tributes have come from his fellow pioneers. Kevin Saunderson wrote on Instagram that Atkins was more than a friend and a brother. Derrick May called him an innovator and a trailblazer.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Source: NBC News
#JuanAtkins #Techno #DetroitTechno #GodfatherOfTechno #CelebrityNews
