Juan Atkins, who helped create the techno music genre with school friends in suburban Detroit in the 1980s, has died, his booking agency said Sunday.He was 64.Collaborator Kevin Saunderson also shared the news on his Facebook page, saying, “Juan was the originator of Techno, a true visionary who opened the door for so many of us, myself included.” Atkins, who played techno records as a noted club and festival DJ, was scheduled to perform Saturday at club Yu Yu in Mexico City, but the appearance was canceled, the club said on Instagram before news of his death broke.In 1981, the artist formed a duo, Cybotron, with Richard Davis, a friend he met at a Detroit-area community college, and in 1983 released “Clear,” a robotic, futuristic dance track that resonated in clubland and in breakdancers’ boomboxes, according to the duo’s Discogs biography.Juan Atkins in Detroit in 1990.Peter J Walsh / Universal Images Group via GettyThe foundations of techno — Kraftwerk, Afrika Bambaataa, breakdancing hip-hop known as electro, and the post-disco sound of house music — were present as Atkins and friends from Belleville High School, about 35 miles west of downtown Detroit, tinkered with electronic music and listened to the weird, wild sounds of radio DJ The Electrifying Mojo.Atkins, Saunderson and Derrick May were nicknamed the Belleville Three.
May told the Detroit Metro Times last year that the trio, along with Atkins’ brother, Aaron, would skip school and listen to jazz.For SubscribersFOR SUBSCRIBERSTwo executives tried to build their dream of a never-ending cruise.This is how it all fell apart.FOR SUBSCRIBERSPoll: 2024 Trump voters explain why his coalition is fraying ahead of the midtermsFOR SUBSCRIBERS11 data centers and 264 generators surround this school.
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